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July 1, 2008
Gippsland one day, the nation the next. Newspoll via Possum says 55 - 45, back to the 10 points off primaries at 44 - 39. At last, the honeymoon is over, the chickens have come home to roost, the electorate has woken from its slumber and the narrowing is narrowing. Kevin's down from 68 to 64 and Brendan has gained a whopping 2 points at 15.
Which news item will take the lead, the poll result or Alexander Downer's retirement? Janet Albrechtson got the interview and produced one of her more cringe-worthy pieces, strewing roses and waxing lyrical about the great man. He's cross because State governments won't let him smoke in pubs. He does have a point though - given the choice between a government that actually does stuff and one the contents itself with pointing out how fat, alcoholic, nicotine addicted and generally horrible we all are, take the one that does stuff.
Downer also had a parting shot for his friends:
“The Liberal Party has to explain why there is a role for government in any particular form of activity, in practical terms, not in terms of Left and Right,” he says. “Just in practical terms.
“What they need to do, which they have not done very well so far, is develop a better narrative: both a negative narrative about the Rudd Labor Government and a positive narrative about the Liberal Party. They need to build policies around that narrative. It is one thing to start barking on about reducing fuel excise about 5c, but what’s your point? Why would you want to do that? The Liberal Party does not have a story to tell at the moment. Just a bunch of ad hoc comments.”
Turnbull also rubbished the 5 cents on Lateline last night
The point of the 5 cent cut that Brendan Nelson announced in his budget reply was that it really showed up the hypocrisy of Kevin Rudd.
I mean the political message was very important, was in fact even more important than the 5 cents, because Kevin Rudd had gotten elected last year saying, or leading people to believe, that he would bring down the price of petrol.
Ah, so the 5 cents wasn't about feeling our pain at all, but a clever piece of politics. You've got to feel sorry for Turnbull, having to spruik nonsense he clearly doesn't believe in.
My personal favourite so far this week was Opposition education spokesman Tony Smith on the computers in schools business.
"All the way long we've said there wasn't enough money to make the computers work in schools," he said.
"Principals have been screaming from the roof tops for seven months, the Labor states have been saying at each COAG meeting since December there weren't the funds to actually make the computers work and without them the computers would simply be sitting at boxes in schools."
How's this for an idea: Assemble the students, back up a truck full of computers, and let the kids show you how to make them work.
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Turnbull's wings have been clipped.