Massive test of political wills Queensland style

February 28, 2009 in Elections, Rants & Raves
Tags: ALP, Anna Bligh, Australia, Australian Greens, climate change, eco-tourism, economic boom, environment, farming, federal government, forestry, greenhouse gas emissions, Greens, Lawrence Springborg, mining, political parties, politics, public health, public policy, Queensland, renewable energy, Ronan Lee, solar, solar energy, state government, tourism, voters, voting

It’s not really an original statement that the upcoming Queensland polls will be massive tests of political wills. But what is different is that this test is happening in a state with peculiar politics. The punters are sending mixed messages and there’s the follow the bookies theory. The latest poll has Labor and LNP neck and neck. It’s not unheard-of for Queenslanders to do the opposite of what’s expected or written about how they’re going to vote.

With the bidding war heating up on who can do what, it seems that Bligh has been leafing through John Howard’s election playbook. From making commentary about the who makes the stronger economic managers to attempts at blaming others for the state of the health and education systems. In Queensland anyone from outta state is instantly a Mexican and therefore to blame for stealing jobs and housing etc blah blah blah. A strange twist of inter-state rivalry & xenophobia.

And despite the good polling for Springborg it’s not the first election that he’s started out well in only to end up being the loser. Besides which the federal Liberals aren’t giving the LNP much chop in this election race. Party apparachiks speaking too loudly while dining revealed that the LNP’s own polling has the party winning only 5 new seats. Hardly enough to change government and not really a major blow to the ALP other than an embarrassment for deciding to go to the polls too early.