Macarthur is set to become the nation’s bellwether seat for the next couple of elections as a result of the boundary changes. The existing margin of 0.7 per cent to the Liberal Party has moved to 0.1 percent to Labor with the inclusion of Blairmont and Blair Athol at the expense of towns south of Razorback.
With Labor splashing money around on ‘election stimulus packages’ the polls indicate the margin will be greater than the 0.1 percent they currently enjoy.
Another factor in Labor’s favour is their unconditional embrace of environmental extremism. Labor has moved on from their love affairs with socialism and communism and now genuflect at the alter of environmentalism. Global warming is their new covenant and the Emissions Trading Scheme their bible.
The high-priests of the new religion emanate from the chattering classes – Labor academics, Green extremists, North Shore Doctors wives and inner-city latte sippers.
Kevin Rudd’s strategy to lead the world in cleaning up the planet has great appeal to non-producers within our economy. It makes them feel good even though it will have no impact in a global sense without a similar commitment from the major economies. Especially the emerging economic giants of China and India.
While it is economic stupidity to saddle our industry with an additional tax on production it is politically smart to exploit the ‘feel-good’ factor of the quack environmentalists and their followers amongst the chattering classes.
Kevin Rudd therefore intends to bring on the vote before the major economies meet in Copenhagen to agree on realistic targets.
Labor’s slogan for the next election campaign should be: ‘Vote Now – Pay Later’!
And pay we will! Our agricultural industry will be decimated if they are not exempted from the scheme. If Labor’s ‘working families’ think the price of groceries is rising too fast wait ‘till our farmers start to walk off the land! The cost of fresh meat will be prohibitive.
The sad reality is that we will have to import our food and industrial products from countries that do not have draconian emission trading schemes. We will pay a heavy price for our lefties to ‘feel-good’.
Macarthur residents will be hit hard by the inevitable food and electricity price increases because of the nature of the electorate. The Labor candidate will have to be a believer in the new mantra of environmentalism while the Liberal Party will need to seek a candidate who can relate to dinkum working families in the electorate.
The successful candidate might well influence which Party governs Australia after the next election.
