Continued from Part 1
1 Evaluating how much the average citizen understands government in general is challenging. Many people are generally aware of economic issues and blame government entities for their struggles. For example, when interest rates rise, they may unfairly target Prime Minister Albanese, expressing frustration without grasping the broader economic context. Similarly, they often attribute increasing inflation and the cost of living to perceived mismanagement by their leaders. Voters beware. Voters be aware.
Beneath expressions of discontent lie a significant knowledge gap regarding inflation and interest rates. Many people do not understand that prices at supermarkets are influenced by market forces, not dictated by the government. This disconnect underscores the need for improved education on the financial principles that affect everyday life.
2 When the average punter votes, they don’t consider the merits of one to the other; they probably vote for whoever their parents supported.
Peter Dutton has shown an antagonistic stance, favouring political maneuvering over policies that could benefit Australians. This approach is similar to that of former leaders Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, whose decade in power lacked meaningful progress. Dutton focuses solely on nuclear power, often ignoring expert opinions and financial analyses that deem it unsuitable for Australia’s current needs. Voters beware. Voters be aware.
Some may view his assertiveness as strong leadership, but it reflects an inflexible mindset that disregards established science. This obstinacy poses significant risks, especially as aging coal-fired plants close before nuclear facilities are operational, potentially leading to a chaotic power landscape and crippling generational debt that would strain essential government services for decades.
3 In contrast, the Prime Minister, who possesses only a limited amount of natural charisma, has demonstrated remarkable consistency and an unwaveringly positive attitude. This has been evident even when there has been a lack of funding to support implementing innovative new policies.
The crucial 20% of voters who will ultimately determine the outcome of this election need to reflect on a significant decade in Australian politics. During the leadership of Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison, the country experienced a prolonged period of stagnation. I called them the Luddite years. Under their governance, meaningful progress was largely absent, contributing to widespread discontent. This lack of action ultimately led to their electoral defeat, highlighting the importance of evaluating past leadership when deciding on the upcoming election.
Voters beware. Voters be aware.
My thought for the day
The right to vote in an election is the gift that democracy gives. Therefore, it is incumbent on the voter to at least have a rudimentary understanding of politics and to take an interest in the political landscape.
Also by John Lord:
A year has ended. Another has begun
Lack of detail Dutton Launches Much to Do About Nothing campaign
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Well, Tone the Botty was a Luddite, and an arrogant, ignorant one at that. Nuclear power is Potty Boy Dutton’s attempt at a “direct action” moment. Potty Boy Dutton is unwilling to compromise.
Dutton would be applauding the move by right-wing social media platforms not to moderate or fact check material published on their sites : it fits right into his gameplan of misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Hopefully Australians will see right through this charlatan !
Dutton holds Dickson with a 1.7% lead. If ever there was a time to get rid of him, it is the 2025 election. If people don’t want to vote labor, and for some strange reason many don’t, then they need to vote for the community independent. Dutton knows that he is hanging by a thread and this next federal election will be nasty and full of mis and dis information from the LNP. In the words of another liberal politician whose electorate voted him in long after he should have gone, the people of Dickson need to heed those words. “He must go”. Australia cannot afford a federal government led by Peter Dutton.
Quiz question :
Who said “I don’t even know what street Canada is on.”
Clue : it wasn’t Donald Trump but somebody with similar business principles !
Terence Mills (and New Bruce), you are on the right track about “game-plans”.
When the Dutton “Nuclear Plan” was first unveiled, it didn’t take long for some to recognise the whole thing was bulldust – at best a delaying tactic in favour of the fossil-fuel lobby.
But, bulldust or not, the plan so far has worked remarkably well. For starters it prompted all manner of technical, commercial and other responses as to why the plan would not work, and of course it didn’t take long to demolish the Coalition’s assumptions and mathematics – but that was part of the plan – get opponents thoroughly occupied on the technical and environmental stuff.
Unfortunately the Albanese Government took the bait and started talking about things like detailed analyses to incorporate things like costings, time-frames, future unknown events, and so on, instead of saying at the outset that Dutton was talking bulldust, and refusing to engage with him and ignore the critical press by hinting at the adverse consequences of media concentration in Australia, meanwhile talking up the benefits of renewables in the context of climate change.
All Dutton had to do was keep quiet on providing any substantial detail, make sure he commanded the conversation (with the help of a compliant media) and talk up the ‘benefits’ to climate, to reliable electricity supply, to cost of living and let the ‘unbelievers’ get more and more frustrated over what they perceived to be a totally bad policy.
With the recent disclosure of some “inside” information, we now know a bit more. According to Christopher Pyne, former Coalition Minister and now Consultant:
“Dutton’s nuclear plan will never happen, but it’s still a gem of a policy”.
[ https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-s-nuclear-plan-will-never-happen-but-it-s-still-a-gem-of-a-policy-20250102-p5l1qv.html ]
Essentially the ‘policy’ is a distraction. Some of Pyne’s comments are worth quoting:
In other words, even if Dutton and his energetic spokesman for climate change and energy, Ted O’Brien, give it a “red-hot go”, as they say, there is no guarantee that the minor parties, crossbenchers or any government across the country will co-operate.
But in more good news for Dutton, by the time anyone has worked out that the likelihood of a nuclear power plant actually being commissioned in Australia is, let’s be generous and say, limited, the election cycle will well and truly have clicked over.
If nuclear power never happens, the Coalition can hardly turn back the clock. This is a seismic shift that has been achieved with almost no animus.
In many ways, Dutton has already won – he has united the Liberal party room, navigated the debate about future energy policy away from coal and moved the Coalition to an acceptance of action on climate change that eluded former opposition leader Brendan Nelson and prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, without losing any skin
Related, while RW MSM and ecosystem has an obsessive focus on ‘the other’ inc. refugees, NOM, temporary resident students, ‘immigrants’ and population growth as causes of any ill, without any evidence, but lapped up most Australians.
Infamous image of Musk and Murdoch at ’23 or ’24 SuperBowl, now old legacy RW media joined up with social media, esp. X and Facebook; and a metaphor to explain.
For example, X algorithms promote preferred RW MSM, grifters & influencers, alt right etc. and disinfo accounts vs. any normal account is limited, comments or links have ‘reduced visibility’ for no reason or simply blocked, to recreate old solid state media; it has become a static billboard.
Billboard metaphor is, approved players esp. influential, are permanent fixtures with similar small ones given visibility, but the normal and centrist media and/or influencers are kicked into the long grass behind the bill board to preclude visibility.
Many middle aged and older dominate elections, while many retirees have time on their hands to be online, influenced and promote talking points without possessing media or critical literacies.
Leads to pensioner populism and collective narcissism for the GenX, boomer (‘bomb) and silents gens, an often monocultural or ‘skip’ and low info, but influential (see Brexit, Trump & The Voice) cohort of 8 million ie. 40% of electorate, lower in cities, but higher in the bush.
Outnumbered younger generations and working age are being encouraged to be asleep at the wheel (& too busy working), as the RWNJ powers that be have their way…..
Potty Boy Dutton is not an intelligent piece of human detritus, and it is stronger to admit that you were wrong when new evidence or information comes to light than what it is to, in the words of Jacqui Lambie, “Repeat the same crap,” over and over.