ETU Gets it right on election night
As we speak the federal election could hardly be closer, with the Australian newspaper putting the ALP on 72 seats, the Coalition on 70, independents with three seats, the Greens one and four seats undecided. In three of the undecided seats the Liberals are leading but in Denison (Tas) the ALP is in front. In Victoria, where the ETU supported the Greens in Melbourne (Green Adam Bandt won the seat) and the Senate and donated to the campaigns of the ALP's Mike Symon in Deakin (he won) and the ALP's Darren Cheeseman in Corangamite (he looks like winning) the ALP has held its ground with a slight swing of 0.9 per cent.
Shaun Carney offers an interesting take on the election in an article in Monday's Age titled 'Unmasking voter despair'. Whilst acknowledging that voters in Queensland and NSW have had enough of their Labor governments Carney says, 'Too often it (Labor) fell back on cheap tactics and easy talk and took flight from promoting genuine Labor values.' He cited the ALP's position on asylum seekers as an example. The result was a 4.9 per cent drop in the ALP's primary vote, with the Greens up 3.6 per cent to 11.4 per cent nationally.
Shaun Carney offers an interesting take on the election in an article in Monday's Age titled 'Unmasking voter despair'. Whilst acknowledging that voters in Queensland and NSW have had enough of their Labor governments Carney says, 'Too often it (Labor) fell back on cheap tactics and easy talk and took flight from promoting genuine Labor values.' He cited the ALP's position on asylum seekers as an example. The result was a 4.9 per cent drop in the ALP's primary vote, with the Greens up 3.6 per cent to 11.4 per cent nationally.
Whatever the reason for the hung parliament and Labor's failure to win a majority after just one term, it's surely the case that the number of people rusted on to the major parties has never been lower. We might now have a Green in the federal parliament for the first time but we have never had more independents in our parliament than ever before.
It's hard to imagine that Bob Katter could support Tony Abbott and a National Party he believes has devastated the bush. Katter comes from Labor roots. Despite a career in the National Party (he was elected to the federal parliament as a National in 1993) it was only because of the split of the 1950s that his family broke from the ALP. The problem of course is that since the Hawke days the ALP has been as enthusiastic about free market policies - privatisation and de-regulation - as the Coalition.
If the poll ends up as follows: Coalition 73, ALP 73, Greens 1, and Independents 3 there is good reason for Julia Gillard to become Prime Minister. Given Adam Bandt will vote against the Coalition on key issues he must be considered pro-Labor, and Katter, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor can hardly believe that the Liberals will smile on the bush. Sadly, it seems idealists and thinkers - Maxine McKew seemed to be saying that in her parting speech - are scare in the ALP bunkers.
Maybe this will be the start of a beautiful relationship between the ALP and the independents, with the Greens controlling the Senate.
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