Broken promises. What is acceptable?

[i-need-a-martini]

Lots of broken promises are made by governments. If the promises are broken because of economic need, I understand.

But what of the empty promises that they know they can never keep. Like the 'Stop the Boats' promise?

Or this one: where Abbott promised at the Garma festival in the weeks leading up to the election that he would spend his first week as Prime Minister in Yolgnu country.

To break promises like this is just a low act by someone who knew he would never be able to keep it.

See where he says it clearly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1OKujvU2wQ

I wouldn't bother to listen to the whole boring speech (although many of his off the cuff comments are a little eyebrow raising) but at 21:40 he starts making promises he can't keep.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@toysartnstuff wrote:

oh gods... I still remember the "no child will live in poverty" one lol 

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That was Mr Hawke, wasn't it?

to be fair, it wasn't that broad, he did quantify it by saying "By 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty"

But that wasn't really a promise, now was it? Australian's didn't really believe he could acheive that when they voted him into power, did they?

Afterwards he claimed it to be merely a goal that he had set in 1987, so it wasn't really a promise....

hmmm, now which party was it that he led?

[cherry*135]

Yes, Hawke's statement was a pledge/promise.

2007

Twenty years after pledging no Australian child would live in poverty, former prime minister Bob Hawke says his comment is one of his biggest regrets.

"It was a silly shorthand thing," Mr Hawke has told News Limited newspapers. "I should have just said what was in the distributed speech."

"We set ourselves this first goal: by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty," Mr Hawke said on June 23, 1987 at an election campaign launch.

The comment entered Australian political folklore after it was supposed to improve the ALP's major social welfare reform.

The printed version had it as: "By 1990 no Australian child need live in poverty."

Mr Hawke's words returned to haunt him as his pledge was impossible to keep

The Age

[i-need-a-martini]

Well he did say that he would hit the ground running from day 1 of his Prime Ministership...

[cherry*135]

He did say he won't be talking to the media unless he has something to announce.

Running away from media/people with questions and staying silent.

Just as well cycling is one of his favourite pastimes..no journo should be able to catch up to him when he is out doing that.. 

[*crikey*mate*]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

Well he did say that he would hit the ground running from day 1 of his Prime Ministership...

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LOL - is that about Mr Abbott in response to him "running away from the press"

If it was, you cracked me up, that's pretty funny and clever.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@am*3 wrote:

He did say he won't be talking to the media unless he has something to announce.

Running away from media/people with questions and staying silent.

Just as well cycling is one of his favourite pastimes..no journo should be able to catch up to him when he is out doing that.. 

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or surfing!

pretty hard to talk whilst under water, even for me LOLOLOLOL