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Sally on Dance of the reluctant brides Lenny must be suffering from acute entrails problems as his red medusa idol lately. The eennnnnnd of the wwwwooorrrlldd is ... more
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Dance of the reluctant brides

Posted by: Steve Murphjy, Political Analyst | 17 August, 2010 - 2:05 PM

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott reluctant brides

For four long weeks we have been complaining about a visionless, tightly scripted, over managed election campaign waged by both the ALP and the Coalition and it would be a good thing if the straightjackets came off in a last rush for votes in this final week.

After all the tooing and froing over whether or not to debate a second time and to have another peoples’ forum a la Rooty Hill in Western Sydney, Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard should stop the ‘dance of the reluctant brides’ and get on with it.

Mr Abbott revealed on the Sunday Morning program with me and John Michael Howson that he would formally request another peoples’ forum, this one to be held in Queensland and then last night accepted the PM’s challenge for a second debate, the one she desperately wants to have on the economy.

But, just as we looked set to get a good old fashioned final week dust up, the PM has baulked, saying the Opposition Leader’s proposal to have a half hour debate on the economy tonight and the peoples’ forum tomorrow night is not good enough. She wants the debate to be longer and both events to be held back to back tomorrow night.

This is all political posturing by both sides with each seeking to exploit what they perceive as the others weakness and parade what each believes is their strengths, while simultaneously not really wanting to do both.

So the answer is to offer the other something they can refuse, but which allows each of them to paint their opponent as a squib and talk about their strengths without having to have the formal presentations each of them has asked for.

In the case of the Opposition Leader, he has been under pressure to debate the economy. It is his perceived weakness and Labor has made up ground with voters on the question of economic management and is running hard on the issue in this final week.

So Abbott had no choice but to finally agree to an economic debate, but linked it to having the second peoples’ forum and restricted it to a half an hour. A lousy half hour! It enables him to say I’m not squibbing it. I’ve accepted her challenge and she’s now running scared.

In the case of the Prime Minister, she is under pressure to manage the Rudd issue and the manner of her coming to the top job, which is a prickly issue with voters as was demonstrated at Rooty Hill. It’s even pricklier in Queensland. Declaring she will do them both in the same place, on the same night but wants more than half an hour on the economy, enables her to say I’m happy to front Queenslanders on the Rudd issue. I’m not squibbing it, but the economy deserves more than a half hour debate.

Is it any wonder voters find politics and the political process bizarre and have an ever increasing level of cynicism toward politicians.

The economic debate is on

Tony Abbott has agreed to the Prime Minister's s request for a debate on the economy, as long as it happens Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Abbott may be able to get Gillard in a room one-on-one but he would find it hard finding a woman if he was single.

Blog comments

Lenny must be suffering from acute entrails problems as his red medusa idol lately.
The eennnnnnd of the wwwwooorrrlldd is near by Monday. Biggg riskriskriskkkk.
Bewarrrrrre of the Rabbit.
Want a rabbit? Vote...him.
I just did actually. Feel better already.

Sally Saturday 21 August, 2010 - 2:55 PM
A thirty minute debate from The Rabbit? Don't make me laugh, he will struggle to get through 15 minutes~! With HIS knowledge of the economy, obviously an hour or more was beyond his intelligence~! A thirty minute debate on such a significant issue affecting this country, totally sums up the Liberal Party leadership~! This debate reminds me of Hicksville Southern USA~! NO wonder the country has ZERO International credibility & constantly referred to as a country of racist rednecks~!

Lenny Tuesday 17 August, 2010 - 9:19 PM