Be different!
Although not a "policy" as such, being different is the only thing that will get Kevin Rudd and the ALP over the line. Although Rudd is still a clear favourite, his story is too similar to that of the current government. It therefore means that there is too little reason for people to change their mind and vote in a new government. People wont risk a new government just because they personally don't like the John Howard, Peter Costello, or whoever. Either the government has to stuff something up which will send people to the ALP, or the ALP have to tell a completely different story that the majority will listen to and side with them. Right now, the government hasn't stuffed up and the ALP is a clone of the government. My tip: The Coalition will win and John Howard will remain as PM.
This is why the Democrats worked way back when by "Keeping the bastards honest". People listened because they had a mantra. They didn't want everyone to vote for them. They weren't for the masses, they were for the passionate few that really wanted to stick it to them. The Democrats lost their way when they tried to appeal to everyone. They tried to have a view on everything. They were no longer about "keeping the bastards honest" but more having a view on everything that they weren't experts on. This is why the Democrats died.
The Greens on the otherhand are extremists. They work because they only stand for one thing - The environment. They don't talk about hospitals, aged care facilities, work place reform or union power, they talk about the environment. That's it. Nothing more. They have been on this case for decades and their story remains the same. And now it is their time - Environment is #1 issue. Who would you vote for if this was now a concern of yours? Someone who has a policy on it? Or someone who spends their life as a fanatic saving the environment?
The Coalition works because the alternative is too similar to them. Coalition wins the House of Representatives. The Greens works because their decades of passion is now the #1 issue for many Australians. The Greens win the balance of power in the Senate.
Comments