Capital!
Thanks for posting this.
DSH
""Barrie J. Wright"" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:016501c4aff8$0fca8fa0$7b360bd2@barriewr...
| As an Aussie who voted for Howard, I concur with the comments below.
| Regarding the Spaniard comparison, our Embassy in Djakarta was
actually
| bombed a week or so ago, but it only helped Howard.
|
| Because of our preferential voting system and compulsory voitng, the
direct
| vote for Howard is obscured.
| The primary vote was actually about 47-38%, a landslide in US terms..
| It is possible to be elected on our system with a minority primary
vote and
| it often happens -as also George Bush achieved in 2000.
| Anti-Howard types claimed Bush was not 'legitimate', but they would
have
| accepted a Latham win this time on just the same terms!
|
| Let's hope the Nader voters are more cluey about foreign affairs, and
drop
| him this time for Bush -he may need them.
|
| Barrie Wright
|
| South Australia
|
| ----- Original Message -----
| From: "D. Spencer Hines" <
[email protected]>
| To: <
[email protected]>
| Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 1:07 AM
| Subject: Re: Bravo! -- Australians Prove To Be Far More Stalwart Than
Wimpy
| Spaniards
|
|
| > "Australia Re-Elects Howard Prime Minister"
| >
| > By MIKE CORDER
| >
| > "SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Prime Minister John Howard scored a
convincing
| > victory in Australia's federal election Saturday, winning a historic
| > fourth term in a vote ensuring the staunch U.S. ally keeps its
troops in
| > Iraq. ******
| >
| > With more than 70 percent of votes tallied, Howard appeared likely
to
| > increase his government's majority in parliament - exceeding most
| > analysts' predictions that the result would be very tight.
| >
| > "My fellow Australians ... I am truly humbled by this extraordinary
| > expression of confidence in the leadership of this great nation by
the
| > coalition," Howard told cheering supporters of his conservative
alliance
| > in Sydney.
| >
| > "In accepting their charge to lead the nation I rededicate myself
and
| > all of my colleagues to the service of the Australian people."
| >
| > Labor Party leader Mark Latham earlier conceded defeat before
supporters
| > in western Sydney, saying he called Howard to congratulate him.
| >
| > "Tonight was not our night," Latham told the crowd.
| >
| > The election was widely seen abroad as the first referendum for the
| > three leaders who launched the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, with
| > President Bush facing a ballot next month and British Prime Minister
| > Tony Blair probably facing voters next year.
| >
| > The Labor Party had vowed to bring the roughly 900 Australian troops
| > deployed in and around Iraq home by Christmas, while Howard insisted
| > they will stay until Iraqis ask them to leave. Australian troops
have
| > not suffered any casualties and none have combat roles.
| >
| > Australians have focused more on the economy, health and education
than
| > on Howard's unpopular decision to join the Bush-led coalition in
Iraq.
| > Howard sent 2,000 troops to Iraq last year, prompting accusations he
was
| > Bush's lackey.
| >
| > Latham argued that the Iraq invasion was a distraction from the
| > international fight against terrorism, and he wanted to focus
| > Australia's security policy closer to home in Southeast Asia.
| >
| > That was a clear nod to his country's fears of attacks after the
Oct.
| > 12, 2002, bombings on Bali Island that killed 202 people, many of
them
| > Australians, and the Sept. 9 bombing of the Australian Embassy that
| > killed nine people.
| >
| > With about 77 percent of votes counted, official figures showed
Howard's
| > coalition had 52.4 percent to Labor's 47.6 percent, giving the
| > conservatives a clear lead in the race for a majority in
parliament's
| > 150-seat lower house, where government is formed.
| >
| > "I think at this stage of the evening it's going to be almost
impossible
| > for Labor to win this election," Labor Sen. Robert Ray told Channel
Nine
| > television. "We are too far behind in too many seats at this stage
for
| > victory."
| >
| > The campaign also hinged on personalities, with three-term incumbent
| > Howard, 65, seen as a colorless but reliable steward of the economy,
and
| > Latham, 43, perceived as young and energetic but also inexperienced
and
| > sometimes undisciplined.
| >
| > Australian voters chose candidates for all 150 seats in the federal
| > parliament's lower house - the House of Representatives - and 40 of
the
| > 76 seats in the Senate. A total of 1,091 candidates were standing
for
| > the House of Representatives and 330 for the Senate.
| >
| > The country has 13 million registered voters.
| >
| > Howard voted Saturday at a school after taking a walk around Sydney
| > Harbor, where he asked passers-by not to use their votes to punish
his
| > conservative coalition for unpopular policies.
| >
| > "It's certainly not an occasion for anyone to think they can give us
a
| > protest kick and still re-elect us - if enough people do that we'll
| > lose," he said.
| >
| > At the polls, a man in line said to the prime minister: "Mr. Howard,
if
| > you win, I'm moving to Europe."
| >
| > And let's hope he does -- he can join some of our Left-Wing,
| > Pacifist-Appeasing Hollywood Crowd in Europe if George Bush wins his
| > race. All such Rampant Pogues should congregate in Spain, France
and
| > Germany. ---- DSH
| >
| > Another woman asked him when he was going to stop lying to the
| > Australian public. Howard ignored the man and said "thank you" to
the
| > woman.
| >
| > Well Done! ---- DSH
| >
| > John Atkins, 59, voting in Sydney, said he did not approve of
Latham's
| > plan to withdraw from Iraq, even though he initially opposed the
Iraq
| > deployment.
| >
| > "I was very concerned when the Labor Party said it would pull out
the
| > troops by Christmas," he said. "We should never have gone in, but
once
| > we had we need to stay."
| >
| > Latham shook hands with well-wishers as he entered his Sydney
polling
| > site.
| >
| > "We'll be seeking the support of the Australian people, particularly
for
| > a world-class health and education system, and taking the financial
| > pressure off families," he said.
| >
| > Howard's center-right government and the opposition both focused
their
| > campaigns on pledges to improve the education and health systems,
and
| > debated which party can best run the economy and maintain a boom
fueled
| > largely by rising property prices.
| >
| > Howard repeatedly warned voters a Latham government would likely
drive
| > up interest rates - a sensitive issue for millions of homeowners.
| >
| > Australia's economy has grown during every year of Howard's
| > administration has been in office. Unemployment is close to
all-time
| > lows and inflation is just 2 percent.
| >
| > Latham insisted he could fund his policies and keep interest rates
low
| > and the economy growing.
| >
| > Howard is in his ninth year in office and is expected to retire
before
| > serving out his full three-year term.
| >
| > Had Latham won, he would have become one of the country's youngest
| > leaders."
| > ----------------------
| >
| > Latham even LOOKS the part of the Pasty-Faced Wimp He IS: ---- DSH
| >
| >
http://apnews.myway.com/image/20041008/ ... XSYD105_20| > 041008231522.html?date=20041009&docid=D85JUBV01
| > - ----------------------------
| >
| > DSH
) Quicherat, 1869 edition, p. 1081.