I'm sure the ALP and Unions are trying to find all manner of ways to try to get the Conservative Coalition, as opposed to the GreenALPIndie Socialist coalition, to commit to a strategy, so they can start their usual fear and scare campaign as early as possible.

This of course is what they are good at, not governing, not vision, not building a country to everyone's benefit, just combating their enemies.

It starts with the majority of the ALP coming from combative unionist backgrounds, it's what got them to the top, it's apparently all they know.

Why should the conservatives hand the Socialists such a tool, better to leave them, as usual, without direction, flailing around with no idea what to do next, lurching from one disaster to another searching for a reason to exist.

Just one year in, and everyone knows they are doomed, so what do they do .. try to start the next election campaign early.

Do you think the Australian public is tiring of the endless negative governing, what they accuse others of, the endless scare campaigns and high drama of ALP MPs?

The only time the present government sounds confidant, is when they attack their opposition, toothlessly, but you can see how happy they are to be on familiar ground.

No substance, no results and endless spin, same as the socialists in the old eastern Europe.

rgp I agree with you however without clear policy the opposition looks the same.

Labor diehard's are making much or the portrayal of Abbott as entirely negative (pretending that their mob don't play it the same way when in opposition).

The danger is that the present government is so bad that Abbott will get in just on their failings and then be found to have nothing to offer.

Maybe time to stick his head up with some policy, if they are good enough to lead the country they should be smart enough to anticipate the Labor and union scare campaigns and pre-empt them.

If not then it's more of the same, I for one am very tired of more of the same with a different face in front of the camera's.

R0bert

One year in and on the election trail, hasn't Abbott been the one doing that, spruking in kindergartens, everything that is negative. It would be interesting to see some sort of policy from the opposition. They could not bring themself to attend the tax forum, we can only imagine they do not understand such things.

RObert, I'm sure the Conservative Coalition have a plan, but will not bring it out to the Socialist's timing, why should they.

Why are Socialist Coalition followers demanding the conservatives come up with a policy? Is it because they need something to do, to distract them from their own disaster .. the ALP never came out with policies till election eve .. why should they of all people be surprised the conservatives won't give in to their demands?

The socialist media is going nuts about Tony Abbott, as they are directed to do every time they speak to the socialist's press advisers, instead of focusing on the government as they should be doing.

Is the government so failed that even their own tame media have written them off? Yes ..

I'm OK with the Socialists self destructing and then the conservatives roll out their plan .. when they need to, just before an election .. by then, the unions will have shown their greed and lack of control as they try to stitch up deals before this government falls. So the public will be well receptive to the conservatives.

That's when the conservatives need to show their colours, and not before. To show before then, allows the conservatives to be the focus, and not as should be the case, the government of doom.

Eventually, all these political battles become personalized.

Passengers stranded in remote parts of the world will find it hard to forgive the company for the discomfort and inconvenience. Pilots and other staff will start looking even more actively for a position with a more stable organization. Shareholders will be spitting chips at the additional impact on the share price. That's quite a trifecta.

As for me, I don't travel as much as I used to, I'm not employed by the airline industry, and my Super is minimally exposed to Qantas. So I can be fairly sanguine about it all, and watch it play out from the sidelines.

Except for one small thing.

My partner, who works in the Industrial Relations biz, and has been a lifelong Labour supporter, ventured the view yesterday that this is the final straw.

She is contemplating voting Liberal.

Believe me, that is an earth-shattering concept. I fully expected the moon and stars to have realigned overnight, and birds to be flying backwards.

There's still one thing that could stop this happening of course, and that is if she arrives at the ballot box and is forced to contemplate an Abbot-led government.

Should be an interesting few months.

It will become even more obvious as time passes that this is an organized destruction of the “old” Qantas to enable the “new” Asian based Qantas to suddenly spring from the ashes of this meltdown.
It will be based most likely in Singapore and use all Asian (cheaper) labour for crew and servicing.
It will increase profits due to reduced costs.
This was a trap waiting for the unions to walk into. They have learned nothing from the “first” airline strike that Hawke somehow did not manage to arbitrate.
Sorry folks but Qantas Australia is finished and will soon be forgotten.