There is nothing quite like election time to bring out the worst in politicians, and in this election campaign the "promises" and "pledges" are coming thick and fast.
The spin-doctors for Labor and Liberal are desperately trying to piece together advertisements and slogans which differentiate themselves from each other.
Of course, the major parties have the big business media on their side. The Sydney Morning Herald, for example, railed against minor parties in it's September 10 editorial, claiming that they "lowered the political discourse" of the campaign.
It also called for a smaller Senate, which it said was a "critical reform for the next parliament".
Even given this level of PR support, however, Howard and Beazley's minders have a hard sell in front of them. How do you increase the appeal of two political parties which have become so much alike and so discredited in the eyes of all? It's no easy task.
Perhaps this is why both parties have adopted the slogan "Australia deserves better".
For most of us, the election game show is a numbing experience. No matter who is in government after October 3, the only thing we can be sure of is that there will be more profits-before-people policies, and big business will launch the next round of attacks on the environment and the rights of workers, migrants, Aborigines, women and young people.
One promise you can be sure will be kept, however, both before and after the election, is that Green Left Weekly will provide a platform for the progressive candidates and parties the establishment media ignores or slanders. The paper will continue to give a voice to those campaigning on the streets, in workplaces and in schools and universities for an end to the two-party stranglehold.
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