Mood:
accident proneTopic: election Oz 2007
The ABC is reporting an 8 point swing back to the Howard led federal Coalition government. And see here too at Sydney Telegraph Government claws back poll support which to our mind is actually a 4 point swing off the ALP to the Govt from 59:41 to 55:45.
We interviewed two centre right type voters, regionally based growers, at the Organic Food Market in Marrickville yesterday on Sunday. They sounded upbeat about the co prime ministership arrangement of officially nominating Peter Costello as the next Prime Minister if the Howard Government is re elected.
"It's good" the grower said, "It's an orderly change."
Well maybe. Or maybe the swing back to the government is because conservative voters (which we are not) like the idea of a change to Costello sooner rather than later?
9's Sunday show internet poll had 59% saying Howard should retire.
Mal Turnbull is airbrushing Howard from his newsletter too apparently: Turnbull flyer leaves out PM and Libs
The view on ABC is that Howard is now safe from any challenge in the Coalition party room tomorrow. Maybe so too. But is he electable? Time for a bigger change more like it.
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Postscript #1 8am Tues 18th Sept
Fran Kelly on abc radio national just now with Treasurer but also "PM in waiting" was revealing for Peter Costello striking a chatty, amicable tone. In short the right kind of tone to appeal to the general public from a very low base of 18 per cent as preferred PM. So why so moderate and kind a tone? Whatever it is Peter Costello sounded like a man who has avoided a gallows, either as losing leader of the Coalition in a bloody, successful challenge in the party room today, or 'a never to be PM' frustrated wannabe. Has he avoided both now, or will Rudd spoil his party by winning the election? Even then Costello won't get the approbium. It looks like a close election for sure Howard v Rudd and all hands to the wheel in that federal election stoush.
Notice the flanking move via the Heiner affair in a speech by Senator Barnaby Joyce re yet more fallout of the dirty National Party Joh years back to 1990. A nasty corrupt murderous time in Qld that may have tainted the ALP during that time too? That effectively is the allegation back at Rudd who was chief of the Qld Premier's Dept back in 1990. Pretty old and desperate for the Coalition to trawl back so far? Probably.
