Let us not forget that many people voted Labor because they could not stand the sight nor sound of John Howard and were sick and tired of his sidekicks Costello,Abbott,Downer,Andrews,Ruddock etc.
Just look at the coalition front bench now -The Jesuit cabal of Abbott,Hockey,Joyce,Andrews and Pyne. Throw in Ruddock,Bronwyn Bishop and the other aged personnel and you have a very good reason to invoke the Howard principle and keep them out.
Incidentally the pot left by the Howard mob was thanks to China and a failure by the coalition in government to do anything but give the taxes back to the needless and bank what was left. Dont give me too much of Rudd's debacles in infrastructure. At least he tried to do something for the infrastructure.

Tony Abbott is my local member.He is far more confident and articulate in a live audience situation than on the media.When on the media,he seems to choose his words too carefully.

Abbott does not pretend to know all the answers and in way that is refreshing,since all the so called experts not only could not see the GFC coming but prescribed the wrong medicine and now we find ourselves in deeper debt and more inflation.

The Liberals will balance the budget eventually but like Labor are are wedded to a socialised tax sytem that churns money for them to buy votes.

We have to drastically reduce not only the size of Govt but make it really accountable in terms of spending.How can a school canteen cost $25,000 per sq m,when they can build a fully fitted out high rise for $1500 per sq m? A school portable costs $100,000 to build yet an additional $400,000 is needed to transport and assemble it on a few brick piers.

Something really stinks about this whole stimulus package.
We the tax payer are left with the debt while the big end of town profits.Will the Liberal Party address this waste and corruption or just play the game and become a part of it?

I expect that there may be some more action on the stimulus front before the next election - specifically identifying, investigating and possibly laying charges against those shonky small business owners who rorted the system.

Lying is an interesting aspect of this debate. Our expectations are now so low and we are now so immune and brain-numbed to lying that we think it is okay as long as the pollies admit they do it.

One thing I will give Pauline Hanson, at least she spoke the truth as she saw it even at the risk of censure, mockery and ridicule. And in among the mess she created for herself, there were a few good policies particularly her defence of Australian pig farmers and the like.

Much rather a pollie say this is what I will do: A, B, C and D and this is how I would do it. Vote for me or not.

How can a democracy be truly representative of the people, if you don't know what it is you are voting for either from an ideologically or policy platform POV.

Agree Pelican- although I must further add that there are so many ways Australian democracy falls short of representing the Australian people I'd have to make a list- the first being the whole reason this debate is even happening- the fact that our system doesn't even require a government with a majority, just more voters than any single other party.
So all in all, we are always governed by a minority government that 60% or more of the population didn't vote for (and that in itself is a rather contentious issue, thanks to various levels of preferencing (including being FORCED to give them a vote in some way if it is to be counted).

*Lying is an interesting aspect of this debate.*

I heard an interesting quote recently, which went along the lines
that "Its been confirmed through the world's ballot boxes, that
politics is the noble art of deception".

Very true.