This is an excerpt from : http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22389303-7583,00.html

"More important, the Government has a lot of good things going for it and it is these that must be hammered. Indeed, my argument is that if the potential winning issues are presented properly, the Government will win.

First, there is the issue of leadership. Howard's qualities are so well known that there is no need to repeat them here. But what is important is that they must be highlighted.

The contrast will have to be made with Rudd, who has certainly struck a chord. But the real point about Rudd is that if he actually stands for anything, it is well-hidden and this will become very apparent as the campaign unfolds.

Indeed, it will be the main task of the campaign apparatchiks to highlight the contrast between the two leaders, in knowledge, experience, achievement and commitments.

This can be turned into a great advantage for the Government, for if Howard's length of office is uncertain, you at least know what he stands for and what you will get for every day he is there.

In contrast, Rudd presents himself as a long-term leader, but you know little about what he stands for on most issues or what he would do on any of his days in office.

The most glaring example is that, as I understand it, there is no ALP tax policy. If you go to party's website, there is an ominous gap between "Small Business" and "Veterans", a gap where you would expect the tax policy to be.

The task for the Government is to force Rudd to drop the cliches and show whatever substance is there, on tax as on everything else. After all, in the face of the overwhelming prosperity and economic success of the past 11 years, surely people can demand a coherent plan that shows how it will be continued.

Second, there is Iraq. It cannot be ignored as an issue, so it should be turned into a good one. Indeed, the Government has what seems to me to be some unanswerable arguments that must be put more forcibly.

These arguments are that there are continuing improvements in security in Iraq (with overwhelming evidence that the surge is working); that if we do not strangle Islamist terrorism there it will seriously hurt us here; that the ALP is a moral coward for denying the people of any country a chance to be free; and that it is simply perverse to fight terror in Afghanistan but throw in the towel in Iraq.

It is the same with the issue of industrial relations, for it also is a potential vote winner and not a ground for pessimism.

More important, the modest degree of free bargaining the Government has introduced is an important contribution to individual freedom.

Instead of being continually on the defensive about the policy, which has been the approach on this subject for too long, it should be presented as a positive freedom for working men and women to have some say in the value of the only thing they have to sell: their labour.

Indeed, the case should be put that the ALP is proposing to stop free people from making their own judgments about their own lives and will reduce the wages of many of them."

JOHN Howard may be facing a humiliating defeat in his own seat of Bennelong at the hands of glamour Labor candidate Maxine McKew, with Liberal voters continuing to desert the Prime Minister's cause in droves.

According to an exclusive Galaxy Poll conducted for The Sunday Telegraph after last week's interest-rate rise, voters have solidified their support for Ms McKew, reflecting national polls that show Mr Howard has been unable to substantially cut Labor leader Kevin Rudd's big lead.

The Prime Minister is now facing a seven per cent swing in Bennelong.

That puts Ms McKew in a commanding position with 53 per cent of the vote after distribution of preferences.

The seat only needs a four per cent two-party preferred swing to change hands.

It's understood the Galaxy poll is also in line with internal ALP research in Bennelong.

Labor needs a uniform national swing of five per cent and a net gain of 16 seats to put Mr Rudd in The Lodge.

Along with Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull's now marginal seat of Wentworth, Bennelong is increasingly seen within the ALP as one of the last seats they need to win to take office.

Things have also turned sour for Mr Howard in Western Australia, according to polls.

A Westpoll published this weekend shows a shock swing of eight per cent to Labor, delivering the Opposition 54 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

That figure would give Labor three additional seats in WA.

If Mr Rudd's vote held up elsewhere in the country, it would almost certainly mean a Labor victory.

The two polls will send shockwaves through the Coalition, which is already reeling from the latest interest-rate rise, a decision expected to further damage the Government's re-election prospects.

And if he is beaten by Ms McKew, Mr Howard would be the first sitting Prime Minister to lose his seat since Stanley Melbourne Bruce in 1929.

Dangerously for Mr Howard, the poll shows that an increasing proportion of voters have now locked in their decision - a figure of 69 per cent compared to 62 per cent for a similar poll in May.

And the swing to Ms McKew is coming from Liberal voters with 20 per cent of Mr Howard's base at the last election now leaning to Labor.

Worse, the motives for moving to Ms McKew and Labor appear to have nothing to do with the attractions of either the high-profile former ABC presenter or Kevin Rudd.

Voters, it seems, are simply disaffected with the Prime Minister.

ex-member DonaldTrump wrote on Aug 13^th, 2007 at 12:04am:


true Donald..its not over yet....






Whoever wins election will win Bennelong: analyst
Posted Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:23pm AEST


Maxine McKew says she faces a tough job in Bennelong.

Video: McKew ahead of PM in Bennelong (ABC News) Map: Sydney 2000
Related Story: Labor predicts tight contest in Bennelong Related Story: Howard facing Bennelong rout: poll An election analyst says whichever party wins government at this year's federal election is likely to also secure the Prime Minister's seat of Bennelong.

A Galaxy opinion poll of 800 Bennelong voters has Labor's high-profile candidate Maxine McKew ahead in the Sydney based seat, with 47 per cent of the primary vote.

John Howard trails with 44 per cent.

The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, says the survey is telling.

"The swing for Labor to win office is about 4.5 per cent, which is about the swing in Bennelong," he said.

"I think it's fair to say that whoever wins government will win Bennelong. If the Government is returned, John Howard will win Bennelong. If Labor wins the election then I think John Howard will probably lose his own seat."

Mr Green says Ms McKew is a real threat.

"The current opinion poll in Bennelong matches every opinion poll we've seen this year and would indicate John Howard will have trouble holding on to his own seat," he said.

Ms McKew is heartened by the poll.

"It's encouraging that people are responding to the message that I'm taking out into the community," she said.

But she says she still has her work cut out for her.

"History is still spectacularly against me. I've got a very very hard job in Bennelong," she said.

Of those surveyed, nearly 70 per cent said their vote was already locked in.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-would-lose-seat-if-election-now-poll/2007/09/17/1189881375645.html

Prime Minister John Howard would lose his seat with a seven per cent swing to Labor if the federal election was held now, a new Morgan poll has found.

The Morgan poll found Liberal voters in Bennelong would be less likely to vote Liberal if Treasurer Peter Costello became leader. The primary vote for a Costello-led government would have been 39.5 per cent, according to the poll, three points lower than if Mr Howard remained as leader.

The poll, conducted by Nexus Research over the weekend, found 51 per cent of 600 respondents in Sydney and Melbourne would vote Labor while 36 per cent would vote Liberal.

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I would like to see this:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/ALP-calls-for-three-election-debates/2007/09/17/1189881386871.html

There should be three debates instead of the traditional one in the federal election campaign because the government has a lot of explaining to do, ALP national secretary Tim Gartrell said.

Take that !

Couldn't agree more on this.

The more we encourage minors to look like adults the more it encourages pedophilia.

What happened to the good old days when kids used to dress sloppy anyway?

Sprintcyclist wrote on Sep 14^th, 2007 at 10:26pm:


The thing I really hate... is the parents that allow this krap. I know when I have kids they aren't going to be walking around dressed like adults/teenagers... that's for sure.

"Oh look how cute they look in that bikini and makeup." Pffft... yeah... 'cute' for pedos.