Vote early, vote often

Elections shit me. I mean, they're good and that, shit, they're worth invading other countries in order to make them have them (especially when the weapons turn out to be cheese factories) but you can pretty much write the script three years in advance:

Opposition: We will instigate new programs in blah, blah, blah costing xxxxbillion dollars. We will do this by targeting waste and inefficiencies, we will not raise taxes.

Government (after studying opposition policy for about, ooh, twenty eight seconds: There is an obvious xxxbillion dollar BLACK HOLE in the funding arrangements for this policy.

Opposition: Our policies have been fully costed.

Government: BLACK HOLE!!! Trust us, we are experienced, they have no track record.

Repeat ad nauseum until the government of the day releases its counter-bid in the vote buying auction, then repeat again with roles reversed.

In Australia you can add in comments from the Libs about interest rates (Overlooking Howard's record as Treasurer in the late seventies/early eighties), unions and if things get desperate, look out for the red card. This will be countered from Labor by comments about being in the pocket of 'big business' and the 'big end of town' and more recently 'Howard lies'.

Now for a couple of specifics:

Medicare Gold; stupid name, seems like a good idea. Access Economics have released a 'study' that shows it is unsustainable. I have my doubts about this study, I couldn't get my homework done in that sort of time when I was going to school (actually, I didn't do any homework, but you get my drift). I have always had the feeling that Access Economics was a conservative sort of an organization, don't know why. And the AMA doesn't seem to be all that much in accord with any doctors that I've spoken to (not a vast number, admittedly). Personally, I don't mind waiting a bit longer for a bit of elective if it means that my 77 year old father is getting tip-top care.

ALP policy on Tasmanian old growth policy: We're going to give some fucking committee another year to make a policy for us. Get Access Economics to do it. They'll have the results back Tuesday lunchtime. And it's going to cost $800,000,000. If you don't know what you're going to do, how do you know what it's going to cost? Talk about a free kick for the Labor= bad economics crowd.

Speaking about the Labor= bad economics crowd, the other day on the steam powered wireless I heard a twenty second grab from a debate between Peter Costello and Simon (The Anti-Hawke) Crean. Crean challenged Costello to give the name of one independent analyst (or was it economist?) who is on record as saying he/ she believed that a Labor government would have a negative impact on interest rates. Several times. Costello just kept ducking and weaving like a tired bantam-weight in the eighth round. It's the only time I can remember Crean getting the better of anybody in a debate about anything.

Who am I Going to vote for?

Dunno. If Costello was leading the Libs, he'd be a shoe-in. He is by far the best candidate for the job in either major party. I had high hopes for Boganboy when he first turned up, but as time goes by I am finding more negatives than positives. Howard holds the public in contempt. There are no viable alternative parties, the Greens have too many dingbats and the Dems were founded on a negative principle - sort of the anti-party. There are no independents in my electorate that I know of. If there are, they haven't let me know about it, which doesn't say much for their ability to do the job. Then again, neither of the majors here (Nats and Labor) have sent me anything either.

I'm so confused.