Julia Gillard “betrayed her boss”? Perhaps. But differently from the way other leaders replaced their predecessors? No, not really.

She “lied to the Australia people regarding the carbon tax.” No. That was the outcome of the horse-trading after the electorate rejected the government Gillard had hoped to lead.

“She has had virtually unchecked power.” No. She has had the most tenuous grip of any leader in living memory.

“The failings of her government evince an incorrigible policy vacuum.” No. despite her Government’s wafer thin majority she has succeeded against all odds to get almost all of her proposed legislation through. Count ‘em.

"Labor under the Gillard government can't do the last two stages.” Yes, it can. Australia now has clearly the best-managed economy in the Western world. Bar none. It has clearly the strongest combination of economic growth, low taxation, stable unemployment, low debt to GDP, low inflation, low interest rates, high superannuation, sound health care and social services of all comparable democracies.

“Australia produces 1.4% of the world's total greenhouse emissions. If we closed down all of our industries, this would result in a non-measurable temperature reduction.” Sure. And let’s abandon seat belts, speed limits and alcohol controls at the same time because the lives saved will only be 0.0000023 per cent of the world's population.

“Australia has negligible international power and authority.” No. Economists here in France, elsewhere in Europe and in the US are in awe at Australia’s extraordinary management of the problems presented by the GFC since 2009. Everyone is watching. Google ‘Stiglitz Nobel Prize Australia’.

“And Gillard can't even deal efficiently with no-brainer piffle issues, such as gay marriage.” And who can? Australia’s Federal Opposition? Wait and see on this one, perhaps.

Very disappointing article. There are important issues to be confronted in difficult times. Australia needs valid analysis based on sound data. OLO should be able to do better than this. Leave the shallow sloganeering, cheap point-scoring and political spruiking to the Murdoch press.

see that little white lies
only get bigger..and bigger

here is an idea juliar
fix..*the huge*..lie

its worth noting..re quote
that boils-down to lies..
on-top of right royal
governer spin

with all this
platitude[ingratitude]....re ab-origonal insult
lets rub..real salt..
into the wound

my reply
to sense
[quote/quoted from]
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=4941&page=0

some common/sense
[for once]..to quote..

""The nation of Australia..was actually born
on January 1st,..1901.""

wether it was vandiemens land...new holland...
or simply the great south land's..australia didnt egsist..
till it was created..[or granted..to egsist by its people]..

and its people
have denied it..[..*howards referndumb!..lol..remember]

some other foreign
[colonising]..british govt's act
[australia act]...DOTH NOT A NATION MAKE..!lol

austr-alien?
lol..you are..a colon[y]

get your own act
dont take insult..its time to consult

there is no flag
described..in its colonial constitution

we still have..an armed occupation force*
CONTROLED..by a representative..of the british queen

who serve..to protect..*the queen..and her heirs/suckseizers
we teqniclly cant even claim..a flag..of our own
hence the convoluted double/tripple crosses..
in the corner..lol..of the southern cross

cause we arnt even..a self aware..
self declared independant nation
maybe at best a colony...

[lets face it..the australia ACT...had to be
ratiefied..by british govt]..see the joke..right there..

look at..who gives order's
commisions/honours..to the armed forces?

a british queen's govener..[general]...lol..!

if anything..the flag/nation/colony
stands..for ignorance

we are a funny convoliution..of states gov/generals
and a federal gov/general..who has final yeah or nay

indeed teqniclly you..cant sign..[ratify]..*any law...
but by by..the queens governing generalities/mark

[thus cant even..join
the united nations..unless ratified..by hrh]

that hasnt happend
but..other things have...[funny how lies..only grow bigger]

""This inauguration..date
was legally and constitutionally proclaimed by Queen Victoria on 17 September, 1900...This is our true birthday as a nation.""

lol..if nation we be
or colony..or collective of colonies

""December 31st..should also be made a public holiday
as it was on December 31st,..1900.""

till we direct...the gg to leave
we are a colony..under occupation..forces!

that deserves more thinking
than blustering..[spin]..by an anti monarcist pm

I confess to being disappointed with the Gillard government too, but I think Mr Bagaric is taking an extremely narrow view of the situation.

As Alan Austin observed earlier on this thread, managing a "coalition" whose fringe-dwellers are basically constituency-based, local-issue-driven mavericks was never going to be easy. The result has been a perpetual merry-go-round of compromise after compromise, not with another political party, as in the UK at present, but with individual "personalities", each with their own highly-localized barrow to push. The number of occasions that the will of the good people of Bundook or Mortons Creek, for example, reflects that of the nation as a whole, is likely to be random and unpredictable.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the best thing for the country might well have been for a courageous politician to create the situation where we all had to go back to the polling station, and try again.

Sorry, that's just silly..."courageous politician?" I must be hallucinating.

The least reversible broken promise is that concerning a "big Australia".

Changing the deck chairs on the Titanic is not a solution to Australia's lack of high impact policies that can improve Australia's social, economic and environmental well being and its place in the world.

Australia needs constant innovation of policies and new leaders who have the capacity and track record of delivering better outcomes for Australia. The concept of a safe seat is a thing of the past.

It is time for new leaders to emerge in Australian politics. At the last election, there was a string of new talent that joined the Australia Parliament. These young people should be promoted to the front bench. The system should have low tolerance for people who can not deliver real solutions that advance Australia. For too long special interest groups have held back Australia and this must change if we hope to move forward as a nation.

Watched a Doco the other day, there was this harmless little guy up on a podium demanding that the present Govt had lost its way and was illegitimate and that a new election should be called and if that result was not to his liking, then yet another election should be called as his party was the only party that was good for the country in the present circumstances.
Be careful what your bias and delusions wish for people!
Who was the harmless little guy? Joesph Goebbels, he was speaking almost word for word, what we hear 24/7 from today's bias and corrupted right wing media commentariat! Remember when fascism comes to your country it will have a bible in one hand and a flag in the other.
Sinclair Lewis 1935.