WEEK FOUR

Enough I say . . . Enough!

Four weeks of campaigning and still no one's dealt with the real issues that face Australia.

This was the way the ski-season looked at the opening (News Limited photo)

And why not?

"Too hard," perhaps? "Might cost us votes."

The real issues faced by the country aren't being addressed, as this column for the Canberra Times makes clear . . .

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

It's the way the parties run things - presidentially.

We seemingly no longer vote Labor or Liberal; your vote is only for 'Rudd' or 'Abbott'.

It's not, unfortunately, a policy choice. Everything emphasises the personality of the leaders.

This won't work particularly well for Labor, as this article in today's Canberra Times explains . . .

LAST HOPE

Is the election result a foregone conclusion?

The only chance for Labor appears to be that a mass of voters will suddenly slap their heads while realising, "gosh, I was wrong all along", or that a host of people will suddenly appear to support the party.

Pigs might fly (thanks to News Limited for the image).

This column for the Canberra Times considers what is now perhaps Labor's only chance . . . appealing to those who normally vote informal.

MOMENTUM

The  brilliant and remarkable Peter Brent of Mumble is, quite rightly, scathing about  the concept of 'momentum'. Nevertheless, he's far too polite to rubbish me in print. 

And thats why I've taken advantage of his reticence to attempt to defend the indefensible - attempting to justify something that doesn't exist. 

Perhaps trusting in momentum is like believing in fairies - if you close your eyes and trust they're alive, they will come true after all. 

This piece appeared in the Canberra Times yesterday . . . 

WEEK TWO

For campaigning politicians, getting the economic 'story' right is vital.

You can see this by the way Tony Abbott's using the 'debt' word whenever he gets the chance.

Kevin Rudd's got an economic story too, but this week it began to look like a bit of a tall tale, as this article for the Canberra times suggests . . .

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

The first debate of the election campaign . . . hopefully the last.

I'm all in favour of genuine opportunities to hear and question the 'leaders', but this was ridiculous.

So who won?

There was really no doubt in my mind, as this article for Tuesday's Canberra Times makes clear . .  .

THE PHONEY WAR

One week into the election campaign and it still feels like a phoney war. 

Neither side has landed any punches, let alone a knock-out one. The focus has been on photo-opportunities and photo-bombing. 

But perhaps more importantly, no one's been outlining real plans for the future either, as this column in the Canberra Times points out . . . 

The Campaign Begins . . . Who's Winning?

After three years, the Phoney War is finally over.

So who will win the battle?

This piece for the Canberra Times outlines my thinking as the starter's gun explodes . . .

I'm Baaack . . .

Every now and then you need a change.

As some people are aware, I migrated to Wordpress some time ago. This is the link:http://nicsjournal.wordpress.com/

Nic Stuart c 2011

(now without the beard)

I liked the cleaner lines of that blog.

Regrettably, it hasn't been easy for readers to find.  That's why I'm now moving back to blogger.

So welcome. Again . . .