The country's in good shape.
2.6% GDP growth, 2.4% CPI, 2.5% cash rate, unemployment 5.7%.
If that's what Tony Abbott calls an economic crisis, he should reflect on the fact that there would be a queue around the block of countries asking for the Labor Party to send their economies into similar crisis.
The Liberals make a big deal of election mandates; how Labor didn't have one to introduce a carbon price and how Labor has to respect the Liberals' mandate to remove it should they win, without ever considering that they failed to respect Labor's mandate to introduce a carbon price after the 2007 election.
Instead they run around talking about Julia Gillard's supposed lie to the people.
The problem with this election is it's not about what's going on in the country, it's about what's going on in people's heads.
The Liberals have repeated and repeated and repeated a series of poisonous lies that seem to have paralysed the electorate.
People have in their head that the country's in crisis and the simple facts of the matter don't seem to make any difference. Tony Abbott and News Limited have run around repeating the doublethink* for long enough that it's become true in people's heads.
They've systematically distorted and manipulated to the point that it seems the electorate can't even see what's in front of their faces.
Labor for years tried to simply respond with methodical policy and explanation. The carbon price was explained and explained and explained. The circumstances that led to its introduction were explained and explained and explained.
It was introduced with barely a ripple across the country in spite of the fantastic and terrible predictions of the Opposition and remains in place having barely any impact on the lives of the average voter (most voters are if anything *overcompensated* by tax cuts and benefit increases) while emissions fell 7% in its first year and yet the Opposition still refer to it as a 'toxic tax' that does nothing.
It's a lie. Pure and simple, it's a deliberate lie, ignoring the simple reality of the situation to ensure you won't vote Labor.
Worse, they've been talking about a how they really believe in climate change, and they'll act through their Direct Action plan to reduce emissions by the same amount as Labor for less cost and with no carbon tax. This week they've
admitted that it can't meet its emissions targets for the stated cost, but they're capping the spend.
"If tackling climate change costs too much, then too bad, Abbott told the National Press Club on Monday."
So they lied all along - their plan can't match Labor's but they've told the big lie for long enough that it barely matters now.
The Liberals complain about Labor's $70 billion cuts claim, but they're the Liberals'
own numbers from a leaked paper from their razor gang back in 2011:
MARIUS BENSON:
It’s likely the Treasury will also have a swing at your plans announced by Joe Hockey to cut $70 billion from public spending and to cut 12,000 positions from the public service can you clarify is that opposition policy now?
ANDREW ROBB:
Well it is opposition policy to put a freeze on public servants appointments now that will mean over a period of two years that by not reinstating those that leave the public service there will be 12,000 less positions that’s correct.
Secondly, the $70 billion is an estimate of the sort of challenge that we will have if we are to get this government position back to living within its means. This government, the $70 billion just highlights how wantonly this government has been living beyond its means.
That’s the sort of order of magnitude which over four years which is quite achievable when you consider that this government has spent $150 billion more than it has raised over the last four years. And we are saying that we need to identify up to $70 billion over the next four years if we are to get this economy back in some sort of shape that we can be, so that we can weather any economic storm that might come at us from other parts of the world.
Labor's not making this up. The Libs have already announced $40 billion in cuts, they're holding back on this 'Commission of Audit' that they'll run after the election. When Howard ran a commission of audit in 1996, 60,000 public servants were sacked. When Newman ran a commission of audit in Queensland, there were 14,000 jobs cut.
Does anybody seriously believe that there won't be another $30 billion found by the Commission of Audit with thousands more jobs slashed?
But they call Labor liars over and over, while telling the biggest whoppers of the lot.
But we're going to be stuck with them, because they've lied and distorted and misled for so long that there's nothing Labor can say to change voters' minds.
In trying everything they can, they sound more and more shrill and desperate and all the Libs need to do is keep repeating the lies up to polling day and they're home free.
And anything bad that happens in the first year after they get in they'll blame on Labor.
The venom has done the trick and the prey is limp.
But Uncle Rupert gets what he wants, and Tony Abbott will get to ride around in the car with the little flag on the front, and all will be right with the world.
* To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed...
