You find it somehow odd that a few people are rude during Howard's concession speech?

I find it odd that you attach so much gravitas to a speech that was more about trying to cement his place in history and for trying to justify staying on too long. If he had taken the hint and retired last year on the tenth anniversary of taking power in 1996, Howard would have deserved greater praise.

What I found most insulting was the woman's voice overheard at the Wentworth Hotel wake sobbing, "I hate Australians, I hate Australians." What a loser.

I hate Australians? the very same people loved us all after Mark Latham powered by his mate Crean lead the lemmings over that cliff.
This is worse, for them and time in opposition can not begin to be served ,rebuilding even start until acceptance comes.
Acceptance of total miss use of a huge mandate.
Of so very many new conservatives from the last 11 years leaving, voting this lost mob out.
My joy is not yet over it is powered every day be those who celebrated Lathams loss and still will not except the voters intent.
John Howard is no hero of his party ten or more years in the wilderness will be his last present.

One thing about the left,they really know how to hate.What they really hate is their own ineptitude due to a vacuum of real life experiences.

Most of the haters are in Govt jobs,cannot be sacked,insulated by PS unions and blogg all day during work on sites such as these,telling us how hard done by they are.85% of Union members are in the Public Service.Why are they a protected species who cannot be sacked,as those in private enterprise,who pay the taxes to keep them?

Arjay regards and thanks! your hurt and spite tops up my joy again.
Hate? no mate not unlike the great number of former conservative voters who removed Howard we celebrate work done well.
We remember Lathams loss one we blamed only our self for, in time you may well place the blame in the right place.
History will without doubt not be kind to a man who in one term wasted a mandate.

"Over 2007 Rudd has been very effective in distancing Labor from the politics of noisy minority interest groups. But in government Australians will expect positive policy directions as well, and Rudd has been hazy about these so far.(snip)

Labor has laid the ghosts of the recent past. It now faces the much bigger task of moving beyond the slogan of "New Leadership" to actual policy leadership. It's not yet clear whether it has sufficient political resources to do so."

So True.

One of the 'noisy minority groups' Rudd and his ALP 'comrades' across the nation have continued to ignore are the million and a half Australians with severe and profound dependent disability AND their ageing, exhausted and increasingly impoverished Family Carers. These selfless Australians labour 24 hours per day 365 days of the year, providing special accommodation facilities and personal care for their 'independent' sons and daughters, who are increasingly in their 40s, 50 and 60s.

Unable to 'work', Family Carers are forced to subsist on meagre, mean-tested 'benefits' such as the Carer 'Allowance', doled out to them fortnightly by well-rewarded 'executive' Common-wealth public servants, who, together with their state counterparts and the burgeoning number of 'service providers' in the private sector, 'manage' (control) the Disability Industry in this country.

However unlike our political, bureaucratic and industry 'leaders', unpaid Family Carers do NOT get to retire - let alone on million dollar superannuation packages - have NO entitlement to an annual break or holiday - like every other 'worker' in the country - have No entitlement to Sick Leave, but do enjoy the 'benefits' of the occasional few hours of respite doled out to them across the year.

All this because both dominant political Partys have relinquished any and all responsibility for providing supported accommodation for Australians under 65 with dependent disability.

Mr Rudd now has the opportunity stop the farcical blame game called the Commonwealth, States and Territories Disability Agreement and make good on the rhetoric contained in his Party's 'Australian Social Inclusion Agenda'

What a peculiar and sour note this article achieves. People hissing and booing Howard? Unseemly conduct among Labor members and supporters? So what? For years after the sacking Kerr couldn't go out in public without being booed; Fraser once had to exit a graduation ceremony at Monash Uni through a toilet window because of student protests at his presence.

This appears to be an attack on certain sections of the Party from someone who claims credentials as a "true believer". But then, if the author was a true believer he probably wouldn't have spent election night among the recently recruited masses, would he? He'd have been among the Labor elite, wouldn't he? Having drinks with policy advisers and other party illuminati?

Feeling left out mate? Sour grapes, eh.