WA State Election - What went wrong for the LNP

[Jerry_Atrick]

Blimey... I opened the age today and this is what I saw: https://www.theage.com.au/national/rockstar-premier-mark-mcgowan-returned-to-power-after-wa-election-bloodbath-20210312-p57a6j.html

 

It is likely that McGowan is going to win 53 of the 59 lower house seats! That is pretty impressive by any standards - a hell of a lot of swinging voters in WA by the looks of things. He said he is going to govern for everyone - well, almost everyone voted for him, so he had better...

 

Is this an elected dictatorship in the making? And what will Clive P try over the next 4 (is it 4?) years....

 

So was it the LNP just being totally out of touch, or was it Labor getting the job done? @onetrack - this is probably a question for you!

 

(New Chairman moniker coming form the  Murdoch press core, I would suspect).

 

 

[willedoo]

5 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

 

So was it the LNP just being totally out of touch, or was it Labor getting the job done? @onetrack - this is probably a question for you!

Jerry, a good question for onetrack. Bearing in mind there's no LNP in Western Australia, just a National/Liberal coalition. The Nationals might have lost one seat, but if not, will hold numbers from the last election. The Liberals were wiped out; looks like two seats left, so they appear to be the main problem.

 

The biggest win ever in Australian politics was Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland Labor winning government after having only seven seats in opposition. I guess the WA result would have been similar if the last two election results were combined.

 

Looking at it from an outsider's point of view, I see a popular, competent government who handled Covid well, up against a very ordinary opposition with a very ordinary leader.

Edited March 14, 2021 by willedoo

[Yenn]

I agree with Willi, but the Liberal federal leader is not only very ordinary, he has been actively denigrating the State Premiers about their handling of Covid and the electors could see that their outcome would have been far worse if Scumbag had his way.

He is yet to learn  that it is better to be thought a fool,, than to open his mouth and dispel all doubt.

The Libs in Qld  lost their election by making stupid statements about opening up the state when Covid was bad and it seems WA has gone the same way. It seems that the Libs have lost the trust of the voters. I wonder why?

[willedoo]

I think Covid was the biggest issue in the Qld. election. The Premier all along followed the advice of the CMO. The opposition leader made repeated calls to open the State up against the advice of the CMO. Then shortly before the election, she said that if elected, she would follow the advice of the CMO. No wonder voters think they are not fit to govern. Queenslanders knew that their Covid situation would be far worse under LNP management and it was a big factor in the result.

 

Some of the Qld. opposition's ridiculous, unachievable election promises paled into insignificance compared with the Covid issue.

[pmccarthy]

I seem to recall that for a period in the Howard years, all the states were Labor. 

[Marty_d]

17 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

And what will Clive P try over the next 4 (is it 4?) years....

 

 

Given that Clive tried to sue the WA taxpayer for 30 billion, I wouldn't think he'd have a snowball's chance in that state.  Or anywhere else that the voters have more than two brain cells between them.

[red750]

Clive just put out a black and yellow flyer in today's junk mail questioning why the vaccine is being rushed when we have a fairly good control of the virus, and there are no 1, 3, or 5 year experiences. He asks "Why give millions of healthy Australians an unnecessary unproven drug?"

[octave]

1 minute ago, red750 said:

Clive just put out a black and yellow flyer in today's junk mail questioning why the vaccine is being rushed when we have a fairly good control of the virus, and there are no 1, 3, or 5 year experiences. He asks "Why give millions of healthy Australians an unnecessary unproven drug?"

 

What I would say to Clive is whilst we have it somewhat under control this relies on our international borders being closed.  We can not survive economically forever with closed borders.   I would also mention to him the mRNA platform that the vaccine is built in is not new.   I was also  mention to him that because Australia followed the scientific evidence and had harsh difficult but necessary lockdowns we are in the enviable position of knowing that at this point 355 million people have received the vaccine  which is quite a test.  If we had followed Palmers advice re lockdown we would be in a similar position to the US.  I would also ask him we should take advice from a scientifically illiterate person.  

[red750]

No matter how good they are, there needs to be checks and balances. With no opposition to speak of, they are effectively a dictatorship who can do as they please. As the old saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[Marty_d]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

Clive just put out a black and yellow flyer in today's junk mail questioning why the vaccine is being rushed when we have a fairly good control of the virus, and there are no 1, 3, or 5 year experiences. He asks "Why give millions of healthy Australians an unnecessary unproven drug?"

Clive is entitled to refuse it.  He, Pete Evans and Craig Kelly can go live together in Nimbin, using homeopathy to fend off infections.

 

Personally, I'll be holding my arm out at the first opportunity.  

 

[nomadpete]

Its heaps safer to get the vaccine than to mix with milling mobs of victorians (or americans, or Poms, or even Swedes)

[Jerry_Atrick]

5 hours ago, Marty_d said:

He, Pete Evans and Craig Kelly can go live together in Nimbin

Oi! Don't knock Nimbin.. I still have relatives (well, step-relatives) that live there....

 

[Yenn]

One of the reasons that there is doubt about the safety of the jab is probably political. Our esteemed PM wanted to get the jab early, so he came up with the idea that he would have it to show how much he trusted it, and be an example to the rest of us.

We are already experiencing what lack of immunity will do for us.

We are short of fruit pickers and that could be eased if there was immunity, which allowed workers to come into the country. No workers available so the idea is to import pineapples from Taiwan and let the Aussie grown pineapples rot on the ground.

We may not need the vaccine to protect us, but we need it to be able to recommence travel.

[onetrack]

The simple reasons that 90% of the voters in W.A. voted for Mark McGowan are likely to be;

 

1. McGowan has proven himself as an able, trustworthy and competent Premier. His military (RAN) and Navy legal training show up constantly. He moved fast and very effectively to lock down the State, when the COVID-19 virus first appeared.

This caused quite a few grumbles, but the vast majority understood he was doing the right thing, as regards protecting the health of the people of the State. I know he felt very keenly about the economic losses caused by his actions.

 

2. People have long memories of the former Liberal Premier, Colin Barnett. An arrogant, economically incompetent wastrel, if ever there was one. Barnett ranted on about the Federal Labor Govts of Rudd and Gillard "leaving the nation in massive debt that our grandchildren will struggle to pay off". This is utter and complete BS, the debt left by Rudd and Gillard was only a little more than many other Federal Liberal Govts.

Then, to add irony to Barnetts anti-Labor spiel - Barnett took over with a (Labor-created) State debt of $3B. Barnett then spent money like a drunken sailor, on personal pet projects that he could put his name onto - and ran the States debt to over $40B!! - and lost the States AAA+ credit rating, as a result!! The credit agencies placed W.A. on a "watch list" of possible debt defaulters!

Then Barnett blew $300M on a rusty coal-fired power station that should never, ever, have been even remotely considered for rejuvenation.

The power station ran for 18 mths, looked like it was going to burn up another $300M in repairs, so it was scrapped. It was all about helping "mates in the business" - because Barnett was a former CEO of the W.A. Chamber of Commerce!

 

3. McGowans Govt finally got a payout from the Banks involved in the Bond Corp funding saga. The money was a part-repayment of the State Govt Insurance Commission losses involved in the Bell Group collapse.

McGowan rightly believed that payout belonged to every West Australian - so he handed out a $600 energy credit to every household residence connected to W.A.'s energy grid - a very welcome "refund", and one lot of money that was not immediately spent on Govt projects to boost his image, as many Premiers might have done.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-04/wa-households-electricity-credit-state-budget-bell-group/12730314#:~:text=the coronavirus pandemic-,WA households get state budget boost with,credit from Bell Group settlement

 

Overall, McGowans popularity has not only been due to his honesty, fairness, and competence - he has been assisted by a W.A. Liberal Party that was decimated in the previous election, where McGowan was elected - and which party has failed to rebuild, and find acceptance amongst W.A. voters. It's like they are run by lemmings and have no leadership, apart from the leading lemming taking them over a cliff.

I personally find it quite amazing (as a former business owner and a generally conservative voter), that the W.A. Liberal Party has totally and utterly imploded. But McGowan has simply done the right thing, all the way along the line.

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Very informative; thanks OT..  I have to admit, handing back the payout is someting that many pollies could learn from... Shows he is representing rather than ruling the people...

[facthunter]

Better than a  "dubious" marketing background by far.. It certainly IS a monumental defeat.  The "Complete Control" is a furphy. WE have regular elections. McGowan didn't control the WA media either..  Sco Mo tried to bully McGowan (which he does often to Labor states) Glad to see none of it worked. One Nation disappearing.. Clive did nothing good either.. WA should have a good 4 years.  Nev