oasisinau

I think you guys are being hysterical. So what if people are deniers about climate change - I should imagine 50% are and 50% aren't. You are saying in effect he is keeping quiet about religious zeal but implying watch out. He is unhinged - for f!!!k sake, Gillard and krudd are psychotics so I now prefer Abbots insanity to theirs. "Stoop so low as to get it" - again for f..'s sake who does Gillard get into bed with to stay in power - Bob Brown thats who.

quoll

Now that IS insanity!

chris955

3 choices and not one of them worth voting for.

Budawang

Much of the criticism of Gillard is unjustified. She's been leader in very difficult circumstances. First, she had to sort out the mess left by Rudd - the backflip on the ETS was a massive problem and then there was Rudd's shambolic attempt to introduce a resource rent tax. Not to mention Rudd's dismantling of border protection. Despite this she managed to lead Labour to the slimmest of victories and patch together a minority government. This required considerable negotiation skills. A year and a half later, the economy is humming along and one of the biggest fiscal consolidations in our history is underway. Despite all the fear mongering the Carbon Tax will not cause economic armageddon. A huge amount of other legislation has been passed, exposing Abbott's claims that the government is failing to govern for the lie that it is. Gillard has achieved all this despite Rudd's secret war to undermine her government and Abbott's hysterical obstructionism and the blatant bias of the Murdoch press.

One of the most idiotic criticisms of Gillard is that she lied when she said she would not implement a carbon tax. Any reasonable person would accept that she could not have foreseen that she would be leading a minority government (which is very rare in Australia) at the time she said that and the Greens would never have allowed her to form government without a commitment to a carbon tax.

The other idiotic criticism is that she ruthlessly deposed Rudd. Rudd was out of control and had alienated most of his colleagues. Our system allows for leadership spills in such circumstances. Get over it.

DeadVim

Unless Mr Brown has a muff then Julia ain't going to bed.

As for Abbot ... I'll facking vote for Latham if it keeps the Mad Monk out.

brissybee

OMG, No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate Latham with a passion. Even more than Gillard. (And that is hard.)

Imagine a bus where the only seat left was between Latham and Gillard. You'd stand, all the way, wouldn't you? You'd actually place your head under the armpit of some deodorantly challenged testosterone charged unwashed bus dwelling horrid hanger on, rather than sit between them. Wouldn't you?

NedKelly

I am so amazed that you can write such crap. You must have cut and pasted it from the ALP website. As for having to sort out the mess left by Rudd, never forget that Gillard was Rudd's Deputy and everytime he was up at the dispatch box making a mess of it she was right behind nodding like one of those plastic dogs in the back of cars.

Budawang

I think you've missed the point. Rudd was a complete control freak who despised his cabinet colleagues. Gillard had little or no control over him. That's why they had to get rid of him.

knockoff nige

You can't mean that. Gillard patched up a government by making promises she wasn't going to keep. Anyone could do that.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

That's hardly "idiotic criticism".

She categorically said that there would NOT be a carbon tax... and just chucked that promise out as soon as it became politically expedient to do so. What you're saying there, is that she is prepared to do anything to grab power. That's not a plus point for her... as you seem to be attempting to make out it is.

NedKelly

And it wasn't just Gillard that said there would be no carbon tax, swanny said it as well. Lies and spin are all that come out of this government.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

I'm 'happy' to accept lies and spin from politcians. It's what they do.
I just found it a bit much, seeing that backflip described, as a plus point for Gillard.

chris955

I think we just found the source of the vote for Gillard in the other thread

GarryP

Whilst the backing off on the ETS was a dumb move, I think the story that Gillard had to sort out the mess left by Rudd is a bit of propaganda. All she did was back off on the extent of change, letting the miners get away with murder, etc. Doesn't take much to do that. I think that shows in the minority government she got - not stamping the authority on Abbott's forehead.

If there was a failure of Rudd it was not to go far enough, fast enough. He let the b*stards catch up, never a good move.

Problem is, at this stage of the economic cycle, Australia should be in significant surplus - paying down debt. The fact that its not counts against Swanny in my book AND the systemic issue of the Dutch disease isn't being addressed. Carbon Tax should have been an ETS and much better directed at reducing the fossil fuel load of Australia.

Again, the only evidence for a 'secret' Rudd war on her Government is the stuff said by the ministers who came out recently. Somehow I'm not seeing it, there is much more of a hand of Murdoch.

Agreed

See, I don't think he was out of control. I think he lost his nerve and needed more guts to drive things through. A bit more Maggie if you like (remember the stories about her?) Frankly, the rumours that he didn't have much truck with his cabinet reflects well on him - would you want to rely on THAT lot of backbiters?

Are you sure you aren't in the wrong country. That level of reality-rejecting vitriol for a far rightwinger sounds like it would fit right in to a Palin campaign.

DeadVim

I would actually, he is seriously nasty unbalanced man with mental issues that need professional help.

It says something about politics that he was allowed to rise so far.