What almighty load of bunkum!!

< When he became leader of the Liberal Party by just one vote in December 2009 Tony Abbott saved the party and non-Labor cause nationally from probable annihilation. >

What?!

<< Now he must use the same leadership qualities to win the next election to rescue Australia from its current policy quagmire. >>

But one of the main criticisms of him is his abject lack of leadership qualities, which is puts him and Turnbull poles apart, and which has got a great deal to do with Labor’s resurgence.

< He still must clarify to the electorate what a new Abbott government will do, as distinct to what it opposes. >

Yes, that would help.

And don't the voters know it! A major criticism levelled by very large portion of the populace is that he and his party don’t stand for anything really coherent, and really are based on opposing everything Labor puts forwards just for the sake of opposition.

Abbott has had plenty of time to develop or elucidate a full platform, philosophy or itinerary. The fact that he hasn’t points straight to a shallow leader without a meaningful agenda, who can’t be trusted with government as we really don’t know what he might do if he wins office.

As repugnant as Labor is, they have clawed their way right back into the race very largely because of these two major faults in Abbott’s leadership.

How on earth you can sing his praises Professor Prasser, is beyond me!

Meanwhile, the things that really matter; the development of the right sorts of policies that will guide this country towards a sustainable future, don’t even enter the picture.

Perhaps, just perhaps, if Abbott was to embrace the sustainability paradigm with a vengeance, and outplay Gillard at her desire for a sustainable Australia, he might just put the Libs onto a real winning strategy!

THIS is what the country desperately needs…. and it wouldn’t be at all difficult to out-sustainabilityise Labor.

But of course, the Libs would never do that, would they.

If Tony Abbott ever wins power we are in for more DLP type efforts. But from a professor at a catholic university we should expect support for Abbott, Hockey and Robb. That troika's expressed views on the federal deficit are deplorable. In a period when there is under-employment of people, resources and facilities, a budget deficit should be the least of our worries.

The sovereign government can always afford to purchase anything for sale for $Aus up to the point where the government's purchases are tending to overheat a booming economy. In a growing economy, or in one with a 2-3% inflation target, a budget deficit averaging a few percent over the business cycle is not a threat in any way.

Tony Abbott, and his economic shadow ministers, either do not understand this or they deliberate mislead those among the public who still believe that the government budget is as constraining as a household budget.

I am in full agreement with Ludwig & Foyle.
If Abbott is elected, the voters will be saying within a very short time, "why did we do it", as they are with Campbell- Newman.

Could you and Abbott and the rest of the NSW, Vic, SA,Tas,Qld etc branches and all your institutes, foundations and societies, especially the nutter Lyons forum, of the extreme religious right catholics infesting and branch stacking every electorate of what was once the Liberal party.
Get the hell out of our secular democracy. We just saw what the extreme lunar religious right fundies like yourselves just did to the Republican party in the USA.
Thankfully you religious nutters are on the same course to political oblivion. My wife is a lifetime Liberal voter, every time she sees or hears Abbott she groans and turns off the TV or radio, no intelligent woman in this country will ever vote for the Mad Monk and the rest you rabid Catholic DLP Lieberals, EVER!
Your in Abbottsolute denial of how despised this child like idiot Abbott is.

There was nothing new or insightful in the article.

Looks therefore very much like a promotional piece for Abbott.

As an academic, perhaps he could write something insightful about the need for a royal commission into the abuse of children by Catholic priests in Australia, now a topic gaining traction in the media, with pithy references to experiences in other countries, like Ireland for instance.

Foyle, Robert LePage and HFR,

The ideas that Tony Abbott is a DLP type and that the Liberal Party is some sort of newly resurgent DLP are absurd.

I submitted a letter to the editor of Quarterly Essay in response to David Marr’s article on Tony Abbott. Quarterly Essay publishes letters than run to several pages. However, the editor informed me that much correspondence was received and my letter would not be published because of space. I asked for reconsideration but have got no reply. I have therefore posted it on the web:
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/jacktheinsider/index.php/theaustralian/comments/if_you_dont_stick_youll_come_unstuck/P100/.

Warning: it contains facts.