Coalition extends lead in Australia
February 14th, 2011 at 1:00 pm by David FarrarThe Age reports:
THE Coalition has opened an emphatic 54-46 per cent two-party lead in an Age/Nielsen poll that shows Labor’s primary vote and the Prime Minister’s popularity sliding.
This is the biggest lead the opposition has had over the Gillard government in Nielsen polls and – depending on preference allocation – probably its best result since early 2005. The Coalition’s two-party vote is up 3 percentage points since November, with Labor’s down 3 points.
On first preferences Labor is at 32% to 46% for the Coalition and 12% for the Greens.
Gillard still leads as Preferred PM 51% to 41% for Abbott, but (outside election campaigns) the incumbent PM almost always polls highest as Preferred PM. Key out polling Clark from Opposition as Preferred PM was a rare exception.
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February 14th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
But Helen Clark was very very unpopular.
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
The Coalition don’t really deserve the lead – the hapless and hopeless Deputy Leader Julie Bishop attacked her own leader on, of all things, cutting aid to Indonesia to fund rebuilding Queensland after the floods and cyclone. They’re a disorganised rabble, incapable it seems of backing the one person left in their ranks capable of winning an election.
However the MSM’s determination to mortally wound Abbott – demonstrated nowhere better than in Channel 7′s disgraceful distortion of Abbott’s “shit happens” comment (to soldiers, over the death of a comrade) and subsequent ham-fisted attempt to conduct an ambush interview with him on it is wearing thin with Australians, who are generally fair-minded.
In reality I suspect the poll is more a referendum on the MSM’s manipulation of news, which has finally become so blatant that people have woken up, and are saying “enough – we will no longer be told what to think”. Won’t stop them continuing to try though, I’ll wager.
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
And now we have “Give me back my flag” Aussie Norman flexing his puny muscle.
Vote:How come an unelected MP and Party can deliver an unnecessary insult to a visiting PM – one I have little time for but Australia has saved us from a lot of financial punishment and we want to be seen as generous, welcoming hosts. He cast a cloud on the visit by our other great saviour, China, and seems determined to crap in our Kiwi nest.
Perhaps civility and sense is beyond Little Norm. Or perhaps his loyalties lie elsewhere.
February 14th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
The Rudd/Gillard government is the most incompetent administration in this country’s history (and yes, that includes the Whitlam disaster). Never before has a government presided over so much failure. Its incompetence makes the John Key joke administration look like olympians of good governance.
Sadly, the Coalition appears at the moment to be suffering from ACT Syndrome, where termites and false-Liberals seek to undermine the leadership. Tony Abbott, if he wants to win the next election, needs to act now to put “his” people in place. That means removing Bishop from the deputy’s role and it means putting Malcolm Turnbull as close to the exit as he possibly can. He came within a bee’s dick of winning the last election, and the Gillard government is only being propped up with the support of 2 independents who will, at the first sniff of a better deal, go scurrying off to the other side.
Had Tony Abbott actually given Mark Riley the smack in the face he so richly deserved last week, I suspect he would be PM by now.
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Long may their lead continue.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
So the Australian Greens are twice as popular as the Australian-co-led New Zealand counterpart. And yet Russel Norman cannot find the good grace to allow Julia Gillard to make an historic address to the New Zealand Parliament.
Ah well; there’s hope for us yet. Perhaps the New Zealand Greens won’t have speaking rights in the New Zealand Parliament after 26 November!
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I personally think the poll overstates support for the Libs. People didn’t like Rudd, they don’t like Gillard, they don’t like the incompetence and wastage associated with a Labour govt. Unfortunately, Abbott is failing to present any halfway competent alternative, and many of his problems in the MSM are of his own making. His handling of the 7 ambush was poor – particularly given it wasn’t actually an ambush (they told him what they were going to ask about beforehand). He made the story about him when he didn’t have to.
Unfortunately for Australians, both party leaders have a bit of a tin ear at the moment. I say at the moment because both of them have, in the past, been very competent. Neither yet seem to have grown into leadership.
I’d say the support for the libs is soft, and that the polls will swing around quite a bit over the next year or so. Hopefully that will give time for both of them to mature in their roles, and give us a real competition in the next election. Also (fingers crossed), they’ll decide that a small target isn’t actually an election campaign, and go into election year standing for something that the average Joe could choose between.
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
“(they told him what they were going to ask about beforehand). He made the story about him when he didn’t have to.”
Paul where did you read that?
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
In the newspaper. I think. He was definitely prompted on what it was about. Of course, given usual lefty media, that might mean “we have the full footage from Afghanistan, and want to ask some questions.”
I couldn’t imagine that particular comment standing out, sounded to me like he was just being agreeable. Basically he was meeting the commander of the US forces, who had just finished explaining all the resources they had at their disposal, and how the guy still died. And Abbott said “I guess sometimes shit happens”, and the US guy agreed. I mean, what should you say? I think you guys fucked up and now our guy is dead? Now, that would be something to report. Newsflash, people die in war, despite the best intentions otherwise.
So, a beat up about nothing. But still, Abbott didn’t handle it well.
Vote:February 14th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Offshore Kiwi-
Good article on Andrew Bolt’s blog.
Vote:February 15th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Good riddance, if Labor had been kicked out after one term I think a lot more Kiwi’s with sense would have seen that Aussie’s have sense too and made the move…
I doubt they’ll make the same mistake twice…
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