Teiwaz
06-01-2006, 07:08 PM
I love watching you yankees get your knickers in a twist over Dubbya. Aussies just don't get quite as worked up, but ultimately there is less difference between our political parties than there once was.
The 2 major parties are split along different lines to yours as well. the Liberal Party is really more like a conservative party, like the Republicans a bit - more focussed on economic prosperity, business etc. The Labour Party is more blue collar focussed - their platform is looking after the workers, more Union driven. For a lot of years, Labour and the Unions were so intertwined they were like a single force. Problem is that Labour spend like demons on welfare and social services (they are like a socialist party) and want to tax the arse out of the "rich" (which to them is anyone who earns more than about $80,000 a year), and cause lots of problems for business by going overboard with labour laws. The Liberals tend to be the economic rartionalists, they reform industrial relations (not ridiculously in my opinion, but certainly to an extent that gets the Labour guys upset), take a hard line on immigration, and focus on the economy. We have had about 10 years of the Libs now, because Howard is, despite his lack of charisma, an bloody smart guy. Unemployment is at record lows, our economy survived the 96 Asian collapse well, and is booming. Interest rates are low, and wages have grown well too. It leaves Labour with no-where to go, because the workers are actually doing pretty well under the Liberals, the business enviroment is improving all the time etc. They keep returning Surpluses on the budget - I mean BIG ones for an economy our size. I think we are just about debt free as a Nation now, another year or 2 and we're out of hock. That makes the average punter concerned about what Labour will do if they get back in. No-one really trusts their economic management skills. And because we have compulsory voting, the lazy majority don't getr swamped at the polls by the left wing zealots. The Liberals have, by being a very moderate party in the greater scheme of things, and by making sure average families are looked after as well as Labour would look after them (Labour would dispute that, but deep down people know that Labour would pork barrel their support in ways that would ultimately upset the economic momentum the Liberals have got going), made it really hard for labour to get enough support to topple the Liberals. Their traditional ultra left wing, died in the wool Labour voting, Union loving, welfare spending supporters are not numerous enough, with many of them now comfortably middle class and enjoying job security, low interest rates etc.
I don't know how Labour is going to bring itself back, especially while Howard stays on. Maybe Costello will botch it, but I think he might be far more capable than people think. It's his smirk that I reckon could be his biggest problem.
The 2 major parties are split along different lines to yours as well. the Liberal Party is really more like a conservative party, like the Republicans a bit - more focussed on economic prosperity, business etc. The Labour Party is more blue collar focussed - their platform is looking after the workers, more Union driven. For a lot of years, Labour and the Unions were so intertwined they were like a single force. Problem is that Labour spend like demons on welfare and social services (they are like a socialist party) and want to tax the arse out of the "rich" (which to them is anyone who earns more than about $80,000 a year), and cause lots of problems for business by going overboard with labour laws. The Liberals tend to be the economic rartionalists, they reform industrial relations (not ridiculously in my opinion, but certainly to an extent that gets the Labour guys upset), take a hard line on immigration, and focus on the economy. We have had about 10 years of the Libs now, because Howard is, despite his lack of charisma, an bloody smart guy. Unemployment is at record lows, our economy survived the 96 Asian collapse well, and is booming. Interest rates are low, and wages have grown well too. It leaves Labour with no-where to go, because the workers are actually doing pretty well under the Liberals, the business enviroment is improving all the time etc. They keep returning Surpluses on the budget - I mean BIG ones for an economy our size. I think we are just about debt free as a Nation now, another year or 2 and we're out of hock. That makes the average punter concerned about what Labour will do if they get back in. No-one really trusts their economic management skills. And because we have compulsory voting, the lazy majority don't getr swamped at the polls by the left wing zealots. The Liberals have, by being a very moderate party in the greater scheme of things, and by making sure average families are looked after as well as Labour would look after them (Labour would dispute that, but deep down people know that Labour would pork barrel their support in ways that would ultimately upset the economic momentum the Liberals have got going), made it really hard for labour to get enough support to topple the Liberals. Their traditional ultra left wing, died in the wool Labour voting, Union loving, welfare spending supporters are not numerous enough, with many of them now comfortably middle class and enjoying job security, low interest rates etc.
I don't know how Labour is going to bring itself back, especially while Howard stays on. Maybe Costello will botch it, but I think he might be far more capable than people think. It's his smirk that I reckon could be his biggest problem.