red baron wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 9:34am:

It just follows current norm of having pathetic leadership.

red baron wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 9:34am:


They still have 2 1/2 years and 2 budgets Baron.

Most trendy students don't vote Coalition anyway.  Indoctrinated by public schools the way they are.

Ironically it is this demographic that will bear the lion's share of the compounding future tax burden just to pay for all the Govt handouts the left whinges about constantly and to service the Labor "financial black hole" and of course pay for the inevitable compounding welfare bill of the aging population.

John Smith wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 10:49am:


Depends upon your definition of 'trendy' Smithy.  In my experience the trendies were justabout all lefties.  Of course ultra libertarians could also be trendies but they are a minority.

Anyway, regardless of whom they vote for it doesn't alter the fact that it will be today's students that will bear the brunt of the tax burden brought on by the aging population.  A circumstance that you and most of your ideological comrades are completely ignoring and refuse to acknowledge.

When the money is coming out of your own pocket, your own hard earned and not someone else's your attitude regarding Govt handouts and personal taxation tend to change.

The LDP Senator David Leyonhjelm was a 'Young Laborite' as a student and worked on Whitlam's campaign according to WIKI.  Now he's a right wing libertarian?

I doubt the electorate will go with Shorton until he significantly lifts his game.

He came across like a ventriloquists’s dummy on Insiders yesterday. His answers are all rehearsed and delivered on script. He needs to loosen up and engage with people.

JuLiar had a touch of this when she first became PM. It took her a few months to come into her own. The great thing about JuLiar was that when she was backed into a corner, she gave up the script and came out fighting. The stage-managed "real Julia" turned into the fighter. All those rehearsed answers went out the window, but she knew those answers. Her knowledge of all portfolios, and her attention to detail were second to none.

The "human-touch" was second to none too. JuLiar could warm an audience in a few minutes, and she was interesting to hear.

Right now, Shorton’s as flat as a tack.

You only learn these skills by using them. Abbott has improved a little bit, but he’s never mastered the scrutiny of the lengthy interview or faced a Q&A audience on his own. It took Howard years to find his stride in this forum, and he only really mastered it when he left politics.

Through the 70s and 80s, Howard was a people-person, a Mr Nice Guy. When he became PM, he was forced to become the tough guy. Unfortunately, he always became the tricky lawyer in his 7.30 interviews, but prime minister’s days must take it out of them. It must be hard to pull it together to face Kerry O’Brian before you’ve had dinner.

Shorton is inexperienced and way out of his depth. He’s still new to politics. This shows, and I doubt he’ll get the job until he earns his stripes the hard way - years of blood, sweat, tears, and putting himself out there warts and all.

As much as Australia hates Abbott, at least he’s an experienced politician.

Forget Shorton. The next PM will be Turnbull. Surely the Libs aren’t stupid enough to give the top job to Shorton.

Or are they? They did give us Abbott, after all.

Karnal wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 11:20am:


Shorten is an imbecile. Who can forget that interview where he agreed blindly with Gillard. He'll never be PM and if there was one reason I pick for that, it's THAT interview. His political ambitions for the top job were nuked in those few short, disastrous minutes.

|dev|null wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 11:27am:


So they let you out on day release huh?

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jul 14^th, 2014 at 11:21am:


But that's just the problem. This budget won't get through. Abbott will be forced to spend the next two budgets trying to get the current budget through, and the makeup of the current senate will give him obstacle after obstacle, making him look like the complete opposite of the measured, predictable, steady grown-up he's sold himself as since JuLiar was in charge.

Each attempt will also make Abbott look mean and nasty, and the politics of each budget measure will be played out mercilessly in the public gaze.

The current action is the very opposite of sport and crime back on the front pages again. The Daily Tele's fighting an uphill battle trying to cast Clive as the bogey-man. Just look at the repeal of the carbon tax. It was meant to be Mr Abbott's day in the sun. Instead, it's reinforcing the perception of an inefficient, born-to-rule government without even a knowledge of the basic rules of the Westminster System.

And this is a tax the majority of the senate don't even want. Wait until it comes down to signature Abbott policies like Paid Parental Leave, not to mention all those budget cuts the Libs don't want to talk about.

The strategy was a first-hundred days attack on government spending: a quick, mean budget the Libs could lose a bit of popularity over, but make the public forget as the fickle media cycle moves on. Mr Abbott could then get back into his safety vest, have a few cups of tea with the workers, and make everyone love him again.

The reality has proven completely different. It's a spectacular fall from grace not even JuLiar could have envisaged. Not even News Limited can bring it around, and Murdoch's starting to make noises on Twitter that he picked the wrong man for the job.

Watch Malcolm Turnbull get column inches in Miranda Divine and Piers Ackerman's daily rants. Who knows? Maybe even Gerard Henderson and Bolt will come around. Alan's aready starting to thaw.

Better face it now, Armchair. It'll make it easier in the long-run. Abbott is yesterday's man. He was given the leadership on a silver plate, and he blew it. Monumentally.

Thank heavens the grown-ups are back in charge.