Let's say the backroom vote goes differently and Hawke wins. Will a badly damaged Hawke eke out a slim majority or minority in 1993, or does Hewsome win on Fightback?
John Hewson lost the unlosable election in ’93 when he couldn’t explain how much tax would be on a child’s birthday cake. Hewson had based the entire Liberal Party campaign on the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax and then had hopelessly compromised that tax by saying that it would not apply to unprocessed food but would apply to processed food. So he would up trying to sell a new tax as simple and being unable to say himself when it would and wouldn’t apply to the most basic of items. Had Hawke still been plodding along as Prime Minister the Labor Party would have still been able to make the same amount of mileage out of the gaff.
Prior to the election the Labor Party had a nine seat majority in the House of Representatives and actually managed to increase that majority under the enormously unpopular leadership of Paul Keating and with interest rates having only just dropped below 10%
Had Hawke remained he probably would have won the election, although general sentiment was that his government was worn out and the country was due for a change, he was still enormously personally popular.
Let's say the backroom vote goes differently and Hawke wins. Will a badly damaged Hawke eke out a slim majority or minority in 1993, or does Hewsome win on Fightback?
You’re only saying that because she’s useless and she’s Welsh.Haven't got a clue who IS the PM.
With a 1991 POD, it seems highly unlikely that Hewsom makes the exact same gaffe as OTL due to the butterfly effect.
The funny thing is, Hawke still feels like he is the right Prime Minister even now, in my mind. Haven't got a clue who IS the PM. I remember you did have a republican who annoyed me for a while. But he wasn't Bob Hawke so his name has now escaped me too
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
The gaffe was a product of a badly thought out compromise to the cornerstone of his campaign; the Goods and Services Tax was meant to simplify the tax system but in an effort to make it fairer for low income earners the decision had been made to remove it from unprocessed food. The moment a simpler tax needs to be made fairer selling it became hopelessly impossible.With a 1991 POD, it seems highly unlikely that Hewsom makes the exact same gaffe as OTL due to the butterfly effect.