Friday 11 May 2007

A week is a long time in politics

Australian election odds are changing following Peter Costello's tax-cutting budget. Tim Blair has the figures. Centrebet election prices at the start of last week:

Labor: $1.72
Coalition: $2.05

At week’s end:

Labor: $1.77
Coalition: $1.95

And now:

Labor: $1.87
Coalition: $1.90

Message to Finance Ministers: People like tax cuts.

As to the response from the other side of the aisle, Blair (Tim) puts up Labour leader Kevin Rudd's Budget Reply speech as a candidate for "emptiest speech yet made in Australia’s parliament." Not exactly full of beans, it does however propose "a nationwide plumbing initiative." And Dminor asks: “Why did the Budget Reply sound like it was written (and delivered) by Bindi Irwin?” Clearly neither of them have ever read any of John Key's speeches -- they make even a nationwide plumbing initiative sound substantive.

Muesli bar anyone?

UPDATE: Looks like a day is a long time in politics, if these odds from Lasseters hold water:
LABOR ‘FRIENDLESS’ IN BETTING

The Kevin Rudd led Labor Party have hit a major hurdle in the run to the
Federal Election, so much so that in the space of a little over a week,
Labor have gone from election favourites to clear outsiders with Lasseters
Sports.

“This time last week, Kevin Rudd was 1.80 favourite” says Lasseters
head bookmaker Gerard Daffy, “ but now that price has blown out to 2.00,
with the Coalition now into 1.75”. In a week where there hasn’t been a
terrible lot of joy for the Opposition, Lasseters can report that there
has not been one single bet for a Labor win since the release of the
budget. “ The wind has been well and truly knocked out of Labor’s
sails” said Daffy, “and we are beginning to see an air of confidence
from punters on John Howard regaining power. Previous polls had Labor
ahead, but we were not seeing that in the betting ring. A positive poll
for Mr Howard on Monday will only see him shorten again” added Daffy.

LATEST ELECTION BETTING

1.75 Coalition
2.00 Labor

Log on to http//www.lasseters.com to view the latest odds.

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