@cezm wrote:
@chameleon54 wrote:
This by election has been touted for months as a litmus test on voter reaction to the bungled bushfire crisis. I think most people ( including me ) agree it got away from the LNP badly and their reactions where too little, too late.
The important positive thing to come out of it was that the government learned from those mistakes and have been world leaders in handling the CORONA virus crisis. I suspect while voters may not have entirely forgiven the LNP for the bushfires mess, most thinking voters at least respect the fact that they learned some hard lessons and did much better next time they where tested.
Voters crave stability and a government with experience, even if that experience is gained by making obvious mistakes.
Perhaps one of the lessons they learnt (though probably purely for self-preservation) was to listen to others
https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-week-is-a-long-time-in-politics-of-covid-19-20200417-p54kwz.html
Eight days after that came package number three, the one with the JobKeeper payment of $1500 a fortnight. That totalled $130 billion. Package number three represented a volte face by the PM, who had flatly rejected a program that would involve wage substitution payments along the lines of a policy announced by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government in the United Kingdom.
The ALP and the ACTU had been calling for that sort of program and Morrison had scoffed at it as unworkable and unnecessary – until business groups joined the labour movement’s chorus and he folded.
I agree with your basic premise, but you are missing the most important point. Governments are no different to voters. You will get the voter who simply continues to vote for the same party come he!! or high water, simply because that is their team that they have always supported, just like a footy team. These voters are usually not the sharpest tools in the box.
The more intelligent, thinking voter is willing to change their vote, based on who they think has the most appropriate policies for the given circumstances. These swinging voters are the ones who usually decide who will actually form government. They make their vote count.
Likewise an intelligent, smart government wont doggedly stick to unsuitable policy, just because its their traditional platform or their supporters expect / demand it. When the chips are really down ( as they are now with COVID 19 ) the very best governments will be willing to drop their traditional platform and just do what needs to be done, regardless of whether it meets their traditional policy platform or not.
Sure they might go back to traditional policies once the crisis has passed, but I see a willingness to change ones mind and adapt to urgent circumstances as a major strength rather than a weakness.
This government has shown the strength to turn their back on their traditional policies and just get the job done. I suspect this was reflected in the by election result where the Liberals increased their first preference vote while Labor went backwards.
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