Oxfam Australia welcomes Australia’s UN vote on the…

Oxfam Australia Media Release Oxfam Australia welcomes the Australian Government's decision to vote…

Monash experts: South Korea's political crisis

Monash University South Korea was plunged into political chaos overnight when President Yoon Suk…

Billions of people to benefit from technology breakthrough…

University of South Australia Media Release A novel approach to make seawater evaporate…

A Global Crisis and Australia’s Unique Opportunity

How Community Independents Are Redefining Democracy and Offering Australia a Path Away…

Political Challenges: More Progressive Responses to Ongoing Culture…

By Denis Bright The LNP certainly knows how to frame its commitments to…

Neocolonialism is alive and flourishing. The human cost……

My People When you gonna leave My People Give them room to breathe My People Stop…

Albanese Government leaves skilled construction machinery workers in…

Master Builders Australia Media Release After the long-awaited release of the Federal Government’s…

Australia’s War History: From Britain’s Wars to Neutrality

By Denis Hay Description Australia’s war history. Explore our history of supporting Britain’s wars…

«
»
Facebook

Getting rid of dysfunctional Prime Ministers

Former Liberal Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett this morning dumped big time on the federal LNP, claiming that dislike for Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a major factor in the Victorian election result that yesterday brought a resounding victory to the ALP, ousting the Liberal government in its first term.

Kennett claims the Abbott government is a “shambles,” and Ministers in the Napthine Government said there was “no question’’ that the unpopularity of Tony Abbott in Victoria was a factor in their defeat.

The government is in a bind about Tony. If they get rid of him in his first term they risk being seen as unstable and disloyal, allegations they levelled unrelentingly while in opposition at the ALP for its ongoing leadership woes with Kevin Rudd.

An aside on that matter. Now that we have a good deal more information about that debacle, wouldn’t it have been so much better if Gillard had informed the electorate about the difficulties the government was having with Rudd, rather than leaving us to wake up one morning and discover we no longer had the extremely popular Prime Minister who’d led the Labor party to victory? Pole-axing an electorate in such a fashion and then going on to be excessively secretive as to the reasons for such drastic action would seem to be a most unwise strategy, and indeed, that’s what it proved to be.

The situation with Abbott is very different: while Rudd was still popular but behind the scenes, dysfunctional, Abbott is openly dysfunctional and unpopular to boot, so the electorate won’t go into nearly as much shock and awe if he’s chucked out of the top job in his first term.

Personally, I’d like to see Abbott stay on as leader as he’s the ALP’s best asset.

The federal government is like a dysfunctional family with a rogue father at its head. Everyone closes ranks and publicly supports the patriarch even though he’s bringing ruination down on their collective heads, because that’s what families do. They stick together in the face of adversity, and in so doing, enable the maintenance of the dysfunction. This eventually damages every family member, and the price for such misguided unity is death, of one kind or another.

There’s little more difficult than dealing with a dysfunctional leader, be it in politics or the family, and we saw how the ALP crumbled under the pressure of their Rudd woes.

The precedent for getting rid of first term Prime Ministers has been set, and there are few among us who would find it shocking the second time around. However, the LNP are likely far too spooked by the Rudd saga to risk ousting their dysfunctional leader in his first term. This could well be their downfall.

First published at Jennifer’s blog No Place for Sheep

 

Like what we do at The AIMN?

You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.

Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!

Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.

You can donate through PayPal via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969

Donate Button

48 comments

Login here Register here
  1. Anon E Mouse

    There is a big difference between Rudd and Abbott. Rudd was popular amongst the people – less so with the powerbrokers and wealthy, and of course the ambitious in the Labor party. Rudd was a most popular PM and people didn’t like the lie that he had Gillard’s support. Gillard and her backers never recovered from that.

    Abbott on the other hand is despised by most Australians, ridiculed by those in his party – with his only supporters being the big end of town. However, unlike Labor, the LNP don’t have any reasonable candidates that could step up to the plate. July Bishop, of asbestos fame, is untennable, especially as the words slung at Gillard could be flung at Bishop, and anyway she is a woman so that makes her unlikely. Utegate Turnbull was given a poison chalice and he has drunk deeply and scuttled any hope of leadership. The defense minister, whats-his-name shot himself in the foot, or got it caught in a barbed wire canoe. Morrison may be busy with a trip to the Hague, and lets face it, he is loathed by almost everyone. Pyne is a whiney pyne-grub, and I am sure the you-tube clip would be sent viral if he was nominated as PM material. Hockey launched a monster budget, with all the aplomb of an elitist-upper-class-snob, and has been in hiding for a while now. The Kersosene queen, Bronny Bishop, is a bit aged and erratic to do the bidding of the ruling capatilist elite. That only leaves the dead-looking Ruddock.

    So, it looks like Abbott is the best they have.

    Now all we have to do is get Shorten to smarten up, or ship out, or Labor could lose an un-lose-able election.

  2. John Fraser

    <

    Any ideas on what job Abbott Abbott would be offered to entice him to go ?

    If its money crowdfunding would get him millions ………. perhaps billions.

  3. Gilly

    he IS very, very good at moving targets. How about target setter at a live firing range?

  4. Totaram

    “…Rudd was a most popular PM and people didn’t like the lie that he had Gillard’s support. Gillard and her backers never recovered from that. ”

    I’m not sure that is a reasonable analysis. If that was so, a lot of people would have been pleased when he (Rudd) came back. Some people were, but not enough. That means that there were a lot of people who just “bought into” the MSM narrative of a dysfunctional government, loudly trumpeted by the Murdoch press. Looking back, anyone who is not a rusted on coalition moron will realise that there was nothing dysfunctional about that Gillard Government at all. I think, after all these events, people are beginning to wake up to the complete lack of honesty of the MSM. I would certainly hope that is so. If that means a reduction in the influence of the evil Murdoch, I will applaud.

  5. stephentardrew

    Dead man walking.

    Dead Government complicit.

    Trigger peoples visceral fears and there is no way back.

    IPA wish list is worse than Work Choices and we all know how that went.

    Losing Victoria is simply the beginning.

    It will be too little too late because Labor the Greens and Independents have a deep body of material to throw in their face pre-election.

    Opposition parties will make it clear that,regardless of wind-backs, the IPA list is not going away in a second term.

  6. Totaram

    @John Fraser

    I’m in favour of unexploded ordnance. Remember him in the bomb-proof suit in Afghanistan?

  7. Willa Gabrielle Cartwright

    Tony Abbot is just a symptom that will keep recurring in success governments unless the cause is dealt with.

    We all know Rupert Murdoch and News Corp are the real problems and until we elect a government that is seriously prepared to take them on and address media ownership issues, we’re not going to see any serious changes.

  8. donwreford

    Anon mouse, good review, of the liberal profile of dysfunction, the problem with labor, have they got a convincing leader? would it be better to leave the liberals in, to give time for the emerging new labor leader? the problem with both parties is the same, leadership, what about the new fresh guy, of greens?although?

  9. keerti

    It seems to me that prospective ministers of parliament should have to pass a battery of tests, including one testing their ability to research thoroughly, read, to understand the real meaning of a democratic system, to have a record of integrity……………………..but then I suppose we would mainly have children in government! Oh! We already have don’t we……………..just the worst ones, though!

  10. John Fraser

    <

    @Gilly

    Retrieving unexploded ordnance in Iraq ?

    Or …. because he is such a warrior ….. retrieving arms drops that have gone astray.

    Hmmmm ? ….. maybe not that last one.

    Our brilliant RAAF personnel might remember that he refused them a decent pay rise ….. could have drops falling right into the "death cults" lap and the RAAF saying …. "shit happens".

  11. delicadaz

    @Totram .. ………….. i am certain of rudds popularity, his comeback saved labor from TOTAL OBLIVIAN ………… especially in QLD.

    could you imagine what team abbott would be doing if they had Total power of both houses.

    Rudd was got by 2 powerful forces ……murdoch /abbott and the constant NEGATIVITY and lies they espoused ………………….2) The Power Unions whom Rudd was trying to eradicate from Labor …….well at least their power within the party. He got voted in on this promise, because so many Australians are sick to death of Union Corruption and the power they hold within the political Labor Party. and yes, there maybe a couple of other minor reasons 😉
    NOW we are sick to death of the Liberals and the power they want, the lies they tell, the promises they NEVER KEEP and their dog eat dog view of what Australia should be.
    Abbott has done 1 major service to Australia. He has shown the form and shape of LIBERALISM that they want for Australia…………and it truly scares the shit out of us.
    We can thank Abbott for showing us all, just how good SOCIALISM really is and that LABOR can manage the economy better than the Libs.. And i think the Libs are dead for good…………… because NO ONE in the Liberal party is electable and it will be years before they can “clean out” the party and get good and decent people in their spots

  12. john

    So the police are pushing for a criminal conviction and possibly jail time? Against Freya Newman ? Just like they pushed for Craig Thompson and Peter Slipper. Are these the same police who allowed drink driving Peta Credlin to escape conviction TWICE? And are these the same police that didn’t prosecute the hacking of personal diaries of Slipper by Mal Brough and Hal Ashby? The police appear to be doing the dirty work of a certain political party that is for sure.

  13. mars08

    It’s the same police who claim that a plastic sword is a “legitimate weapon”…

  14. francescaagosti

    “An aside on that matter. Now we have a good deal more information about that debacle, wouldn’t it have been so much better if Gillard had informed the electorate about the difficulties the government was having with Rudd, rather than leaving us to wake up one morning and discover we no longer had the extremely popular Prime Minister who’d led the Labor party to victory? ”

    No, Jennifer Wilson, informing the electorate would not have been better. It would in my view have been much worse.

    In the first instance, it is poor form for any government to air its dirty linen in public, even though KRudd was leaking to the press on a daily basis in an attempt to destabilise the Gillard government. Sour grapes from a shambolic and highly volatile leader who was rightly deposed from a position that was beyond his organisational and emotional capability.

    Secondly, there were mightier forces at work in addition to KRudd who were seeking to depose Julia Gillard, a highly effective and hard-working PM. In country dogged by sexism and misogyny, merely by virtue of her gender Ms Gillard, a highly competent PM, had a target on her back. Many were intent on bringing her down because she represented true government for the people. These included repulsive shock jock radio commentators, the manipulative and misleading Murdoch press, and the Opposition of the day led by misogynist Tony Abbott. All were vitriolic in their condemnation of what was in fact a highly productive government, the hardest working government in Australia’s history with 495 pieces of legislation passed, some of it historic, in a mere 3 or so years and with a hung Parliament.

    So no, Julia Gillard was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. Your suggestion that she bare all before the Australian public is simplistic and ill-informed.

    I bet all those who were critical of Ms Gillard are now rueing the day, and so they should. Compared to the nitwits we have supposedly in charge now Ms Gillard did a magnificent job, and history will bear this out I have no doubt.

  15. John Fraser

    <

    @francescaagosti

    You make my heart sing.

  16. paul walter

    The feature of the rest in the drawing out of the Gillard Rudd stoushes- both sides appear to have been at fault at different times; also the thread demonstrates further evidence of the dawning of the realisation that as to dysfunctionality, the vicious pathology of Abbott and his Murdochite cronies trumps Gillard/Rudd combined.

    Yes. But if Rudd was flaky, wasn’t a precedent set in his removal by his colleagues, mainly from the Right Faction who resented him clipping their destructive wings.

    Abbott is twice the flake Rudd ever was.

    His idiot petulance concerning withdrawing of funds for Melbourne transport infrastructure because it is a less expensive alternative to the freeway monstrosity Abbott and his Business Council cronies desire, confirms the fantasy world the Leader lives in, in his bunker with his Eva Braun.

  17. stephentardrew

    Francescaagosti: Totally agree.

    One hell of a smart woman who led this country through difficult times. Unprecedented negotiating skills. She did what she had to do to the best of her ability and made Abbott look like a fool. Funnily enough in her retirement from politics she is silently and judiciously rubbing it into those hate filled sycophantic lying bullies. Isn’t it wonderful when you do not have to say much to speak loudly above the bickering crowd.

    Tony my little dear the silent voice of competence is watching your every move laughing all the way to your ignominious end. And we will join her in future acclaim while you rot in your despotic lies.

    Cowards eventually fall on their own rhetoric.

    Our first incredibly competent Female Prime-minister followed by our greatest gutless misogynistic ass of a fool.

    Makes me Proud to be on Team un-Australia.

    Think I may have been a bit generous to Abbott.

  18. John Fraser

    <

    @Paul Walter

    And holding on to a Defence Minister who criticises Australian defence manufacturing.

    Johnston the canoe.

    Whoops ! I might have just made a "rhetorical flourish" then.

    Perhaps I meant something other than a canoe …… both Abbott and Pyne would know they continually act like ones in their misogynistic way.

  19. paul walter

    They all are, not even Howard’s lot were as obnoxious and out of touch is these psychotics.

  20. peter

    Abbott is popular with the far right,big business and their media hacks, and he’s well supported by the socially conservative, religious majority in the party room. He has also managed to destroy his potential relacements/rivals (Turnbull, Hockey, Hunt) by forcing them to advocate his more loopy policies. He will stay until the Russians overrun the bunker.

  21. narzabloomthan

    A-BOOT HIM , This is a man whom claimed if he said one thing and done another than that would mean he would be as bad as Gillard/Rudd, and he pronounced he just didn’t want to be like that and then he said errr ahrrrr errrr urghh ( lizard tongue, lizard tongue) ummm errr arhhrrrn ( lizard tongue) hmmm errrr urghh this is a methodical urrrrh rational errrrr lizard tongue, then I didn’t hear the rest cause I broke the Tele!

  22. Annie B

    @francescaagosti – – – – ( November 30, 2014 at 6:52 pm )

    Beautifully said …… a great piece of writing.

  23. Lawriejay

    Poor Tony ? Nothing has gone right for him since George Pell left for the Vatican – who might I ask is his confessor now ?? Is he being forgiven for his sins ?? Fury hath one equaliser – an electorate repelled! Hell is no place to be wearing lycra?
    Lawriejay

  24. Möbius Ecko

    What does this say of Abbott’s belief in Hockey and Cormann?

    In a Prime Minister’s office that is already up to the hilt in staff, PR/Personal/Media advisers and ministries Abbott has taken on like Women and Indigenous Affairs, Abbott has now hired a conservative financial gun to advise on the government’s way ahead on economic management.

    The short radio piece said the person’s name was something like Follet or Folley, and he would advise the PM on finance going forward to try to get it out of the mess it’s created.

    This has to be a slap in Hockey’s cigar smoking face and surely sidelines Cormann into obscurity.

    Then there’s the Deloitte report that shows deficits as far into the future as they can see, and the main causes are falling commodity prices, but get this one, low wages growth that is not putting spending money into the economy.

    Yet Abbott for purely ideological reasons wants to cut wages and conditions for workers and take huge amounts of spending out of the economy with his cuts.

    This government is just one big clusterf*ck. No other way of putting it.

  25. mars08

    paul walter:

    They all are, not even Howard’s lot were as obnoxious and out of touch is these psychotics.

    As destructive, repulsive and vile as Howard’s lot were… at least they had some subtlety and rat-cunning. The current mob are just a bunch of arrogant, witless, blundering oafs.

  26. Hotspringer

    I love it!
    Please, please, Tony, hang in there. You are the best thing to happen to Australian politics. Thank you for the likely demise of the extreme right wing dogmas.

  27. Colin

    @francescaagosti – VERY well said and spot on!

  28. Damo451

    While i am totally disgusted at this pathetic excuse for a government ,and look forward to the day the are unceremoniously booted out , i am also happy that Gillard got exactly what she deserved.
    As PM she reduced the payments to 100,000 sole-parents by $ 65 – 135 a week ,simply because she panicked about Abbotts attacks on the budget surplus.
    Gillard and Mr Charisma ( Shorten ) ,were responsible for removing the Howard era , grandfather provisioned parents off PPS and putting them onto Newstart when the youngest child turned 8 and cutting back the amount able to be earnt p/f from $ 160 to $ 69 before effecting the payment , by doing this she added another 100,000 people to the list of those living in absolute poverty
    Now there are some out there who swallow the hogwash that by removing the grandfathering provisions put in place by Howard ,the current system would remove the inequity between those grandfathered and those not , and get more single parents working or studying , well this was a huge lie.
    Statistics show that the vast majority of parents were either working or studying at the time anyway , as they were already required to do 30 hrs study or work p/f when their youngest child turned 8 anyway.Regardless of any grandfathering provisions.
    The truth is , this gutless coward , along with Shorten, attacked the weak and vulnerable because she knew they couldnt fight back.
    Given the protests from Labor about the unfairness of the policy when it was put forward by Howard i find it especially reprehensible and hypocrytical.
    After seeing how little support there was out there for sole-parents in general , and the acknowledgement of the difficulties faced , i think that a recession might not be such a bad thing for Australians in general ,so many more can see what it is like to struggle in the shoes of those in receipt of welfare.Then and only then will true empathy and compassion have a possibility of returning to the Australian psyche.
    There are too many Australians who need to be brought down a peg or 2 and the one positive thing this current govt is doing ,is creating the circumstances that will allow that to happen.
    Gillard was a disgusting woman totally lacking in real empathy or fairness and i for one am glad to see the back of her !!!

  29. Möbius Ecko

    As PM she reduced the payments to 100,000 sole-parents by $ 65 – 135 a week ,simply because she panicked about Abbotts attacks on the budget surplus.

    Though I agree with some of the thrust of what you state the one quoted above is wrong on several fronts.

    Gillard changing it had absolutely nothing to do with “panicking” on anything. The last thing you can ever accuse Gillard of is panicking.

    She correctly righted an anomaly in the Howard policy that had two tiers of payments. One group was being unfairly advantaged whilst the other was receiving the specified payment. If you had bothered to read Gillard’s statement and intent in full you would have seen she planned to overhaul the sole parents policy to make it fairer across the board, but was cut off at the knees before she had the slightest chance of doing that.

  30. Damo451

    M.E.
    I am fully aware of what happened because it effected me , so dont pontificate to me about what you know nothing of ” If you had bothered to read Gillard’s statement and intent in full you would have seen she planned to overhaul the sole parents policy to make it fairer across the board, but was cut off at the knees before she had the slightest chance of doing that “.
    ” She was cut off at the knees ” umm , no she wasnt, she implemented the cuts ( effective as of Jan 1 2013 ) and there was nothing else attached to the legislation to increase the payment for all or anything else. Do try to keep up.
    I also followed the Greens long and lengthy campaign against the move.
    I observed the whole cowardly act for as long as it was being considered and implemented ,and deal ,and have dealt with the changes on a daily basis and would think i am far more qualified to comment on the outcomes than you.
    Since you are so knowledgeable on the subject ,then you must also be aware that they had already passed earlier legislation regarding the age of 12 when the cuts came into effect ,prior to this. So it was in fact the second attack on a welfare group by the Laberal party ( not a typo ).
    She was LYING when she said about correcting the imbalance, and like all politicians ,chose the softest targets to attack.
    The stupidity of correcting the payments by making MORE worse off rather than making MORE, BETTER off may satisfy people like yourself ,but to those off us suffering from that GUTLESS decision , it is unforgivable.
    She did panick ,as evidenced by this knee jerk reaction at the PEAK of Abbotts attacks on the surplus ,albeit circumstancial , but very strong circumstantial evidence.
    As i said before ,Some people may swallow the hogwash from her , and obviously you were one of them

  31. Damo451

    She also refused to look at an across the board increase ,of $50 a week for Newstart which would have made the WHOLE system fairer.

  32. Möbius Ecko

    Gillard said the policy had become emblematic of the larger issues around unemployment and poverty. She said her motivation for the change was the “grandfathered” class of women who were not on the same payments as other women because of earlier rule changes to the pension.

    “I formed the view that that was unfair and I felt we needed to have arrangements that most facilitated and helped women get into work when their children were of an older age, which is ultimately better for them and better for their children.”

    Gillard said the policy change came to represent underlying issues, such as the low rate of Newstart and that the approach to bringing unemployed people back to work was not “flexible”.

    “The rate of Newstart is too low and the approach we take to assisting people who are unemployed is not flexible enough,” she said.

    She was looking at the whole Newstart system and stated it was too low, in the meantime there was the inequality of the system Howard had left behind. It boils down to a what if as we will never know if she would have increased Newstart across the board if she had remained in power.

  33. Damo451

    “I formed the view that that was unfair and I felt we needed to have arrangements that most facilitated and helped women get into work when their children were of an older age, which is ultimately better for them and better for their children.”
    From someone who has no idea what it is like to raise kids, hilarious,
    Blind freddy can see ,punitive financial measures do not enhance ones ability to gain employment,rather the opposite.
    If the liar felt it was so unfair she would of committed to raising Newstart ,which she never did , and when the question of raising it was put to her ,she ducked and weaved like a professional boxer.
    If you had done any research, instead of cut and paste ,you would see legislation contained no more added work/study requirements than were already there, no additional help to enter the workforce or study ,just the punitive financial measures.
    In other words , purely a budget saving measure nothing more , also evidenced by the lack of committment to raise Newstart .
    She had never made any committment to raising Newstart ,that is a fact.
    You are merely trying to justify her lie with your interpretation of a glib comment from her.
    No matter how you try and call it , the fact remains ,it was a purely cost cutting excercise as evidence by actions not words or lack of.
    If she were in a court room , i would think the requirement to prove ‘ intent ‘ would be more than met.
    You sound more like a Gillard appologist rather than someone who acknowledges the facts.

  34. Marg1

    Spot on Jennifer – I’m loving watching them all squirm and panic. Karma!

  35. Marg1

    Damo451 – I was also appalled when that was done to single parents by Labor. Having been a single parent myself (widow) for the last 16 years I know how hard it is. The right thing for them to have done would have been to raise the Newstart allowance, not cut single parents. That was just disgraceful. I don’t know how people manage living off Newstart at present. It needs to be lifted asap. I won’t hold my breath for the present government to do anything in that direction. Maybe only the Greens would do anything like that.

  36. Annie B

    Damo451 said :

    ………….” Blind freddy can see, punitive financial measures do not enhance ones ability to gain employment,rather the opposite. ”

    That just might be the only legitimate statement you have made. Not sure – but kinda think so. !!! ???

    Because ? ……… That’s EXACTLY what the current ridiculous PM …. is trying to do with all HIS cuts and measures to everyone who is ( in his not so humble opinion ) less in the pecking order than he and his cronies. ….. Like ya know – like um – ah – people without jobs, ( go live on air for 6 months and then come back and see us ) ……. parents with children / babes. There’s a whole scad of garbage he expects us to wallow in, which will result in the break down of businesses, thus less and less employment.

    Our future health in peril, because he loves his coal, his mining mates – and his coal-ition, and will NOT listen to renewable energy under any circumstances ( another way of largely depleting jobs available ) …….

    Yep – Punitive financial measures do NOT enhance …… you said it.

    ————

    Have another think Damo451 …….. puleeeze. !!

  37. Damo451

    Annie B ,no ALL my statements were legitimate , which only shows what little you know on the subject.
    You appear to be barking up the wrong tree and assuming i support Abbott.
    NOTHING could be further from the truth !!!
    I am well aware of the disgracefull policies of the LNP , this does not ,however .take away from what Gillard and her cronies did.
    While others have reminised about Gillard , i have pointed out that she was no peach either.
    As to all your comments about the COALition i couldnt agree more , so what exactly is your point ?
    2 wrongs make a Gillard right ?
    I suggest you have another think , and read , and its spelt ‘ please ‘

  38. Damo451

    To get back on topic ,Marg1 , i couldnt agree more when it comes to the Greens ,and the rest of your post.
    An American comedian , Bill Maher ,once said ” The Republican party have moved so far to the right ,that when the Democrats have to meet them halfway ,they end up on the right ”
    It reminds me so much of our current Laboral parties.
    My belief is that a fair and just government ,may only be served with the Greens in government , and Labor ,with a majority in the senate , providing the checks and balances.
    That however ,is just an opinion ,and while it may open up a whole new can of worms for us all to deal with ,could it be any worse than what we have been dealing with these last few decades ?
    Worth a shot i think.

  39. Annie B

    Damo451 ……….

    I simply read what you wrote. That’s all. If YOU say ALL your statements were legitimate, then you are entitled to that opinion of your own writings and observations.

    There is not a politician, past, present or future on earth, who has not made mistakes ( deliberately or not ) and some have outright lied – we know about THAT – currently – don’t we ?

    …… and I assumed nothing because frankly I don’t give a jot who you vote for or stand for.

    “Julia was no peach ” – not she wasn’t – at times. But she was a damned sight better PM, and far more honest overall than the fool we have currently trying to send us down the gurgler.

    After your ‘no peach either’ comment – I think you wanted to know what my point was ? ….. that should have been obvious. Punitive financial measures and all that ?? ….. the subject you raised yourself ?

    ………. I know how to spell thank you …… have you never seen ‘please’ written as ‘puleeze’ before ?.

    ……….. it’s usually written like that to lighten a comment, 😉 ……. but you don’t comprehend that !!!

    End of ,,,,,,,,,

  40. Anon E Mouse

    Annie B, I met Gillard and she did not impress me. She was very much of ‘the right’ in ideology.
    You might recall that she argued against raising the single pension also.
    Gillard was crafty, I will give her that, and I don’t mean her knitting. Have you ever wondered why so many people did not like her – from her own side, and not because of her gender.
    There is much to critique Gillard for, some to praise her on, but even her negotiating skills were overblown. The mining tax was one because the watered down version was not what Rudd had proposed (even thought the original was crafted by Swan and not that brilliant by all accounts).
    Gillard was behind the push that saw Rudd drop the ETS, and not taking it to a double dissolution.
    The leaks that are often ascribed to Rudd were not according to the journo that reported on them. There was a lot of spin from Gillard, Swan and their backers. Rarely reported are the tanties thrown by Swan (apparently he tends to throw phones), or the bs about Gillard saying she was more likely to play fullback for the Bulldogs than challenge Rudd. Or her vindictiveness towards Rudd, forcing the spill when Rudd was Foreign Minister.
    I would have rejoiced having a female PM, but not the way she wrested it.
    Gillard is no saint.

    Rudd is human, and I like him because he knows what it is like to be poor folk. Rudd was out there thigh high in stinking flood waters during the Brisbane floods of 2011 giving a hand – he understands ordinary folk.

    However, it is fine if you disagree with me – I don’t have a problem with that at all. What I do find difficult to take is the over-reaction of narking with someone from your own ideological bent.

    Your response to Damo451 is a bit of an over-reaction, especially as Abbott has given us so much to be whingeing about.

  41. GWizard

    It’s not just Tony. Note how little is seen of “the poor don’t drive” Treasurer? Well he’s back, “don’t let Santa down this Christmas. This is where our economy resides, in the hands of a man who speaks to people as though they are children with economic insight at the level of a marketing device brought to us by Coke!

  42. mars08

    Oh yes indeed … “Don’t let Santa down, go and spend for Christmas”

    Because buying some gaudy sunglasses, an overpriced phone or another PlayStation will improve our lives immeasurably.

    What a vacuous clown!!!

  43. Annie B

    Anon E Mouse …

    Thank you for your input.

    I was not a Gillard fan to any extent – but the legislation she managed to get through in her term was admirable to say the least. ……… I was not a Rudd fan either, and there was much factional uproar behind the scenes in the Labor party over those times. …… He had a reputation ( rightly or wrongly – I was never privy to seeing it personally ) of being a bad tempered and abusive man within the party. And – as you have pointed out – apparently so was Swan. Nothing would surprise me – about any of them, all parties. Look at the tanties Clive Palmer loves to throw – tearing off microphone equipment during interviews – just because he doesn’t like a question.

    The bottom line is that politics is an unutterably filthy game – greed, lies, spins, accusations, deceptions, doing absolutely ANYTHING to get (their) own way, deliberate misleading of the public, deliberate avoidance of direct answers to direct questions …. the list is very very long, of the appalling behaviour that many ( if not all ) politicians are capable of. Power is corruptible, absolute power is absolutely corruptible. An old very worn phrase.

    I would NEVER vote for anything that had LNP on it. There have been times that I have not voted for Labor as well. But I am far more inclined to Labor – usually. Last year I cast a very strange Federal vote – putting both Labor and Liberal at the bottom of the pile. Because I didn’t like Rudd and couldn’t abide Abbott. My ( and thousands of others ) mistrust of Abbott turned out to be completely spot on. It was hardly a land-slide victory. And I sincerely believe ( also from speaking to others ) that dislike of Rudd assisted the result for the Liberals. Labor lost it – the Libs didn’t truly win it.

    …………

    I don’t disagree with you on political points, but I do think you have been hasty and somewhat one-eyed in chastising ONLY me for ‘narking’ at someone of my ‘own ideological bent’ ………

    I would respectfully suggest that both Damo451 and myself had a very EQUAL go at one another ……. yet you choose me to accuse of over-reaction etc. etc.

    Why ?

    Again respectfully, perhaps you should have addressed BOTH of us in the same way.

  44. Anon E Mouse

    Annie B, you are right and I apologise I should have directed my post at both.
    My only excuse, if you will accept it is extreme tiredness. (I am in the midst of a family emergency-surgery type issue).

    Your post is a reminder to me, not to post when tired/stressed.

  45. Annie B

    Anon E Mouse …….

    All is ok …… and thanks. Please don’t worry – you have enough on your plate at present.

    I do hope all turns out well with the troubles you are having – family emergency surgery…… that is so very worrying.

    ……..

    And I know what tiredness can produce ( you should see some of my posts in the early a.m.’s on here !!! ) …. NOT too good. 🙂

  46. Annie B

    Many may have seen this interview ….. and to think it came from the “Today” show on Channel 9 ……. one of Murdoch’s creations ?

    But for those that haven’t …….

    Karl Stefanovic has a real go at the PM …….. the site it was shown on, adds much to the commentary. But I think this is enough – and shows ( once again ) what Abbott is NOT made of …… which is courage, truth and integrity.

    the Abbott has gone further down the drain. !!!

    The interview ends with some strained laughter – an attempt at being jovial and all.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxK4m9_-0r8

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 2 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

Return to home page