State Election 2010

[cruel_world00]

Watched the "debate."

This Chantelois stuff has GOT TO STOP.

Greg Kelton, in my opinion went for a gutter journalist approach (not that you could expect much from The Advertiser). This election is not about Mike Rann's alleged relationship with that woman. Policy not private life please.

Also, Hugh Riminton could've at least kept the leaders in check when they ventured off on tangents and didn't answer questions.

I was hoping for something a little more robust, instead we got tired rhetoric and no actual idea on who would be a better leader etc. At least I've already made my mind up who to vote for, and it's certainly neither of them. But it would have been nice to see a decent debate.

[Howie]

Those who missed it can check it out on the ten news site :
http://ten.com.au/video-player.htm?chan ... rmat=flash

[yousername]

thanks Howie

[AtD]

Centrebet now have the Libs at $3.60, ALP at $1.27.

[stumpjumper]

cruel_world00 it could be that Kelton's question about Ms Chantelois was a Dorothy Dixer thrown to Rann by arrangement so that Rann could deliver a set piece answer designed to draw sympathy votes - 'It's my private life, Sascha is standing by me during this time of personal attack etc'. Kelton is not exactly unfriendly to Rann.

Another possible 'manipulation' of the debate by Rann is the timing of 5:30pm for broadcast. I know that the Liberals would have preferred prime time, which I believe was available on at least one commercial station.

I agree with you about the lack of robustness of the debate.

The 'debate' last night on ABC Statewide between Foley and the Liberal Shadow Treasurer Stephen Griffiths also seemed flawed. The segment stopped midway, before Foley had nailed the Griffiths on confusing payroll tax with land tax, a gaffe shown in the preview. The debate was not resumed - instead the programme finished with pointless vision of the NSW premier announcing an event compered by Lou Reed!

As it was, Foley made the odd move, twice, of pointing out that the Rann government had followed the good policies of both federal and state Liberal governments. Matthews didn't comment on this (at least not in the truncated version broadcast).

As to voting for 'neither of them' - be careful where your preferences go, otherwise you will be voting for one or the other whether you like it or not.

[stumpjumper]

Hmm. The Advertiser Sat 6th publishes a long and sympathetic piece on Rann's wife Sascha by Greg Kelton - the result of a 45 minute interview offered exclusively to him by Mrs Rann.

In the interview, Sascha refutes one of the principal findings of recent polls - that people don't trust Mike Rann:

"I trust him and I know him probably better than anyone else. He is a man of integrity and he is a man of his word."

She goes on to restate Labor's main claim to a third term:

"He is a man of his word. He works so hard at his job, he is a workaholic and he is passionate about this state. This is not just a line that I am feeding you. This is who he is and he really cares about SA. So please get over this and concentrate on who he is as leader and what he has done and what he is proposing to do."

The point is that Rann's opposition has not mentioned Ms Chantelois. Parts of the media have run stories on her but not for at least a fortnight. The only significant media mention in the last week of Ms Chantelois was on Thursday evening by... Greg Kelton in an unprompted question during the so called Great Debate on Channel 10.

I suggest that it is Rann who is continuing to bring up the Chantelois business, in order to claim that his opponents are using it to attack him.

It's a fairly risky sort of double bluff, and is a trademark strategy of one Jill Bottrall, Rann's 'media advisor'.

[Hooligan]

Centrebet now have the Libs at $3.60, ALP at $1.27.

And what's number 7 in race 5 at Morphettville paying?

[Wayno]

What worthwhile alternatives exist to voting for Labor, Libs, Greens? Consider voting "T" on March 20 Any questions? Darian Hiles (Civic Trust Chairman) will be happy to answer.

http://www.unitedparty.net.au/

The United Party stands for:

1) Local control of healthcare with Federal funding and national standards

• * Saving the RAH and supporting community care
  * Saving Glenside Mental Hospital and developing a state-of-the-art mental facility

2) An Independent Commission Against Corruption

3) Developing a program for 100% renewable products and energy

4) Scientific management of land and catchments

• * Implemented urgently for the Murray-Darling based on adequate research and environmental flows

5) Australian standards for all industries

• * Including imported products

6) Maintaining Australia's environment and cultural heritage

7) Managing our water resources for a healthy future

• * Stormwater recycling at drinkable standard

Housing options to suit all needs, especially for secure and affordable accommodation

9) Keeping our open spaces and minimising transport needs

10) Innovation in the community, government and the economy

• * Celebrating innovaton by all citizens and sectors

11) Integrating traditional Aboriginal knowledge into modern medicine, food and environmental management

12) Women's natural role in society to be equal to men's

[Hooligan]

What worthwhile alternatives exist to voting for Labor, Libs, Greens? Consider voting "T" on March 20 Any questions? Darian Hiles (Civic Trust Chairman) will be happy to answer.

http://www.unitedparty.net.au/

The United Party stands for:

1) Local control of healthcare with Federal funding and national standards

• * Saving the RAH and supporting community care
  * Saving Glenside Mental Hospital and developing a state-of-the-art mental facility

2) An Independent Commission Against Corruption

3) Developing a program for 100% renewable products and energy

4) Scientific management of land and catchments

• * Implemented urgently for the Murray-Darling based on adequate research and environmental flows

5) Australian standards for all industries

• * Including imported products

6) Maintaining Australia's environment and cultural heritage

7) Managing our water resources for a healthy future

• * Stormwater recycling at drinkable standard

Housing options to suit all needs, especially for secure and affordable accommodation

9) Keeping our open spaces and minimising transport needs

10) Innovation in the community, government and the economy

• * Celebrating innovaton by all citizens and sectors

11) Integrating traditional Aboriginal knowledge into modern medicine, food and environmental management

12) Women's natural role in society to be equal to men's

Seeing as i have no chance to be elected, If i'm elected i promise 0% unemployment in 3 weeks, i will raise the minimum wage to $25 an hour and give out a free fredo frog to every man, woman and child on my birthday.

[Darian]

Anyone has a chance to be elected but unless they're part of one of the two major parties they can't in any way promise that their platforms will be implemented. They can only state their policies as a base for their arguments in Parliament. They can also propose bills and cases for the public. If they occupy the balance of power between the two parties then they can have a major influence, provided they agree to support a policy of one party or the other. The major parties are rusted firmly onto their vested interests (corporate supporters) but the more non-major-party players there are in Parliament, the more they can influence decisions for the general good. Parliament is extremely biased toward corporations at the moment.

[Wayno]

Given the margin between Labor & Libs is expected to be small-ish, people who vote for an independent party pushing 1-2 topics are more likely to see positive action taken on said topics (given Labor & Libs will do a preferential deal to gain the extra votes) than those who vote for labor or liberal themselves!

It's interesting how minority groups sometimes wield so much power.

[Will]

As someone in the health field, what exactly does this mean?:

11) Integrating traditional Aboriginal knowledge into modern medicine, food and environmental management

[ChillyPhilly]

Centrebet now has Labor at $1.40 (down) and Liberals at $2.85 (up).

[Darian]

The biggest problem in politics is corruption (undue influence by vested interests) and the only way to break it is to change the legacy of influence that has developed. Therefore I am trying to get more non-major-party politicians in - initially as a balance of power and eventually as a third force. That's why I initiated the coalition (currently chaired by David Winderlich) as a federation of special-interest groups to help each other and the United Party as a formal party with a common platform. The preferential voting system allows this to be done without losing your major vote.

Therefore I will be voting for the United Party first, then some minor-middling parties and later Liberal, then Labor, then the extreme ones. Liberal may have created the same major-projects mess that Labor has, but Labor has committed the crime, so it should be penalised. This is a signal by the electorate that philosophies and promises are one thing but actually undertaking this kind of behavour is not acceptable.

[Darian]

As someone in the health field, what exactly does this mean?:

11) Integrating traditional Aboriginal knowledge into modern medicine, food and environmental management

With respect to health, traditional Aboriginal medicine is a wholistic approach, utilising plants and other food in combinations and ways unknown to us and applying on the basis of the pyschological state of the patient at that particular time.

Food is obviously in reference to products that we are only superficially aware of and also treating all food as a type of medicine or enhancement of the individual.

In environmental management, fire is a good example. Traditional Aborigines use fire according to microclimatic conditions, very specific dryness/wetness of individual plants in the area, micro topography, etc.