TE-BO: The Election Trail – 4 – The Final week … who is still listening …

The Final Week – who is still listening … | Author: TE-BO – The Eye-Ball Opinion| Date: Sept 2nd, 2013 | The election draws closer … there is desperation across all Labour held electorates, the fate of all the ALP candidates in those electorates depend on Rudd’s performance in this last week – most of these candidates already know their fate and Rudd’s own desperation in his negativity over the past 5-6 days is evident. Rudd has never had a battle like this, the longer the campaign runs the more negative he becomes.  The electorate is becoming exposed to the reasons why the ALP dumped him in 2010 were justified.   Rudd is more desperate and this flows buckets of support to Abbott.   The question now is whether the defeats in the last NSW and QLD State elections is about to be turned into a final bar-b-que for Federal Labor? As much as the campaign from both sides wants to flood us with their messages – the more we all want to turn away … we all understand that election campaigns are about the ‘candy’ handouts – the promises made in the heat of battle with full knowledge that when in power there is ample room to back away from many of those promises … using the age-old trick for new incoming Government’s that the previous Government left us a bag of rotting onions. Yes … there is no doubt about a Coalition victory – the result is how large their majority will be. What we all know is that Labor as a political force is at a crossroad – they are still to deal with the Union corruption issues,  the endemic entitlement that has been exposed throughout the MacDonald/Obeid ICAC inquiry and findings .. all to a display of hubris by Labor Politicians who have abused public trust. Unions have been exposed in their corrupt use of member funds, the factional ALP branches are reeked with in-fighting and election rigging, all to a purpose of becoming endorsed to a higher level of office where the corruption is bigger and more profitable.  Then there is the continuing Thompson/HSU affair, and Gillard’s desperation in promoting Peter Slipper as the Speaker to protect its majority.   Then there is the lingering question of Gillard’s own credentials to be promoted to the Prime Minister role … all with the ALP Caucus knowledge of her attachment and involvement in the AWU scandal currently under Police investigation and before the Victorian and WA Courts. No Government can survive these corruption scandals – nor should they … so any talk by Rudd about deserving another term in office is fanciful and playing to the hearts and minds of voters over loyalties long ago dispensed with. The polls have shown this ALP campaign is not convincing anyone … their minds have been made up for months, perhaps years and since the NSW State election.  This questions why Gillard wanted September as the election date in the first place bears examining.  It shows poor judgement as it was already known that the ICAC results, and the Slipper and Thompson court hearings would all become a timing issue in conflict with the election campaign at that time of the year. Voters have had no choice but to be reminded of all these corruption issues throughout this campaign.  Abbott has not had to go negative in his own campaign as a result. On the back of these corruption exposures and the more that are to follow … Labor do not deserve another term in office. Weeks ago in a post in the old EYE-BALL site the margin was predicted at 23 seats.  That now seems a little light given how the polls have turned in recent weeks, I would now say that above 25 seats, and near 30 is very on the cards. For me – I just don’t believe in our Democracy under this two-party system … it has run its course and the caliber of candidates disappoints.   It is no longer about constituents and the local candidate – the Party comes first for any elected Party candidate and that diminished the vote value of the voter. Over the last three years Abbott has had to do no more than watch Gillard lurch from crisis to crisis, and now Rudd, bought in at the 11th hour to try and save the sinking ship has been far short of his 2007 glory days.  Abbott has not had to venture into troubled waters throughout his term as the Opposition Leader – do no more than rely on Howard’s previous policy record to blunt the immigration debate … he has had to do no more that watch Swan deliver year upon year of financial chaos and unbalanced budgets,  to sit back and watch the rotating Attorney General and Foreign Affairs portfolio as they trip over themselves due to internal disputes. The Coalition has always presented themselves as a united front and that is what the electorate will vote for.   Abbott has had it all handed to him on a plate and his record in office will define his place in history. Much credit has to go to Malcolm Turnbull for this steady ship – his ousting by a single vote for Abbott prior to the 2010 election had to be hard to swallow.  He had indicated his intentions to leave politics as a result but was talked back by Howard.   His position on the new Government’s front bench is a saving grace – all in the knowledge that he will bring the balance needed to help the Coalition overcome the many weaknesses that exist on their Opposition’s current Front bench. EYE-BALL Author ‘Herman O’Hermitage‘ has stated that the result of the election will be know as early as 9:00pm on Saturday – before the first numbers from WA are known.  I agree …  […EYE-BALL…]

Tags: 2013 Federal Election, ALP, Australia's Worst Treasurer, AWU scandal, Coalition, Economic Management, Election 2013, election campaigns, ICAC, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, MacDonald ICAC inquiry, Malcolm Turnbull, media journalists, Obeid ICAC inquiry, politics, TE-BO, The EYE-BALL Opinion, The Greens, The media, Tony Abbott, union corruption, Wayne Swan

This entry was posted by TE-BO - [The EYE-BALL Opinion].

• September 2, 2013
• Eye-Ball TEBO, Politics and C/Affairs
• 1 Comment