Howard not honest: Latham

[cal04]

PRIME Minister John Howard is simply not an honest man, Opposition Leader Mark Latham said today.Mr Latham said any suggestions Mr Howard was honest in his dealings with the Australian people on a range of issues were unsustainable.

He said from weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to promises on taxation, Mr Howard had been untruthful to Australian voters.
"I think the jury is in on Mr Howard and he is not an honest man," he told reporters.

Asked about Mr Howard's claim today that he had not misled voters, Mr Latham said that was not believable. "The next thing you know he will be trying to sell you the Sydney Harbour Bridge if you believe that," he said.

Mr Latham said former Liberal Party president John Valder, former intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie and 43 eminent defence heads and diplomats had all said Mr Howard was untruthful.He said if Mr Howard could not be trusted to tell the truth, then he could not be trusted to run the country. "If you have got a prime minister who won't tell the truth about the big issues of war and peace and other matters, you can't trust him with these election promises."


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10957313%255E1702,00.html

[struggle4progress]

1. In Australia, Two-Party Vote Favours ALP (29 Sept)

(CPOD) Sept. 29, 2004 – The ruling coalition of Liberals and Nationals is keeping a slight primary support lead in Australia’s electoral race, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 43 per cent of respondents would back the alliance, while 40 per cent would support the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Australia’s preferential voting system — where electors indicate an order of predilection for each contender, and the ballots from smaller parties are re-distributed — gives the ALP a four per cent lead over the coalition.

Voters will renew the Australian Parliament on Oct. 9. Prime minister John Howard has headed the Australian government since March 1996. Mark Latham became the new ALP leader in December 2003. <snip>

http://www.cpod.ubc.ca/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewItem&itemID=4398

[Erika]

2. Howard Is Mistrusted

For sending troops to Iraq. Please review www.icasualties.org. Let everyone know the price we are paying for Bush's globalism.

[Dakkon]

4. Thanks for link!

Appreciate it, I am going to show that to anyone I know to keep the notes on these casualties.

[wildeyed]

6. Following Australian politics can be confusing.

The Liberals aren't and I still don't understand how they weight the preferential voting system.

It would be sweet if Howard went down.

[no safe haven]

8. Preferential voting system

In the House of Representatives election candidates who receive an absolute majority (50% + 1 vote) of formal votes are elected. The distribution of preferences is required when no candidate receives an absolute majority. In this instance, the candidate with the fewest number of first preference votes is excluded and their second preference votes are distributed to the remaining candidates.

If after that exclusion no candidate has obtained an absolute majority of formal votes, the next remaining candidate with the fewest votes is excluded and ALL of his/her votes (i.e. first preference votes PLUS those votes received from the first excluded candidate) are distributed to the remaining candidates.

This process is continued until one candidate obtains an absolute majority of formal votes and is elected.

www.aec.gov.au/_content/ what/media_releases/2001/nov/hor.htm

Greens will be directing their voters to preference Labor in most electorates this election, and I think vice versa. Left wing parties favour each other, while conservatives preference each other. This way, you can put your Howard and right wing parties waaaay down the bottom of the list, knowing they won't get a look-in on your vote.

Voting is compulsory in Australia. Everyone is supposed to register with the Electoral Commission when they turn 18 and their names are listed with the electorate they live in. When we go to the polls, our names are checked off our electoral rolls, and we're given PAPER ballots to be filled out with a PENCIL. If our names aren't crossed off the electoral roll, there is a fine of about $200. If we don't want to vote for any of the parties, then we can vote "informal", simply by not filling in the form.

[wildeyed]

12. Thanks for the explanation.

Australia is a wonderful country :loveya:

I visited once and have been dreaming about it ever since. Would hate to see such a great place suffer the same problems with the politicians and media that we are having in the US, and it seems to my inexperienced eye that Howard is leading you down that path.

My sis lives in Sydney, has for a while. I keep telling her, you have no idea how bad it has gotten in the US, how corrupt and dishonest. The media is a joke. Don't let it happen in Oz!

[sweetheart]

3. Its quite important that howard go down

Certainly its the most important event of this next week, as it
will continue the domino effect of liars who are going down for
aggressive war making and subverting democracy.

Come on there, and kick the bastard out! :-)

[0007]

5. John Howard can't be trusted anymore than Tony Blair and junior

All three are big goddamn liars and must be thrown out of office for the good of the people.

[no safe haven]

7. Howard is a disgrace

and a pandering little toady. His term as prime minister has been replete with a litany of lies and deceit. He's put the squeeze on the Australian taxpayers for the past 8 years and now, in a desperate bid to win over the electorate, he's suddenly showering voters with bribes and a "generosity" that has been absent since he took office. The ALP has been keeping score:
http://www.alp.org.au/features/lies.php

Oh, and * forgot Australia in the debate.

"BUSH: That's totally absurd. Of course, the U.N. was invited in. And we support the U.N. efforts there. They pulled out after Sergio de Mello got killed. But they're now back in helping with elections.
My opponent says we didn't have any allies in this war. What's he say to Tony Blair? What's he say to Alexander Kwasniewski of Poland? You can't expect to build an alliance when you denigrate the contributions of those who are serving side by side with American troops in Iraq."

Indeed...what does * say to John Howard after he left him off the list?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

9. I hope some Australians can answer this...

...how does Howard's party get away with being called the "Liberal Party"? Is it that they're Neo-Liberals?

[Polemonium]

10. My understanding

It's a bit rough, but when the "Liberals" were founded the main alternative was closer to socialism. The name "Liberal" was adopted to reflect the oposition to socialist like programs in favor of free market fiscal policies. Could be wrong on that, but that's my 2 cents.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

11. Thank you n/t