Bruce Haigh:
>>> Abbott has guts, no doubt about it, he is a risk taker, a “can do” sort of individual in the best Australian tradition. I would want him in my battalion. Whatever his faults he is an on the spot leader. He can mix it, he is a go forward, never retreat bloke, the Albert Jacka of Australian politics. <<<

What adulatory and jingoistic nonsense. And your summation of the 'debate' is that Abbott was on a hiding to nothing simply because he didn't have a policy?

Your analysis completely neglects to mention - with good reason, given your obvious idolatry - the most salient features of Abbott's personality and politics.
1. He is a religious moralist and a natural bully who has an abiding tendency towards 'policies' that stem from or agree with his personal moral views. I think many Australians recognise this in him, rather than your myth-making character analysis.
2. As a minister, he was fabulously mediocre. Any possibility of sensible policies in health was drowned by the combination of his uncompromising, moralistic nature and a political apathy and laziness that stems from his inherent arrogance.

So, we have a bullying personality who would like to force his views on the rest of society, but who is too arrogant and lazy to bring this about. Not that we would want him to. Politically, he is just grasping at 'policy' straws as they drift by in the breeze - short-sighted opportunism mixed with a an obstinate and mocking self-righteousness, such as the switch to climate denialism. He has no hope of being PM and does not deserve to. This is not to say that Rudd fills me with positive feelings - he has his own defects. But lazy and prejudiced policy formulation is not one of them.

All politicians stink, but I agree with Bruce Haigh’s summary of Abbott and Rudd. There has actually been an Opposition since Turnbull was relegated to the back bench. Turnbull was more liberal than Liberal; his first choice when he had the idea of dallying in politics after making his fortune was the Labor Party; a bit like Brendan Nelson (who lied about it) who was something similar to Turnbull.

Haigh’s description of Rudd is beautiful, and needs no further comment.

Whether or not the predictions about Abbott’s future as PM are credible remains to be seen. Abbott, perhaps, is a little too honest and realistic for the Australian electorate.

It would be a sad day for Australia if a person like Abbott was ever placed in a position of power in this country.
His abilities are very questionable, his inability to appreciate what it is that Australians want is sadly lacking and he is just not too bright, regardless of all the academic study he has undertaken over time.
If one imagines the flustered Abbott in an international environment and can do that without feeling any embarrassment, then he is your man.
He certainly is not mine.
The current direction of the conservatives under Abbott is destined to keep them in opposition for some time yet until they elect a leader like Turnbull who the people can respect, who has qualities one can admire and who, by his or her upbringing does not bring a truckload of prejudice and religious control with them.
The world is fast becoming weary of the subjugation of weak politicians and governments to the insidious control by highly organised religion, viewing a religiously dominated leader as not capable of having original thought and certainly unable to be progressive in the areas of social change as they occur, such as no-fault divorce, abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia and with an opposition front bench dominated by controlled Catholics, life for 21st Century Australians would vanish in double-quick time back to the 1950's, where the thinking of the likes of Abbott and Howard, all that ilk, belongs.
The writing of this article by Bruce Haigh are so biased and Abbott oriented that it hardly deserves consideration. He obviously is unable to make distinctions between a person who took control of a confused opposition by ONE vote and a respected person who would appeal to the average Australian. A drover's dog could have increased the conservative's ratings and the free ride from all the low quality Murdoch press will come to an end when people see him for what he is. A knave and none too bright. A friend of George Pell like two peas in a pod. Need one say more!

Dear readers;

Just writing to encourage participants to comment and upon and debate material I wrote regarding Abbott nad his book 'Battlelines' - which appeared in OLO yesterday.

I discuss Abbott's association with the DLP, and the contradictions and tensions within the Australian Right.

see:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10192

I mention this - rather than just 'letting it go' - because when you spend a couple of weeks working on something you want to reach people and provoke debate.

sincerely,

Tristan

Bruce's description of the health reform debate is apt. Abbott failed to propose an alternative health reform package and consistently played the man instead of the ball. Abbott was given the opportunity to publicly outline the Libs health plan and botched it.

The election is just around the corner, if the Libs haven't got a clue about plans for health or are unwilling to reveal them this is not a good look for a public hungry for honesty and integrity from their elected representatives.

The public are sick of the distractions of parliamentary Question Time bantering.

People are pretty simple, they just want to know what each stands for and what they plan to do on important issues. The judgement of the audience via the debate 'worm' (albeit from a small sample) clearly demonstrated the lack of appeal personal attacks compared with solid arguments and proposals.

Rudd and Abbott are not the beginning and end of their parties but as leaders they have to be able to articulate their policies.

Initially I thought Abbott was a temporary face for the Libs while they sorted out their differences and decided on a clear policy on climate change and ETS. Time is getting short suggesting Abbott will take the Libs to the next election.

Abbott's refreshing open style stands in juxtaposition to Rudd's more guarded, contrived and bureacratic communication style but it is not enough. Projecting honesty at a personal level is meaningless while pontificating and stalling on policy objectives.

leigh: "...is a little too honest and realistic". LOL.