Never seen a government lose its base so fast

[Wokko]

Every Liberal, liberal, libertarian and those of a similar political persuasion have gone feral over the government dumping their proposed changes to 18C. I don't think I've ever seen a government decide to piss off it's core constituency so early, so fast and so hard. I'd say any chance Abbott had of lasting more than 1 term just dissipated into thin air by trying to appease his detractors and opponents.

If Bolt et al turns against Abbott (and they will) then this Government just became a lame duck.

[stui magpie]

I heard discussion today that they dumped the 18c reform (temporarily) to get through the antil terrorist legislation. Can't have the muslims in west Sydney pissed off.

[Tannin]

[Tannin]

[3.14159]

[watt price tully]

I don't think the issue of 18c will resonate in the electorate in a few years time at all.

The IPA is damn pissed off but they are not your traditional lib supporters in any case - not conservatives in the original meaning of the term.

It may come to hurt the Mad Misogynist Miners Monk on the issue of trust. He's is desperately trying to link this with the Muslim vote & muddy the waters. This is cynically tactical & expedient.

However the recent accounts & despicable behaviour of Isis & internal Jihadists (where is the global outcry over 180,000 dead with thousands of children dead let alone women being raped & people starving?) has given MMMM a cover to overturn the deeply despised changes to 18c (another example of the Libs being hopeless negotiators).

Bolt was the first person Abbott told. Much will depend on how News Limited chooses to pursue this. But I think for the average shmock (shmuck is the Americanisation of the Yiddish word schmock meaning dick) on the street it bears little relevance IMO.

The damage this does bring is it adds to the remarkably poor & negative reception the budget has had. The haves don't realise how badly off the have nots are. The Libs have been utterly insightless here - the exemplar being the $7 tax on seeing a Doctor - but I digress.

The issue of concern for me is not 18c but information collection & storage. I need to know more about this.

[HAL]

[Tannin]

[Wokko]

IPA crowdfunds $30k for anti Abbott ad.

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/ipa-supporters-pour-in-cash-to-fund-antiabbott-ad-as-race-discrimination-act-fury-boils-over-20140807-3d9r3.html

[AN_Inkling]

Should the title read "face" rather than "base"? They've angered part of their base, but it's not likely they've lost it. On the other hand, their lies and broken promises will have a lasting effect. I've never seen a government so quickly and so clearly welch as this one has.

[Wokko]

Part of the base of the Liberal party are classical liberals and libertarians, because the Labor/Green side is so far opposed to them. Sure they (myself included) certainly don't agree with much of Liberal party policy, but preferences have certainly gone to them before Labor. The problem for the Liberals is people like me deciding to preference Palmer after our 1 vote (LDP in my case). So while it's only an erosion of their base, it only takes a couple of percent going to Labor or Palmer and the Libs are boned.

Edit : And I agree, after rightly eviscerating Gillard for making and breaking promises, whether that was due to political expediency or not, he's set himself up to be judged by the same set of rules.

[David]

I have to admit I didn't realise how much antipathy there was towards Abbott on the right side of politics at the moment.

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/exactly_how_liberal_is_this_government/#commentsmore

I find that astounding from Bolt given how he's essentially been a Liberal shill for years now. Obviously he's just trying to use some leverage to push his agendas, but I'm really amazed by the anger from Liberal voters in the comments section. Guess nobody likes broken promises.

Two years is a long time, but I have no idea how Tony Abbott can come back from this.

[Wokko]

Abbott has betrayed the Right, from the reluctant hard Right Liberal voters like One Nation supporters all the way through to the small L Center once held by the Democrats (before they swung hard to the left and lost their vote in its entirety).

The winner out of that is Palmer because of the coverage and brand recognition he has, the LDP who will pick up some votes from those who don't oppose social freedom. The Religious Right might just discover the DLP or Family First and the aspirational middle classes will flock to Labor.

If Abbott keeps going how he is the next election will be an evisceration of epic proportions and we'll have Shorten as PM by default. Politics in this country is looking pretty grim.

[3.14159]

I posted this in another thread but have moved it here.

This how the Libs regarded Australia's bid for a seat on a council when they were in opposition a waste of 20 million or so.

Politics & policy
Why Australia�s Security Council bid was a mistake
Starved of funds, Australia�s foreign affairs department has spread itself far too thinly since Kevin Rudd launched the bid, writes Danielle Cave

- See more at: http://inside.org.au/why-australias-un-security-council-bid-was-a-mistake/#sthash.IqOnn5TU.dpuf

quote...But, as I have argued previously, Australia�s relations with the Pacific have suffered over these past few years � and this is just one way in which the UN bid has contributed to a distracted, confused and increasingly distorted Australian foreign policy.

^^^ That article is from a write wing fink tank!

Shortly after the election (such as it was) she (Bishop) was addressing the UN on Woman in Aussie politics!
Then the crowing about a resolution regarding flight MH 180 and the what Aussie stance on the issue is!

[HAL]

What was it like before the election such as it was I was addressing the UN on Woman in Aussie politics ?