NSW State Politics (2 Viewers)

[Lentern]

Care to expand?

Not particularly, it'll only get picked to pieces by anarchists and disenchanted left types.

 

[FlipX]

Not particularly, it'll only get picked to pieces by anarchists and disenchanted left types.

Hey, can't let the trolls keep you from having a discussion now.

 

[Lentern]

Hey, can't let the trolls keep you from having a discussion now.

Yeah I was just tired at the time I wrote it. To begin with I was a bit cheeky in what I wrote, "senior liberal politician". Given I don't know much about the other states, that could be said to include Lawrence Springborg, Barry O'farrell, Jillian Skinner, Mike Baird, Ted Ballileiu, Isabelle Redmond, Collin Barnett, Will Hodgman, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Julie Bishop, Joe Hockey and Eric Abetz.

As a holder of very progressive views it shouldn't really be a surprise if I ticked Redmond, Barnett, Springborg, Abbott and Abetz from that list. Ignorance is no excuse but I really don't know much about Skinner and Baillieu so would hardly claim to like them by any stretch. Julie Bishop I used to be a defender of but was appalled at the way she used security intelligence as a political football. Mike Baird is a bit like Stephen Conroy, the backstabbing opportunist, forever playing friends against each other to advance his own position.

I don't actually dislike Joe Hockey, George Brandis or Will Hodgman which brings me to what O'farrell does that I approve of. To begin with I don't find the lack of policies a problem, I consider it sensible politics. Opposition policies released a year in advanced of an election either get picked to pieces in scare campaigns or absorbed into government policy. Particularly given he took over the leadership four years out from an election he absolutely could not afford to play his cards early.

I trust that with O'farrell you are actually getting the politics of the man at the helm rather than those of a 12 faceless men in grubby raincoats. He was touted as the alternative leader for several years but kept declining it for fear of trying to lead under a mandate from an unholy alliance of powebrokers. He only took the leadership after Debnam fell over and he had more or less won over the party majority in his own right. I don't think in the modern political world to have a leader with such genuine authority as O'farrell has should be treated lightly.

On O'farrells political positions I think he is closer to the centre than most. I recognize that left governments won't always maintain government and I'd rather someone who is clearly not xenophobic, homophobic, chauvinistic or a climate skeptic be the next conservative government of NSW rather than some of the bigots and nutters that do still sit in the parliaments. He was a critic of Howard's refusal to apologise to the stolen generation incase you were unaware.

O'farrell wants to slowly rollback payroll tax. That is a good thing it is the dumbest of dumb taxes in existence. If there is one tax which undeniably reduces employment it is payroll tax. He wants to return planning powers to the local councils, given the NSW government clearly lacks the resources to fund all its responsibilities I think planning at a micromanagement level should be left to the councils. If the government was wealthy and could afford to pay the administrators necessarily i might support centralizing local planning in Sydney and taking he broader view but they just don't have the money, it is not viable. He wants to remove fixed terms and return to a system similar to the federal one which is just plain good sense.

Obviously I will reconsider when the full coalition policies are released when they head into the election campaign (when they should be) but generally his performance has commanded a degree of respect.

 

[aussie-boy]

labor because i know they can at least run the state (even if barely at all). i haven't heard ONE good suggestion out of the NSW libs. all they do is sit there and whine. possibly the worst opposition party in the country.

Have you even looked?

The Libs have heaps of policies, most of which are really specific:

Barry O'Farrell :: NSW Opposition Leader, Leadership NSW Needs

 

[Rafy]

O'Farrell pledges $5b on infrastructure

Governor Gets Legal Advice On Sacking NSW Government

 

[17028354]

unfortunately i don't want to legalise marijuana, and i don't intend to debate that topic here.

as for NSW state politics..

the NSW labor party have been a joke,
but i certainly don't want the liberal party in power either.

 

[badquinton304]

unfortunately i don't want to legalise marijuana, and i don't intend to debate that topic here.

Why?

 

[Slidey]

unfortunately i don't want to legalise marijuana

Why not?

 

[Rafy]

NSW Morgan poll: [Roy Morgan Research] Morgan Poll

Primaries: Coalition 45, ALP 28.5, Greens 16, Independents/Others 10.5.

 

[Slidey]

nsw morgan poll: [roy morgan research] morgan poll

primaries: Coalition 45, alp 28.5, greens 16, independents/others 10.5.

lol!!!

 

[Existential]

why is labor written in italics in the the poll?

 

[Slidey]

It probably means incumbent party.

Edit: Oh, you're talking about the poll for this thread. It means the option you voted for.

 

[niloony]

Voting for the greens, normally i wouldn't like to see them hold so much power but NSW politics needs a good shake up to get both parties back on the rails...

 

[FlipX]

I don't actually dislike Joe Hockey, George Brandis or Will Hodgman which brings me to what O'farrell does that I approve of. To begin with I don't find the lack of policies a problem, I consider it sensible politics. Opposition policies released a year in advanced of an election either get picked to pieces in scare campaigns or absorbed into government policy. Particularly given he took over the leadership four years out from an election he absolutely could not afford to play his cards early.

I trust that with O'farrell you are actually getting the politics of the man at the helm rather than those of a 12 faceless men in grubby raincoats. He was touted as the alternative leader for several years but kept declining it for fear of trying to lead under a mandate from an unholy alliance of powebrokers. He only took the leadership after Debnam fell over and he had more or less won over the party majority in his own right. I don't think in the modern political world to have a leader with such genuine authority as O'farrell has should be treated lightly.

On O'farrells political positions I think he is closer to the centre than most. I recognize that left governments won't always maintain government and I'd rather someone who is clearly not xenophobic, homophobic, chauvinistic or a climate skeptic be the next conservative government of NSW rather than some of the bigots and nutters that do still sit in the parliaments. He was a critic of Howard's refusal to apologise to the stolen generation incase you were unaware.

O'farrell wants to slowly rollback payroll tax. That is a good thing it is the dumbest of dumb taxes in existence. If there is one tax which undeniably reduces employment it is payroll tax. He wants to return planning powers to the local councils, given the NSW government clearly lacks the resources to fund all its responsibilities I think planning at a micromanagement level should be left to the councils. If the government was wealthy and could afford to pay the administrators necessarily i might support centralizing local planning in Sydney and taking he broader view but they just don't have the money, it is not viable. He wants to remove fixed terms and return to a system similar to the federal one which is just plain good sense.

Good points to consider. Thanks for filling us in.

Voting for the greens, normally i wouldn't like to see them hold so much power but NSW politics needs a good shake up to get both parties back on the rails...

This is the view I'm leaning towards at the moment - primary vote to the Greens, and preference Coalition after. I don't mind K.Ken so much as I mind the back-room internal politics of NSW Labor...

 

[Slidey]

It's so pathetic that somebody who would just be able to present themselves as being remotely close to a normal human being with an inkling of logic would probably demolish either party in the elections.

The amount of brain dead scum in politics at both an federal and state level is amazing.

I used to be a strong critic of presidential-style politics, but now I realise that having a directly elected president/prime minister/premier would help prevent exactly the type of shit going on in federal and state politics today. Instead of a party of out-of-touch geriatrics electing the leader, the will of the people would.

Instead of a social conservative we'd have social progressive as the leader of the country.

 

[abbeyroad]

I used to be a strong critic of presidential-style politics, but now I realise that having a directly elected president/prime minister/premier would help prevent exactly the type of shit going on in federal and state politics today. Instead of a party of out-of-touch geriatrics electing the leader, the will of the people would.

Instead of a social conservative we'd have social progressive as the leader of the country.

well in a presidential system like the US's the candidates are still chosen by their respective parties and due to the high entry barriers ie the costs of running a campaign etc it's hard for an independent to run, essentially it's the same shit just different name tbh.