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Negative media electoral campaigning for 2016?

  • September 7th, 2013

For me its been an Australian morning of happy indulgence in politics-for-grown-ups. Here voters are trusted to withstand the perils of campaigning right up to close of polling. That includes button holing voters on their way into polling places, handing out detailed 'how to vote' example ballot papers.

All Aus major dailies except the Age have come out editorially for Abbott. Some have been blunt. Yesterday's Courier Mail (I'm in Queensland till Monday) covered almost the entire front page with a headline (ostensibly quoting Abbott) reading "Make Queensland a Rudd Free Zone".

 The ABC seemed at first to be scrupulously balanced this morning, showing us the happy tradition of sausage sizzles outside election booths all over the country. We've seen  live  leaders statements for the day, including superbly disciplined message repetition by Abbott  as he and his wife (and beautiful daughters) vote. The retrospectives are nicely digested for us outsiders though perhaps getting tiresome for those who saw them first time around.

However, after a few hours of repetition of bloopers I think I'm detecting the early stages of the beginning of the ABC's campaign against Abbott for the next election. I can't count how often I've heard of his 'blunder' in referring to the sex appeal of one of his candidates.

The ABC would be oblivious to this betrayal of their cultural bias. From my 'taxi driver survey' ordinary voters retain a healthy indifference to the no go zones of the broadcasting Miss Manners.

I struck gold with yesterday's driver. He is a founder of a newly registered party. It is aiming for the next election on a campaign of 'sovereignty' – I think that means competition for the Pauline Hanson party and the Palmer Party.

I'm trying to read three papers whle channel surfing the Aussie breakfast round-ups. The ad breaks are all too short. The morning will be over before I've got into more than a fraction of the wide range of perspectives in each paper. That includes full page party electoral ads.

If you don't like sport or the election campaign there is little for you here today.

 

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