Gillard Government Blames Greens for “Poor Polling”
- Gillard Government says Greens are to blame for poor polling
- Slams the Greens as extreme and destructive
- Showdown looms over asylum seekers
The Gillard government has launched a fresh salvo at the Greens brandishing them as “extremists” and “destructive.”
It’s an extraordinary attack given that the Greens helped the Federal Labor party form Government at the last election together with the Independents who also, to varying degrees fallen fowl of Julia Gillard’s dictatorial style.
In a shock move, Labor’s NSW general secretary Sam Dastyari has announced that he will move a motion at this weekend’s NSW Labor conference, urging the party to consider preferencing the Greens last at the next federal election.
If successful, this would see Labor preferencing controversial conservative party “Family First” at the next election.
The motion will call on Labor to “no longer provide the Greens party automatic preferential treatment in any future preference negotiations”.
Chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon has joined the attack on the Greens, labelling the party’s policies as either “populist and unachievable” or “achievable and economically destructive”.
Mr Fitzgibbon today said the government needed to distance itself from the Greens because Labor’s vote was suffering.
He said the hung Parliament “looks like chaos to people” and reflected badly on the Gillard government.
Mr Fitzgibbon was particularly critical of the party’s stance on asylum seekers – the Greens voted against offshore processing in the lower house and Senate last month.
“What we’re talking about here is a frustration that’s been festering for some time,” he told ABC Radio.
“We are a much different party – we need to make sure people understand that.”
Mr Fitzgibbon’s comments follow an opinion piece last week in which he said the Greens would “only ever be a fringe party”.
Climate Change Minister Greg Combet argued that Labor did not have an alliance with the Greens, rather it had negotiated an “arrangement” with them and other independents in the wake of the 2010 election.
Julia Gillard agrees with Mr Dastyari’s stance, yesterday standing by a controversial speech she gave in April last year in which she said the Greens “did not value family or work.”
“The Greens will never embrace Labor’s delight at sharing the values of everyday Australians, in our cities, suburbs, towns and bush, who day after day do the right thing, leading purposeful and dignified lives, driven by love of family and nation,” she said at the time.
Bob Brown, then the Greens leader, labelled the remarks unfortunate and gratuitous and said Ms Gillard had turned on those who were helping her.
The Prime Minister said yesterday that speech “fully describes my attitudes and views on all of this”.
theguttertrash.com 
I see the Greens have dropped their Death Duties Policy much to the delight of Bob Brown
Hmm, I see on twitter that a number of traditional Labor supporters are gobsmacked over this latest Labor assault on The Greens…
In addition;
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/greg-combet-says-labor-will-distance-itself-from-greens-values/story-fn59niix-1226421005015
Confirming what many of us have come to realise, Federal Labor is a “valueless” party, and the more they engage in conduct like this, the more they just resemble the Liberal party.
The Greens are “a threat to democracy” says Paul Howes..
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/paul-howes-labor-must-turn-on-the-greens-and-destroy-them/story-e6frezz0-1226419835582
What amuses me is that in a time when the ALPs primary vote is so low that they now pick a fight with a party whose lower house preferences they will desperately need to hold more than a rump of seats at the next election.
How funny is that ?
Personally, I think Paul Howes is a greater threat to democracy.
“Federal Labor is a “valueless” party, and the more they engage in conduct like this, the more they just resemble the Liberal party.”
With the Liberals you basically know what you are getting each election the big exception being Workchoices.
With the ALP you have no idea what you’ll get i.e. Gay Marriage, Carbon Tax.
At least you have a good idea as to what you get with the Libs
The conservative Coalition is fairly solid and predictable, so we know what to expect, while this lose knit left wing mob will suffer the fate of minority guvmints the world over.
For some time now Labor have been attacking the Greens as if they are their political enemy. Yes, previous Labor voters have gone to the Greens, but that is because Labor policies have driven their voters away. If Labor voters wanted a conservative government, conservative prejudice and bigotry, they would vote for the Coalition.
Labor think that they have to hold the “middle” to keep government – well they can have the middle and all it represents, but don’t expect that dissenting voters should just accept it.
I had to laugh when I saw Paul Howes article, calling Labor the “progressive” side of politics. Labor have gone against majority opinion to kowtow to the fundies on gay marriage and euthanasia – just where is the social progression? Labor keep up with the privatising of publicly owned assets [the ABC is now wrecked] and continue to push public debt into private hands with health, education and welfare [all in the name of choice]. Labor continue to pander to big business and kneel at the altar of capitalism despite the mess that capitalistic greed have made of the world’s financial systems which impact upon the very people that Labor thinks should be voting for them. Then the same people as taxpayers have to bail them all out of the shit while no reform is ever instigated – business as usual.
And where is the demand for female equality in wages and jobs from the male dominated unions as they collect their ever increasing wages? Where is the outcry from the unions in defence of the attacks on hard working public servants and scientists from the fear/smear artistry of self interested industry and it’s paid lobbyists?
Why would any progressive thinking person be voting Labor these days?
The conservative Coalition is fairly solid and predictable, so we know what to expect, while this lose knit left wing mob will suffer the fate of minority guvmints the world over.
squirt, squirt
“so we know what to expect…”
And you are happy with that? I expect more.
“hard working public servants”
Heh. I think you mean employed.
Dictatorial style?? Excuse me, please explain what a dictator is again?
“hard working public servants”
Heh. I think you mean employed.
Oh, I forgot, only the self employed and those employed by private enterprise,
fiddle the books, rent seek and bludge off taxpayerswork hard 🙄“And you are happy with that?”
Politics is usually a choice among evils. This much is clear:
– minority government is a massive failure and the people hate it. Giving power to fringe lunatics like the Greens has been a disaster.
– whatever Labor gains in preferences from the Greens will be lost in primary voters sickened by the compromises Labor has made to get into bed with those diseased ratbags. Most will vote for someone who preferences the Greens last.
– voters understand that Labor has been willing to sacrifice every principle, their basic honesty and every last shred of decency for power. They despise Labor for this.
– the Liberals will be given their chance at the next election. They are likely to blow it, not least because Abbott displays the same vacillating tepidity on matters of policy and unbridled lust for power at any cost that has effectively gutted the ALP.
So, no, there is not much to be happy about.
“Dictatorial style?? Excuse me, please explain what a dictator is again?”
Ans:
– Someone who rules with an iron fist
– Someone who sets about to destroy potential rivals
– Someone who ignores the majority wishes of the public
– A belligerent, self-serving individual who will say and do anything to retain her grip on power.
I think Gillard fulfills those qualities in bucketloads.
– minority government is a massive failure and the people hate it.
I, and others like me, who feel that our political system is dysfunctional, like it…the two party system is corrupt and party unity is undemocratic, the voters are not represented.
Giving power to fringe lunatics like the Greens has been a disaster.
Lunatic fringe? What rubbish, the two majors are the ones that are in lunatic territory, the extreme right wing fringe – they are off the scale. Already the libs are the aussie teabagger party! Now we have bilionaires wanting to take over the country, wealth buys more influence than the wishes of the voting public.
Good times.
No one has confidence in Gillard. She lacks the credibility to have any bounce.
Regardless of the impact of the carbon tax, it’s the duplicity that the public will remember.
Personally, I’d vote ALP if they returned to Rudd, because this would represent such a major slap in the face for the power brokers/hacks. It would be a signal that control of the party has returned to actual people.
“the two party system is corrupt and party unity is undemocratic, the voters are not represented”
Gillard has used minority government as an excuse for breaking her promises to the electorate and introduced a carbon tax that has not at any time enjoyed majority support. That is profoundly undemocratic.
Minority government and proportional representation mean that voters have no expectation that any particular policy position of their candidates will be implemented or that any promise never to do particular thing will be kept. That is the opposite of democracy.
Sure, it helps the intelligentsia force their pretentious wankery down the throats of ordinary citizens. But please don’t pretend it is democratic.
“Lunatic fringe? What rubbish”
The Greens are returning to type – Stalinists. Hence the rise of old-school communists like Rhiannon. Look no further than their plans to silence dissent by having the government tell the press and, indeed blogs like this, what they can and cannot say. Fucking fascists!
Given the Greens ‘holier than thou’ mad ideological mantras and crocodile tears over the asylum seekers, I’m not surprised that Labour’s reaction. Milne appears to be and ideological fanatic and Hanson-Young quite prepared to shed crocodile tears over drowned people but not to endeavour to compromise over the Malaysia solution. With Greens support the legislation would have passed and yet they preach their ‘cuddly little get togther meeting to all sit down and discuss the situation. Meanwhile people continue to get on boats and drown. Absolute bunch of nongs!
The Greens and the Independents have themselves entirely to blame when the voting public stampedes back to a two party system at the next election. Effectively they have stuffed the greatest opportunity they had in getting a more broader ideological representation in Parliament — well done team! You won your dogmatic, unpragmatic ideologies, and lost the chance to influence Australian politics over the longer term.
I don’t know that the “Malaysian Solution” would do anything, other than punish 800 asylum seekers.
Miserable death at sea doesn’t provide a deterrent.
Arguably, the” Malaysian Solution” is an experiment, untested and intended to punish the innocent. It’s a race to the bottom, an attempt to appease the redneck lobby, it’s a political response to a redneck hot button.
Also arguably, TPVs are capable of “breaking the business model” and the program agreed by Australia and Indonesia (to provide information to the potential crews about the lengthy gaol time consequences of their actions) should be given a chance.
Sending desperate people off shore is not the type of policy that fair minded people support.
‘And you are happy with that? I expect more.’
Stable government is preferable to a dysfunctional guvmint. I expected more from Julia, that’s why I voted for her…she has been a great disappointment.
On 7.30 Report the ALP figures are really hopping into the Greens!
Interesting partnership they have, particularly with the ALP preferencing the Liberals.
I think it’s more a case of being seen to be fighting with the Greens for short term poll jumps. Come number crunching time closer to the election all will be forgiven as the voters don’t really notice who preferences who when they are trying to vote in between netball and cricket games for the kids in september
It’s a Phoney War
We are at war with the Tories. We have always been at war with the Tories.We are at war with the Greens. We have always been at war with the Greens.
Gillard has used minority government as an excuse for breaking her promises to the electorate and introduced a carbon tax that has not at any time enjoyed majority support. That is profoundly undemocratic.
Utter BS, how on earth can she unilaterally force something when she is bargaining talks for a minority government and dependent on their decisions?
The same could be said for Howard doing a deal with meg lees and ramming through the GST against the wishes of the majority [he might have taken it to the people but it wasn’t a decisive victory]. Same could be said for every deal done with that tasmanian senator for catholics – harradine, these were all against the wishes of the majority. Where was all the outrage and red faced apoplexy from the conservatives for a couple of years over those? Why weren’t they all accused of lying?
Taxing the truth: why we must not let Abbott’s dogmas lie:
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/taxing-the-truth-why-we-must-not-let-abbotts-dogmas-lie-20120706-21mlz.html#ixzz20BgtJKnj
…Abbott’s exaggerations of these basic facts are distortions of the real situation.
As we have seen, and as he well knows, a broken commitment is not a ”lie”.
Ironically, Abbott calling what Australia’s Prime Minister said a ”lie” may itself be an example of what Adolf Hitler called a ”big lie”, that is a lie so ”colossal” it has a ”certain force of credibility” because the populace ”would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously” (Mein Kampf, volume I, chapter X).
For the repetitions, just watch the TV and listen to the radio. Every time an opposition politician gets the opportunity, they repeat the ”lie” claim over and over again. This happens with such predictable regularity it cannot be mere coincidence. There is clearly a conscious, concerted and calculated propaganda campaign of Goebbels-esque proportions under way…
The same could be said for Howard doing a deal with meg lees and ramming through the GST against the wishes of the majority [he might have taken it to the people but it wasn’t a decisive victory]. Same could be said for every deal done with that tasmanian senator for catholics – harradine, these were all against the wishes of the majority. Where was all the outrage and red faced apoplexy from the conservatives for a couple of years over those? Why weren’t they all accused of lying?
Wrong. The House of Senate is supposed to be one of review. The deals she did were, in the main, to form government in the House of Representatives. Howard’s deals with Lees, Harradine etc involved amendments to legislation for which an electoral mandate had been sought and at least to some extent, granted. They did what they said they were going to do and when they went further than that (Workchoices) they got booted.
‘INTERNAL ALP polling has revealed that Julia Gillard and federal Labor are toxic in the Prime Minister’s home state of Victoria, and the party is on track for a disastrous loss to the Greens in a looming state by-election.
‘Labor’s Victorian campaign committee was told yesterday that federal factors were hampering the party’s campaign to hold the once heartland seat of Melbourne from a Greens’ onslaught.’
Sid Maher and Matthew Franklin in the Oz