Comments on: Terry Mills has a fatal flaw.

By: Nice, genuine and fairly non-aggressive Tony T

Nice, genuine and fairly non-aggressive Tony T — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:24:48 +0000

What’s today’s punditry, Ken? Get some lolly on the WA Libs.

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:17:25 +0000

I’ve never been more pleased to be right about a bloke and wrong about a process.

By: Geoff Honnor

Geoff Honnor — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:35:03 +0000

“He is too honest for politics.”

Well. Apparently not, Jacques

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:56:05 +0000

Speaking of the NT News, they seem to have rotated Nigel Adlam into subbing. All the headlines are wildly anti-Mills lately, without much regard for the journo’s slab.

By: Ken Parish

Ken Parish — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:17:11 +0000

Great minds think alike Jacques (and small ones seldom differ). I’ve written some punditry for tomorrow’s NT News that includes the following passage:

“I expect Labor will lose some seats, mostly because of adverse redistributions affecting Goyder and Drysdale, but will retain a reasonably comfortable majority. The CLP should gain enough seats to be a more viable Opposition for the next term. Whether the election is a major plus for the CLP will depend on whether a potential new leader (i.e. Garry Lambert or Dave Tollner) is elected. I don’t see Terry Mills as a long term prospect, mostly because he’s a nice, genuine and fairly non-aggressive person, which sadly don’t seem to be desirable qualities for a political leader.”

By: marks

marks — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:40:45 +0000

It is possible to cut public service numbers – but the strategy is to be specific where the cuts will hit.

That way, those in the public sector whose jobs are not targeted will not get too ruffled, the numbers of people actually affected is small relative to the numbers in the electorate, and therefore feasible.

Mind you, if you cut somewhere that provides services you are going to be in trouble in the short term, and if you cut planners, you will be in trouble in the long term – witness infrastructure deficiency disasters down south.

By: dartboard

dartboard — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:36:32 +0000

This is the sort of conversation that would hearten the CLP…

Public Servant 1: Did you hear they are going to get rid of DCIS? (pronounced dee kiss)

Public Servant 2: Good.

Anyone who has tried to buy, hire or employ anything through DCIS and NT fleet knows there’s duplication and frustration up the yin yang.

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:33:09 +0000

If it was put on Terry by Peter Murphy I can’t chalk it up to naivety. Only senility would fit the bill.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:42:14 +0000

It was a most basic of strategic errors and as such their advisor(s) [Peter Murphy I assume] should resign and go back to political kindergarten. I still find it hard to believe that the CLP is so naive to even broached the subject except to provide confidence in positions.

It was no accident that the ALP came out with an opposite policy – to expand the Public Service. The contrast couldn’t be more stark. And one must remember the dramatic changes in Darwin over the past few years – rapid increase in rentals and home prices. People need their jobs and certainty to pay the bills and or to pay the big mortgage. Not to mention those small businesses that depend on Public Servants.

This election they shot themselves in the foot, not through being extreme right wing weirdos as we find in NSW and the Federal Liberal party but just by being inexperienced and naive.