I am dissapointed with Rudd. Perhaps the process/culture of government is outdated. Some say Turnbull failed because he was not a master at political process, the skills of which takes years to hone. Do we need this skill? The ability to bluff, spin, divide and conquor? Could we perhaps grow up a bit and just want a good presentation of facts.

Rudd has put politics first too many times. It is not working. It is a mess.

Reminds me of those people that get the job due to superior job interview skills rather than skills for the job itself. Rudd was good at selligng himself but that all he had. self love. No real skills.

Rudd has certainly wasted taxpayers money on ‘stimulus’, while denying that the mining industry is the sector which kept us out of the downturn experienced by Europe. Now he wants to tax it a al Chile. All jokes aside, Rudd is the closest thing we ever had to the old ‘Commo” talked about in the ‘50s.

The author mentions “Greeks”, the greatest Left-wing, nanny state adherents still left in the democratic world. Hell’s bells! The Age Pension is almost 70% of the average wage in Greece. It’s 25 % in Australia. Rudd seems determined to lead us down that path. And, yes, I am a part Old Age pensioner.

The author also refers to Paul Kelly. When Paul Kelly chastises Rudd, we are in big trouble.

The author believes that Rudd “… has been a disaster, displaying ineptness that is difficult to believe…”

Yes. But the really revealing side of Rudd is that he knows it – via polls – but ignores it by saying that he “will work harder”.

The author’s paragraph about the failure of the globalised G20, and Australia “…being left forgotten, isolated and vulnerable” is of urgent importance. Given the previous government’s disinterest in the fact the Australia is importing food that we can grow better and healthier, compounded by Rudd, we are, indeed, in danger of being isolated as an Anglo country surrounded by Asia – an Asia which Chairman Rudd has insulted with his waffle about an Australian controlled Asia-Pacific version of the crumbling ECU.

Some people think that Labor would be OK without Rudd. But there are Ministers who have aided and abetted the extreme Left one-man-band Rudd is conducting. They are Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan, Chris Evans (Immigration Minister) and Lindsay Tanner, the last reasonably ‘good guy’ to sully his reputation to keep his job.

We don’t have a good choice in Australia but, Tony Abbott, with his warts and rough edges, is our only hope if we want to restore our pride, economy and culture at the next election.

I don't like Rudd and I don't like Abbott. I do see some justice in putting up a tax on resources that are owned by Australians. I have a suspicion that the mining industry really does fear other countries doing the same thing to them and reduce their profits.

Rudd has not had much chance to spread his wings to some extent as he is hampered by a unfriendly senate. The senate should be disbanded in my opinion, as they are not executing their obligations of being a State representative, clearly they are controlled and vote the way the Liberal party wants, and on some occasions there is a independent in there with some swing!

I do feel that this coming election we should vote the same in the upper and lower house, so that we can get a political instrument that can operate without interference from the other mob.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=10539#173280

Bruce Haigh, agreed about the article up to a point, but, Why are the failings of Krudd's, federal government over the last 2 years, identical to those of all the Red/green/getup/labour coalition, state & territory governments over the last decade or so?

Because its not him, or Gillard, or anybody, the Red/green/getup/labour coalition is rotten to the core, has been for about 5 decades now, ever since it was infiltrated by the CARS, Communist, Anarchist, Radical, Socialists.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630135369495797236#

http://www.savethemales.ca/000185.html

http://www.cruelhoax.ca/#top

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=10539#173283

individual, Leftism is the ability to maintain an argument, while ignoring facts.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=10539#173288

david f, both major parties & the Canberra Press Gallery have been colluding for decades, to fool us all into thinking a change in leadership can make a difference. Presidential politics as they call it, but whatever "Poster Person" is out front you always end up with one of the 2 Major Mistakes.

http://www.australiafirstparty.com.au/cms/

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=10539#173299

Donkey, Did you see your namesake on "Sunrise" the other morning?

The Red/greens & conservatives have been obstructionary in the senate, but the government has also been unreasonable towards Xenophon & Fielding.

The Bureaucrookracy is riddled with Loony, Left, aparatchiks.

Your beloved Red/green/Getup/labour coalition knew in advance, they were throwing the cash around in a way that was likely to be ripped off. They were desperate to win back the votes of, "tradies" fingers down throat, Trades"Men".

There is nothing complicated about it, spend too much, wastefully & we all go broke.

I am no Rudd-lover, but I was and remain a Howard-hater, and for all his many flaws I remain glad that Rudd (and not Abbott, the real Howard-lite) is Prime Minister. And I feel impelled to come to his defence from people like Little and Haigh. Talk about self-righteousness, as well as arrogance. They have it in bucket loads. Intellectual dwarf? Compared to whom, Bruce? You, I suppose? Because Rudd won’t get out of Afghanistan? I wish he would, too, but I can see the difficulties in doing so, given previous commitments and statements. Obama is still there, committed. Is he an intellectual dwarf compared to you as well? And where is the incredible political ineptness Little speaks of? There have been failure of communication and of administration, but this sort of excessive, jaundiced, self-righteous rhetoric is just obtuse. In both cases of the pink batts and BER programs, where the conventional wisdom accepts this supposed level of ineptness, two inquiries, relatively independent, by Dr Hawke and the Auditor-General respectively, found the level of Government ‘ineptness’ minimal. But we hear very little of these inconvenient findings in the Press, let alone from Little and Haigh. And Little ends his lesson on China with the most obtuse flourish of all: if he really thinks that a Coalition Government led by Abbott would be less ‘dominated by Anglo-American power and influence’ (think Vietnam, think the ‘man of steel’, think Iraq, think Afghanistan)than Rudd, well, I can only say that he is well named, as far as his capacity for fair and nuanced analysis goes.

Well said, Leigh.

I was upset when I read Abbott's comments on having Australia's population as big as possible, but felt considerably better when the contender said he would put the issue to a panel of experts to consider. That strikes me as a sensible approach. In contrast, Rudd strikes me opinionated and pompous, and more likely to shout at his advisers than listen to them. From the waste thus far, it would seem that a fair bit of sound advice has been ignored. Of course, as someone who would like to see Australia's population stabilised, the idea of advocating a big Australia strikes me as sheer lunacy, and makes me somewhat prejudiced.