Hello Hasbeen,

No, no problem with the glasses. I just see things differently - mostly because I don't believe Australia's news until corroborated.

The position explained above still seems rational and fair. You haven’t really offered anything to challenge it, have you?

The promise “no carbon tax under the government I lead” is only a class A lie if Ms Gillard never intended to honour it. No evidence for this.

Therefore it becomes one of history’s countless promises made in good faith, but broken due to external forces – hostile Senate, court ruling or hung Parliament – class D. (See above for other classes.)

In this case, it was the inevitable result of the motley crew of independents, Greens and Labor the nation voted for in 2010. Do you remember, Hasbeen, that cliffhanger election and the potential constitutional crisis? Exciting times. It was clear on day one of the horse-trading that neither Mr Abbott nor Ms Gillard would be able to implement all promises.

Do you remember Tony Windsor saying that Tony Abbott promised the independents everything they asked for? Abbott told Windsor, "the only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse - but I'd have to give serious thought to it".

Actually, on the carbon tax, Ms Gillard says she still wants to implement the ALP’s preferred cap and trade system. If she succeeds with this after the next election then it becomes a class F misdemeanour only.

Still a misdemeanour. But not an outright falsehood like those from My Abbott and Mr Howard, is it?

So the questions remain for you, Hasbeen:

1. What was the intervening issue or event that caused John Howard in the run-up to the 1998 election to abandon his earlier promise, “no GST, never, ever”?

2. Can you find just one example of an outright lie – a false statement made knowingly – from Julia Gillard equivalent to that of Tony Abbott when he said he “couldn’t recall” a meeting the week before with the Cardinal? [excluding the leadership challenge two-step and matters of genuine opinion such as climate science.]

Cheers, AA

Alan,

Did you understand the significance of the 24% labor primary vote?

Qld has optional preferential voting. And Beattie, when we had a Liberal Party and a National Party years ago, contrived the slogan and convinced Qlders to 'Just vote one'.

Be intertesting to see how that bites labor sur le derriere.

Pretty sure I understand the 24%, Keith. There was a time when the Liberals under John Howard were at 12%. So are you saying Ms Gillard is twice the leader Mr Howard was?

Do you understand the significance of the job numbers, Keith? Do you know what they are? Do you know what the unemplyment level would be if Australia didn't need to import so many guest workers as a result of no job training schemes from 1996 to 2007?

Cheers, AA.