Hush your mouth Graham, we do not need you giving good advice to this lot of twits in Canberra. God knows they might take it, & somehow manage to stay in government longer.

Of course their own polling would be giving them the same answer, so I suppose you are merely rubbing it in, nasty man.

Still the preference for both Rudd & Turnbull is a worry. It shows that Ozzies will still fall for a good lie, smoothly presented.

From when the pair first came into prominence, it has been obvious to me, & many others, that they were actors, presenting a concocted persona that they believed most ozzies would like in a prime minister.

Rudd is a better actor, he seams to be able to nail that slimy smile on his face, despite what ever it is covering. He may even exceed Beattie in this ability.

We are indeed fortunate that Abbott managed to break the twins in their rush to heard us over a cliff into a carbon [dioxide] trading scheme a couple of years ago. With this tax, it will be removed, fortunately.

How much of the vote for Turnbull came from the left? I have often felt he was perhaps the best Labor leader who never was. The fact that he has great difficulty forcing the truth past his lips, but can make any lie sound plausible, makes him ideal for the job. Julia's & Ruddys efforts pale compared to him, in that area.

I would be very interested in Graham's online sample of 1108 respondents. Their location, their political predilections and backgrounds. So many things can make such polls sound realistic but which, on analysis, are totally misleading. However, I add my ten cents worth to the comments today.

Stephen Smith would be a great mistake.

I feel safe in saying that those people promoting this idea would be from clearly conservative backgrounds. A stand-in appointment like Smith would be just another failure, while providing time for the Liberals to reorganise with someone worthwhile, however few and far between they are in that camp. Just look at the Coalition front bench.

Smith is compromised, weak and colourless, indecisive and not any sort of a leader. Also, the smallest swing in his state would see him lose his seat in the next election. He is from WA, after all. No one in Labor is safe in that state. No politician is safe anywhere. A great opportunity for a clean sweep of the awful bunch of hacks, from both parties that is. What Australians would give for an alternative option, but certainly not the Greens, perhaps also heading for extinction.

Malcolm Turnbull is the only politician on that side of the fence that has my respect. He is a decent person, has values, an idea of what Australia should be, leads a normal life albeit privileged through hard work and in an international environment would credibly represent Australia as a professional. How many others meet that criteria.
May I suggest that there are none. How badly served we are.

On the Labor side, Doug Cameron has my vote but perhaps far too honest to receive the numbers through rank and file support though. Not devious enough. But an honest and worthy man who would never compromise his values, making him somewhat unique in any country in 2011.

Cont...

cont....

Gillard is finished, has been since day one. There is no force in existence that can resurrect her into a marketable Prime Minister
A big mistake by Arbib, Shorten and Howes and her little clutch of US / Israel sycophants to whom she is totally indebted, people like Emerson, Danby and the self-serving Melbourne bunch.

Gaining insidious influence by default.

Rudd has no value now, a wet firecracker with no sparkle. Allowing himself to be overthrown by such a mob confirms that. He should have told them all to leave his office and stop bothering him back in 2010. Except for Lindsay Tanner, all the other knives were firmly planted in his back. Had he raised his voice, they would have scattered like frightened sheep. He gave in. No courage then, therefore no respect by the people.

His contribution to our history is over..

Abbott has a higher rating than Gillard, courtesy of Gillard and nothing else. He is a misfit, there by one vote. Hardly a mandate. A political embarrassment. Intelligent but absolutely devoid of common sense. Pell’s puppy. No ideas, no initiatives. If he is the best....?

A quick dose of realism. Imagine Abbott on the International stage?

I would anticipate that the groundswell would be extremely high for a new party with decent principles, worthy policies for all Australians, equitably sharing the financial load, solving current problems and future needs. An independent country with its own objectives, making decisions for Australia and nobody’s lackey.

Time for a major change

It would be interesting to know the political preferences of those who prefered Abbott to Rudd compared to those who prefered Turnbull to Rudd. I'd then love to know the number of those who preferred labour who would actually vote for Turnbull ahead of Rudd.

Interesting article

Does it really matter who currently leads either the liberals or labour?

Most of them, from both sides of politics, are like a bunch of long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs. They will squawk what is needed, when needed, not a great deal of talent here.

Of all of the cats, Turnbull has demonstrated the best experience, a successful businessman, thus experience to know how to run an organisation properly.

Politicians in this country are similar to what we currently see in the U.S., basically a farce.

My two cents worth

rexw nails it .. "Malcolm Turnbull is the only politician on that side of the fence that has my respect."

That's Turnbull's problem, he appeals to the ALP voters, because he is really what they want, and yet there is no one in the ALP who measures up.

Whenever you see people questioning why do people scorn him, they are invariably people who would not vote Liberal if the world was ending.

Tony will be a good leader, regardless of the ALP spit and poison.

It's just their manner, to destroy .. they are what they are and nothing good comes of the ALP anymore.

I used to vote Labor when young, now they are a different mob, all ex-union bosses and lackeys who are used to power and not being questioned.

Kevin said he had a plan, then it turned out, he didn't so he picked 1,000 of the best and brightest except he didn't, he picked easily led idiots and he asked them to help develop a plan, but he already had the answers and they were wrong.

4 years later and the ALP still cannot turn a trick, because they never had one.

Let's face it, they have turned from a representative party into a self obsessed bunch of "power for the sake of it" fools.