Terry Sharples, Tweed Heads.
Our PM and his treasurer kicked off the 2019 political year with a few fear targets of global economic storm clouds: China US trade war, negative gearing and the usual people smuggling scare.
Let’s be clear about Australian politics. There are no rules, anything goes. Politicians can basically lie their heads off and, bizarrely, the High Court found that this was an implied constitutional freedom.
‘Labor is in the pocket of its developer mates.’ (Councillor Warren Polglase)
‘The King’s Forest (Labor option) will cost taxpayers 40 million lost dollars’ (Councillor Warren Polglase).
‘People will die if the Kingscliff/Cudgen site hospital is not built.’ (Barbara Nowland) Endless options. Like Geoff Provost is a ‘puppy dog’.
Do negative political ads work? Well, as the major political parties have been doing it forever, the answer is YES! Remember the last winner: ALP ‘Medicare Scare’?
So, why do negative political ads work? Mainly, because they are not aimed at informed voters: the little fish who under our political system must turn up to vote or get fined. They represent a whopping 20-25 per cent of the actual vote, leaving aside the 4-5 per cent ‘donkey vote’ and decide all elections.
It’s all about fear and our subconscious. You cannot afford to miss something that is not a threat to you: our ‘flight or fight’ the DNA kicks in if there is a wolf around.
In politics, the only law is the law of jungle. The caveat is ‘let the elector beware’.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
