Howard’s presence on the campaign trail shows voters have a short memory

Readers were pleased to hear that Crikey’s Warringah bureau — staffed solely by the indefatigable Charlie Lewis — had finally come face-to-face this week with Tony Abbott, who was dragging John Howard around a mall. Some readers were sceptical of the impact Howard will have on Abbott’s chances; others weren’t so sure. Elsewhere, readers discussed Labor’s election campaign and the veracity of the polls. 

On Abbott and Howard on the campaign trail

Malcolm Burr writes: Why is Howard trotted out like a living treasure when he was so consumed by hubris and his own invincibility that he completely misread the Australian electorate and lost government and his own seat. It would appear that some people have short memories.

Irfan Yusuf writes: Tony Abbott will win this. His local connections are too strong. Even those who disagree with him on climate change and other issues still respect him and support him for other things. And having enemies like GetUp is the equivalent of having lots of extra friends.

Mark E Smith writes: I loathed Howard before, during and after those terrible years of the top gig. However, credit to the man for being the most effective Australian politician in my living memory. The damage still lives today. I doubt we’ll remember Tony much ten years after he gets the boot.

On Labor’s fight

Vicki Kiryakakis writes: The reality we currently live in and so the Labor Party not only needs to run a perfect campaign but also find some way to reach voters who rely on the News Corp stable for their information. It’s hardly been a fair fight.

Marcus Hicks writes: The primary problem is that Newspoll relies on landlines for its polling and the number of landlines amongst registered voters has declined significantly and is almost non existent amongst the under-25 demographic (a demographic that has surged since the 2016 election). It might also partly explain why the Libs did worse in Queensland, Victoria and WA than the official polls were suggesting.