Let’s face it. Even Liberal supporters know Abbott isn’t smart enough, charismatic enough and respected enough to become Prime Minister on merit. But alas, it appears this end is upon us. With only two days to go until polling day, I’ve been thinking about the reason why a man so disliked, so unfit for this position, and so genuinely unintelligent is, most likely, going to be Australia’s Prime Minister on Sunday. He’s had everything his way – some of his own doing, others just dumb luck. For crying out loud, he’s going to ride in on the promise that his daughters are good looking. What the fuck is wrong with this country? Here are my thoughts:
Negativity is fashionable
Abbott has been relentlessly negative about the performance of the Labor government for six years. No matter how hard Labor has worked to cut through this negativity, to tell the real story of the success of their government, people don’t want to hear good news. Good news is unfashionable. Woe is me, whinge, bitch, snipe, blame and whine are the new black. Australia has become a nation of ungrateful shits. When Abbott says the economy is a basket-case, every day Australians believe him, and ignore basic facts. When the Labor party says Australia has the best performing economy in the developed world, it would appear voters refuse to hear. It’s a sad state of affairs to say Australians prefer negativity over optimism, but it would appear to be true. This sad state of affairs has been a gold mine for Abbott.
Progressives refuse to unite
If I see another smart-arse political tweeter, commentator, blogger or journalist explain why they just can’t bring themselves to support either party this election, I’m going to scream. Actually, I’ve already screamed. Maybe next time I’ll cry. This pathetic ‘I’m above all this two party-politics stuff’ attitude has been a dream come true for Abbott. The only way he was ever going to lose this election was if progressive voters sucked up their distaste for Kevin Rudd, sucked up their dislike of one or two Labor policies, rose above their need to be ‘up on their moral high horse’ and united with a strong ‘we’re all in this together’ campaign to keep Abbott out. It hasn’t happened. Greens snipe at Labor. Labor snipes back. And amongst all this bickering, dis-united squabbling over how left-wing the government should be, Abbott’s been given a free pass to be as right-wing as he wants.
It’s simple maths really. If the major progressive party with approximately 32-38% of the vote isn’t supported by the minor progressive party with 8-12% of the vote, the major conservative party, who is already in coalition with the minor conservative party is going to win hands down. Why this isn’t obvious to progressive voters, and why many of them are blind to the implicit support they have given Abbott throughout this election campaign, is a mystery to me. Yes, you can preference Labor, but this doesn’t make up for the failure to unite against Abbott. Under the current circumstances, Labor needed your voice, not just your ‘hold your nose’ number two preference. They needed your support, not your constant barrage of criticism. At the very least, Labor needed you to campaign against Abbott, not to campaign against Labor.
Labor’s internal fighting
When I vote, I choose the political policies I want to see implemented or strengthened. But I’ve come to realise, this is not how many people vote. Many people during this election campaign are judging Labor on the strength of the party’s internal coherence and the popularity of the Labor ‘brand’, not on the merits of their political platform. In fact, most of Labor’s key policies are very popular. The NBN. Gonski. The current equitable paid parental leave scheme. Extra funding for child care. Reduced tax for low income earners. The mining tax. Action to reduce the catastrophic effects of climate change. Economic indiciators the envy of the world. The report card on this front is first-class. However, Labor has distracted from this policy success through internal backstabbing and white-anting throughout the ongoing leadership tensions after Julia Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister in 2010. Yes, the media, and the Liberals played this for everything it was worth, but Labor could have killed it. Had they all wanted to. But they, most notably Rudd, didn’t want to kill it. Sure, he’s more popular than Julia Gillard, but no one will ever be able to prove how popular Gillard might have been had she not been undermined by her own party along with everything else she was up against. I was devastated by the Gillard versus Rudd debacle. This doesn’t mean I won’t passionately support Labor’s policies – they mean as much to me now as they did the day before Gillard lost the leadership. But Abbott’s enjoyed watching on as many voters deserted Labor because of the leadership sideshow that completely overshadowed Labor’s policy success.
An uninformed and unthinking electorate
I hate to sound like an intellectual snob, but seriously how dumb must many voters be to blindly give Abbott their vote without having even an inkling of an idea about his policy details and costings? That’s like buying a car without knowing what price it is! And how dumb must voters be to not have any suspicion about why Abbott refuses to release his costings before the very last minute. Before the advertising black out. Are people expecting a pleasant surprise? I’m disappointed by this stupidity. I thought Australians were better than that. I also thought they would easily equate a campaign by Rupert Murdoch and Gina Rinehart to be only in the best interests of Rupert Murdoch and Gina Rinehart. But no. It would appear many voters think Uncle Rupert and Auntie Gina only have them and their family’s best interests at heart. Seriously dumb. The only thing Murdoch and Rinehart are interested in is their own bank balance. I can’t for the life of me understand why voters don’t recognise this. An uninformed and unthinking electorate is probably the factor that has advantaged Abbott the most. He’s counted on people not thinking. And it’s working in his favour.
Throughout the campaign, Liberal candidates have been instructed to stay silent, they have been barred from attending candidate forums and when a few have slipped through the net and embarrassed the party (think Jayme Diaz), the electorate doesn’t seem at all perturbed. Are we the dumb country? Do we really trust the people who don’t even want to tell us what they’re planning? Are we hoping to be screwed over?
The most blatant pro-candidate media campaign in history
Rupert Murdoch has done a stellar job of promoting Tony Abbott, for which I’m sure Abbott has promised him exactly what he’s asked for – an end to Labor’s NBN. Abbott needed Murdoch on his side, and he needed to avoid even a small amount of scrutiny to get as far as he has. He also needed an uninformed electorate to believe Murdoch’s crap. And even when GetUp came up with this fantastic response to Murdoch’s campaign, the rest of the mainstream media fell into line for Abbott and refused to put it on TV and radio – even though GetUp was paying for the ads. Surely people have to be a little suspicious when struggling media companies are turning down advertising revenue, in support of one of their competitors? I don’t have enough ‘what the fuck’s in me for this situation.
When you look at it all laid out bare like this, Abbott couldn’t lose this election. I would be less upset with Abbott winning, less devastated to have to live in a country with the most embarrassing imbecile of a leader since George W Bush, if Abbott had played fair, and if he didn’t have all these factors in his favour. If people knew what his plans were and really liked his plans, that would be one thing. But for them to be so gladly fooled is just too much for me. And the part progressives have played in Abbott’s victory will just makes things worse. Tony Abbott doesn’t deserve to be Prime Minister of Australia. I thought we were a smart enough country to collectively agree on this fact. But it seems I was wrong.
Media Inequality 
You have articulated my thoughts and feelings exactly. I have been desperate enough to voice my opinion on FB, to share posts regarding these topics. I have asked people that I thought were intelligent and beyond bias; unprejudiced. Apart from one wise person, there were no likes or comments to all my protests about what is happening. I likened the voting public to having ‘herd mentality’ and I was struck down. Apart from giving great consideration as to how I will structure my vote, I have given up on sending out warnings. Australia’s future will be set back a decade if deceitful Abbott is elected.
I am fully in agreeance with you Victoria on all that you have stated. I have devoted my loyalty towards Labor and voted already. For all those blind deaf and dumb voters who trust Abbott list of pherfies, without seeing his policy-costings that Joe has said they have been tested as correct although the PBO haven’t received any as yet and we will never seen them in the future as Abbott will hid them from the Australian public by Joe Shredder.
Ho ho ho! Abbott will never stop the boats that is for sure. Hang on when was the last boat that came here seeking asylum, it must be a week or two now. Maybe Rudd has pulled this off after all and the boats have stopped coming.
Abbott’s plan to ‘Stop the Boats’ is to block all reports of boat sightings and arrivals. Totalitarianism for Aus?
[…] also extends to any opposing views, things start getting a bit Orwellian. After watching the polls rise inexorably in Abbott’s favour despite a campaign of obvious bias, negativity and speculation, whilst more progressive parties […]
So depressing.
So, don’t vote for him. It’s not Saturday yet. I didn’t in my postal vOte. (And believe me it was pOstaL)
Victoria
for all of your advocacy for the Labor party here you ignore one simple problem with the Labor party in power over the last six years and that is the fact that they have repeatedly promised far more than they have delivered.
The voters will forgive such things if they are the rare exception but when the become the depressing norm it can only detract from the party’s standing with the public. Abbott has sussed this out and he has made a biog thing of making very modest promises knowing full well that there will be a good will pay off when they are exceeded in delivery. In my humble opinion this is a major reason why Labor is facing a huge thrashing on Saturday. Further labor have just not developed the right skill set for sound administration for any of its grand schemes so they are always way behind schedule and way over budget (the NBN is a perfect example) This is what Labor will have to address in opposition and by the looks of things they will have a few terms to try to address this problem. The thing is though until they prove in office that they can deliver or exceed realistic promises made they they will be unelectable.
Haven’t been on here for a while. I cam back and Iain is still telling fibs. It’s like watching days of our lives. I only need to watch it once a year to know what’s going on since the plot changes so little
What Have I said that is untrue Loz?
As an ageing lefty I thought I would have stopped “maintaining the rage” years ago but it’s actually become easier.
Despite the rise of independent media sources, blatant mainstream media bias and overwhelming self-interest is even worse now than it was back in the 70s.
At least in those days, journalists were prepared to take an industrial stand against editorial censorship.
It must be the mindset of the voter that has changed so we only have ourselves to blame for what will inevitable follow.
Politics has become like a TV reality show like “PM Idol” and meant for people with short attention spans.
Love your work!
Wobbles, how right you are and just love the PM Idol reality show. Can I also suggest locking those politicians up in Big Brother for a month with main task of balancing the books without the aid of technology. Yes they would be allowed to use the beaded abacus type that I and others used when in primary school to learn how to count and subtract with in 1952.
I have just returned from 4 hours pre poll for the ALP.Last election I actively supported the Greens.Agree wholeheartedly with most of what you say,Victoria and thank you for it.
However,
I do think Labor supporters have underestimated T A’s charisma and intelligence ,he gives me the creeps,but I’m not the one he’s tryingto impress.
Furthermore,the ALP has overestimated the attention span and interest in politics of the 15%.
There is no point bemoaning this,better to study the target market and appeal to it.This doesn’t necessitate lying or making false promises ,just honing the message.
Hi Victoria
Thank you for your continuing blog posts which I always enjoy reading. Let’s hope for the best possible outcome tomorrow.
If a consolation is needed then I thought you might be interested in this post.
Kind Regards
Sherryl
http://www.thevine.com.au/life/news/why-an-abbott-election-victory-would-be-good-20130905-264996/
Sherryl Caulfield Mob: 0450 410 351 E: sherryl.caulfield@gmail.com
I am so depressed, I can’t believe Australians are going to vote in this man and his party of nasties. God help Australia. Please if Bernie Banton is looking down, I am so ashamed of our media, not one inch of any scrutinising of the LNP or Tony Abbott. I am going to give up listening or watching any news, even on the ABC, I just can’t cope with the faces of the LNP when they gloat over their win. It wasn’t a fair election campaign when you have the whole of the Murdoch press against you. I know the Labor party is not perfect but I just felt that they never had a chance to get their message across when the media was against them. I just hope that the loss is not too great. What if we have the hottest summer ever, what will the LNP do about it, what about our forests and our waters, there goes the Marine Park sanctions, gone. Please Australia when you vote, think of the environment and the lower working people, think of the overseas aid to poor countries. These are the countries that we buy our cheap clothes from and they get peanuts for wages. If there is a God please don’t let Tony be PM if you care about Australia.
Yes I am with you Julie and we will hear all that crap from Abbott that Labor stuffed up everything and now we all have to pay dearly for all those Million Cuts of Cuts.
Maybe SBS is the only news I will watch in the future. Stuff the rest and I might even drop Jon Faine tool. I’ll still listen to the Saturday Footy show thou just after the garden talk back radio. The other is Barry Cassidy can go and jump off a cliff too somewhere.
I really feel the pain for those self foundered retiree’s who will be double taxed to pay for the rich to have babies and stuff while the poor people who struggle to keep food on the table while trying to pay off their mortgage or extravagant rents to those landlords as these low paid people will be the hardest hit of all. Thanks Abbott.
Cheers to all those faithfuls of the tree of democracy.
Today is the day to Kick Out Kevin. Six years of Swan Gillard Rudd Shorten stuffing this country. Putting us further in debt. A legacy that our new government will need to fix for our future generations. I will celebrate tonight with the hopeful massacre of a hopelessly disunited government
I hope you are a self funded retiree and will enjoy paying Abbott’s double tax on your self funded pension.
My dear Victoria, I believe you are just the person to write The Julia Gillard Story. It will probably need to be done within the next two years while the Libs are making a pig’s ear of everything (no disrespect to the piggies). And then perhaps a move into politics? Now more than ever, this country needs young, intelligent, articulate, perceptive and compassionate politicians to combat the Liberal scourge.
ディズニー バッグ
From the last post Marimekko Bags Disney Bag. Lucky we have Bing Translator
[…] Before the election, I hoped that progressives would see the risk of Abbott as too great, and would unite to keep him out. I thought this was more important than in-fighting and sniping between different groups on the […]
[…] Before the election, I hoped that progressives would see the risk of Abbott as too great, and would unite to keep him out. I thought this was more important than in-fighting and sniping between different groups on the […]