Spacehamster’s Blog

I’ve always been a natural pessimist by nature. I always expect the glass to be half-empty - it makes it easier to avoid dissapointment. So I’m openly pessimistic on whether Kevin Rudd can win this election or not. It’s entirely possible to win the Primary and popularity vote and still lose. Notice how both the mainstream media (and the commentariat) take leave of their senses during an election campaign?

Before the election started, the emphasis was on how Workchoices was impacting working families. How hospitals were in crisis. Now it’s all about the Prime Minister’s election-winning tax cuts. It’s also partly Labor’s fault - where are Labor’s election winning policies during this first week? Why doesn’t Labor commit to funding for Hospitals and Schools? I haven’t heard a single mention of Workchoices from Labor during the first week of the campaign. And why haven’t we ever seen more appearances from the rest of the Labor team? Why is it always Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard on TV, rather than Wayne Swan or the others?

If (or when) Labor loses this election, it won’t be just because the Liberals ran a better campaign. It’ll also be because Labor didn’t fight hard enough for its core beliefs - better education and health for Australian families. And made the mistake of putting the focus solely on Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, rather than taking a team approach. Of course most people want to see Howard gone. But only if there’s a better alternative government. And although Kevin Rudd has proven to be a good alternative leader, I don’t think Labor has done enough to prove they have a good alternative government.

It’s not enough to be a Howard hater - you need to have a sustainable Alternative government to vote for. I think Howard is going to win the election and (hopefully) retire in 3 years. I look forward to seeing Peter Costello taking over as Prime Minister. It’ll be a fresh start for the Liberal Party and hopefully for the country.

Of course, I’d love to be proven wrong.