It is hardly surprising , but irresponsible , for Ms Bishop to demand an election . This is the popular catchcry of the shock jocks and many talkback radio callers .

If an election must be called every time there is an issue which attracts sufficient criticism from talkback radio , it will render parliamentary government unworkable . Apart from the instability which constant elections [ or threats of elections ] cause , an election costs many millions . They may still result in an inconclusive outcome .

The trouble is that all the wannabe PMs on offer are so unappetising.

I am hardly a Gillard or Rudd fan but I question whether a Tony Abbott government would be an improvement on one headed up by either of that pair.

Here is a suggestion for an alternative electoral system.

Instead of parties spending vast sums trying to persuade an increasingly cynical electorate to vote for their buffoon instead of some other party's buffoon we simply auction off the constituencies on eBay. Every constituency is sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds are distributed equally among the registered voters in that constituency.

The advantage of this system is that the voters get a direct benefit. We cut all the media consultants, PR consultants and ad agencies out of the loop.

We could also agree that whoever paid the most for his or her constituency becomes prime minister, the second highest successful bidder becomes treasurer and so on. The person who pays the least for his or her constituency becomes minister for Aboriginal affairs.

Just to make sure the voters really do benefit we could make the auction of constituencies an annual event to coincide with Australia day. If you want to keep your seat just keep shelling out the dosh.

I mean can this system produce a worse result than the one we already have?

First of all let me congratulate the liberal party on successfully bringing on a crisis in the Labour party through the liberal owned newspaper media and sympathetic radio outlets.
It was a brilliant campaign that has now reached a conclusion.
The whisper campaign has built up to a crescendo the unrest in labour ranks.
It will be very helpful in the possible gaining of power at the next election of the liberals.
The fact that it will not help in any way the governing of the country will not matter to the liberal hierarchy as long as they can grasp the reigns.
Your article is a final gloat over your success.

The thought of Abbott as prime minister is almost too terrifying to contemplate. If there has ever been a better example of someone who will say or do anything just to be leader then I don't know it. (Come back Turnbull, all is forgiven!)

But the Labor Party shows just how decrepit it is by even contemplating bringing back Rudd to replace Gillard. Don't they remember what Rudd was like? What does it say about them that they have no other alternative?

I despise Labor for its relationships with the property industry and for pushing high rates of population growth in the face of all the evidence of how this is damaging us and will lead to a poorer Australia for our children. However, at least Gillard has guts and gets things done even in the face of the anti-tax howling brigade. (Even if her manner of speaking makes me want to bang my head against a wall.) And she wipes the floor of parliament with Abbott.....

Well, well. So Gillard v Rudd is all the Liberal party's fault aided and abetted by their mates in the media. No mention of the fact that the ALP has sacked its leader 6 times in the past 20 years, including two Prime Ministers, Bob Hawke and Kevin Rudd. Even 'The Age', not known for its support for the Liberal Party has been running the instability at the heart of this government for months.

What will happen now is anyone's guess but it's hard to disagre with Jule Bishop. If the government can't decide who the Prime Minister should be then,in the true spirit of Westminster representative democracy, the people must decide. That's how the system is supposed to work. It's time to ensure that it does.

Ms Bishop is hardly an impartial observer. Her demand for an election is made solely because her party leads in the polls and would be the likely winner of any election. A simple test: would the Coalition be so strident in its demands for an election if they were languishing behind in the polls? The answer is, of course not.

But there are serious issues to be addressed about the dysfunctional state of the Labor Party. One has to recognise that the Labor party is itself a coalition of often uneasy bedfellows, forced (as are Liberal and National) to coalesce for the sake of gaining and retaining power.

I would suggest that the whole electoral system needs to be revamped, preferably by a modified form of proportional representation, that would allow the emergence of parties with a truer commonality of interest. Policies would have to be progressed on their merits by convincing a majority in the House to support any given program. It would eliminate the artificiality of the present system and not incidentally be more democratic.

Scandanavia and New Zealand among others show what can be achieved.

Good morning Julie Bishop...

Would this article be a piece of biased journalism by-chance? I don't think this country needs (even a whiff) of another Julia Gillard, irrespective of what side of the fence it originates.

Sorry to be a bit pernickety this morning but the solution to an incompetent and dysfunctional government is not to change the whole electoral system, one that's served us well for more than 100 years. The solution is to hold an election and let us decide who will govern us. That's our right and our obligation.

Pledges in blood, i think Rudd will be content to sit on the back bench.
This is hyped up by the media. It has happened before.

Which one is that, Senior Victorian?

>>the solution to an incompetent and dysfunctional government is not to change the whole electoral system, one that's served us well for more than 100 years.<<

That would be the one that landed us in the mess that we are in right now, correct?

Surely, that in itself is evidence enough that we have an incompetent and dysfunctional electoral system, one that is pre-programmed to deliver a set of regimented "factions" controlled by non-elected bottom-feeders, while eliminating any form of initiative or intellectual courage on the part of parliamentarians themselves.

It is an animal that feeds upon itself. Witness the complete and absolute lack of responsibility that any politician takes when a) making and b) breaking election commitments. Until we as a people find the courage to hold these people to the pledges they make, we will continue to be bitterly disappointed in our governing class, of whatever flavour.

Do you really believe there is no room for improvement?

Rudd should go and sit on the cross benches and vote the present government out. That is all they deserve.

Labor won an election based on a lie."There will be no carbon tax under the Govt I lead." They have once again wasted our money and put us in enormous unnecessary debt.

Their arrogance and sheer incompetence is breath taking,but now the electorate expects this as the norm.We too have lowered our standards and expectations.It is a race to the bottom.

michael_in_adelaide wrote:

>>The thought of Abbott as prime minister is almost too terrifying to contemplate.>>

Well that's the line the ALP has been pushing. They're saying:

>>We may be a bunch of morons (true) but Abbott would be worse (maybe).>>

"The importance of NOT being Abbott*" is all the ALP has to offer.

Kevin Rudd asks:

>>Who is best placed to defeat Tony Abbott?>>

He offers himself as the candidate best able to accomplish that task.

On this, as on so many issues, Rudd is wrong.

The man best able to defeat Tony Abbott is .... Tony Abbott.

The best ALP strategy must be to hang on to power for as long as possible so as to maximise Abbott's chances of hanging himself.

On the other hand the ALP leadership are such numpties that Abbott will probably survive the worst he can do to himself.

*With apologies to Oscar Wilde

@ stevenlmeyer,
[Put the Electorates up for sale on e-bay to the highest bidder, and he/she becomes PM.]
Isn't that the USA system?

I vote for parties not people...and Julie Bishop would not be singing from the same song book if the shoe was on the other foot.

Come on Phil. Julie could not get her foot down deep enough in the mud & slime, to find the shoe that Julia found, & is wearing.

Fact is, very few could ever get that deep, & even fewer would want to.

Rudd or Gillard.. Both disfunctional in their own ways. Rudd, impossible to work with (so they say), Gillard, beholden to the greens and independants. People! Labour! it's the policies!! Get them right and we vote for you. As with the global warming tax, you want to get rid of it? argue the rapidly unravelling science! Oh for heavens sake, bring on an election as soon as possible please.

VK3AUU

That is exactly what the known vindictive little man will do if he's trounced(and that's no cert!)on Monday. He knows he holds the whip hand.

It's the very worst outcome he can inflict onto them all and Gillard will be severely embarrassed as the only Australian PM ever to have had to resign through a no confidence motion.

He'll say 'I f'ing got them into f'ing power and now I can f'ing put them out of f'ing power.' ... and probably in mandarin.

Have that no confidence motion ready Julie.

Julie at the same time promise not to run a candidate against either Oakshott or Windsor at the subsequent election. You'll be knocked down by their rush to support your motion.

This is easy, one needn't even read the article, just the headline, to know exactly what Julie Bishop's on about--though I very much doubt she wrote it.
There are only about half a dozen political scripts and we all know how this one goes.
Sadly it really does look like Labor's done itself irreparable damage, not once but twice. But if we go to the polls now we'll be stuck with Abbott for sure, and that should be avoided at all costs--I hope the independents are thinking the same way.

Gillard will probably prevail Monday but I doubt the polls will change and Rudd, I suspect, will prevail in the next few months. And there is a chance he can turn things around in the eighteen months or so that remain.
If there is such a trend, and it wouldn't take much because Abbott's on the nose too, then Abbott will be successfully challenged by Turnbull and the Libs will be shown to be no more cohesive than Labor--and they're not.
And that will throw the contest wide open, though barring serious gaffs, Turnbull would win a majority for his party, I believe.
No Gillard means no Abbott, and that's why the Libs would love to go to the polls now.
I say we keep our hung parliament and let it play out as I think it will. Turnbull is the man to lead--what a shame he's in the wrong Party : (

Turnbull is a Globalist just like Bob Brown who both believe in a world Govt which believes it will save the planet by putting all man kind in slavery.

This is not about liberty or freedom for us.They are enslaving us under the lie of Global Warming which has now morphed into "Climate Change."

The climate has always changed and Turnbull wants the ETS/carbon tax so his banker friends can make even bigger profits.

Squeers,

Well, yes indeedy...does anybody think Turnbull reversed his decision to leave politics in order to play second fiddle to a middling pollie like Abbott? What's the bet he makes leadership rumblings of his own in the near future?

He'd win any election hands-down, as you say "barring serious gaffs".

Interesting times.

Tony Abbott is a way more desirable alternative to Gillard then Rudd. With Abbott we have hope that he'll perform better than the proven failure that is Rudd.

If there is one thing that stands out in the comments is the mad monk, one vote Tony (double ya) Abbott and his imaginary friend aren’t that popular. The thought of him at the helm of a majority government is frightening. Rudd also has and imaginary friend (same one I think), but I get the impression that he may be subservient to Rudd.

I believe the people (as much as they can) did decide although that decision is not proportional. I agree with James O'Neill’s comments. The majority (not all) of our parliament consists of parasites that have no practical experience or concept of what it’s like to produce something of real substance. Most of them are well healed and as a consequence are able to purchase the time required to gain office. Until we have a system that can elect dope smoking Rastafarian (or equivalent) as was the case in NZ, we will be stuck with the non representative corporate parties.

What we have now is as good as it gets. No one has a majority and there is discussion and compromise. No one gets it all their own way.
The people have decided. You have another year and a half to wait.

In Queensland, wouldn’t it be great if Campbell Newman (mini me) didn’t get elected. The LNP got the most seats, but not a majority. A few independents and a couple of Katter’s mob made up the balance. Hang them!

Abbott is a against the Carbon Tax and one that one issue,I'll back him all the way to the next election.The CO2 lies will destroy what little sovereignity we have left.

The West lives in a totalitariarn state in which the bankers control both industry and our Govts.Bankers now control both Greece and Italy.How many more countries will they own under their counterfeiting ponzy scams?

The US Federal Reserve is a private group of banks based in Europe/Britian and they've created the GFC for their own advantage.It has now probably spun out of even their control and this is why they are pushing for war, ie to escape us and our growing awareness.

We have the same situation that existed after the Great Depression of 1933.War does not improve our economies.It makes us more indebted to the banks who have manipulated our pollies into conflict.War is good for the elites while the masses languish in poverty and pain.

It would be a far different story if the Government was ahead in the polls and threatening a double-dissolution due to a legislative impasse wouldn't it?

The catchcry would then be "Governments should run their full term" and loud complaints of political opportunism.

Despite the outcome of the elections yet to come, the public are now accustomed to demanding new elections for whatever purpose and the LNP should remember that they are the ones who let that particular genie out the bottle.

A great comment, Producer.
I think politicians should be chosen randomly for four years of office office and remunerated similarly to those chosen for jury duty. But that can't start till we've overhauled the education system so that all citizens think ethically and critically about how we should live, rather than what's in it for me.
Elitist representative government is intellectually and morally bankrupt. It makes bugger all difference to me who wins, it's an inch to the left of an inch to the right.

We do not have a level playing field in so far as communication is concerned. The Liberal party has a monopoly on the media. The media (as in the US) spews out bias information. This is understandable as most industries and big business and the media tend to side with conservative parties who belief in profits more than people and social issues. That is a given in a modern capitalistic societies. Given this situation, the Australian people are sensible enough to rotate power between Coalition and Labor and balancing both via Greens.

That Rudd managed to put Labor on the Australian map again and that Howard lost his own seat is testament to the people's utter disappointment with the Coalition. The sad bit is when Labor 'assassinated' the goose that laid the golden egg for selfish gains. Labor paid a hefty price at the subsequent election. Labor without Rudd will be incinerated at the next election. Only the fools in caucus do not have the ability to measure the sentiments of the people. An injustice has been inflicted on Rudd by Gillard and her co-conspirators. A price must be paid. The sad thing is that Gillard Labor (not Rudd) has handed Australia to the ultra conservative Abbott. Those of us who are looking to Turnbull will reluctantly vote in the Greens (or independents) again. If the Coalition is serious about having a landslide victory, Turnbull (who is most popular with a wide section of the Australian electorate) must become the leader of the party and the next enlightened PM

Jooly,
that is some of the worst excuse dribble we've seen here. Accept that academic Labor is a dismal failure.

I think that the Labor has to get rid of Rudd, but it is the only way to save the party. Because Abbott has won this time on ETS. Although Rudd's bid for the Security Council which would have cost $11.2 million to lobby for votes because he wants the UN's top job.He has lost all credulity to run this country.

When you consider that a jury is composed of randomly selected citizens and they can decide the fate of a human, perhaps we should allow ourselves to be governed in the same way.
All persons on the electoral roll could be put into a selection process that is on public scrutiny and a similar number to the present parliament drawn out, They will be the Government for a set period, say three years and will be the government for that time.
At the end of that time, they will be dismissed and the process repeated for the next government. Once you have served a term, you will be barred from serving again.
A similar process of random selection would take place for the selected representatives to select a leader and ministers of set portfolios. They would not be able to be dismissed unless a proven misdemeanor was discovered.
This would negate the manipulation of positions in government by the media.
Any objections to this system about the suitability and ability of the selected persons, could be discounted by a simple IQ test. Something that all politicians should undergo now any way.

Hasbeen...you're a dreamer, and just a bit one-eyed. I can't think of any political party that wouldn't dive headfirst into the mud if it meant getting elected.

This is why governments around the world are struggling to get clear majorities...people see politicians for what they are...opportunistic and ob dubious integrity.

Farce in Aus politics - when is David Williamson going to write the play? 'Mr & Ms Macbeth'? Or, 'Of Love's Labor's Lost'? (A ruddy good yarn.)

Shades of US Presidential-candidature pre-selection - when are the man-on-man debates to begin? Though Queen G is remaining reasonably reserved, self-nominated Prince-elect Ruddbeard takes to the podium crying 'foul' and 'out damned Spot!' - whilst respective supporters and detractors operate as separate 'Greek Choruses' or 'Occupy' Demonstrators, wildly casting nasturtiums left and right in boisterous array. Bollywood has no equal. (Talk about un-genteel.)

If it all wasn't so serious it would be laughable.

All the public muck-raking is elucidating, and maybe that's a good thing from our point of view, but I doubt that our overseas spectators will be duly impressed. Could a Lib/Nat Coalition government truly be as dysfunctional as this? I seriously doubt it.

When I saw polls that showed Labor being absolutely decimated 45-55, I was amazed that 45% of people would vote for Labor (TPP). Yet after reading some of the comments here I'm just dumbfounded. This is a party who tried to organise a race riot on Australia Day!

Do we really have that many people in this country who have such little sense of morality?

I thought Labor couldn't get any lower but after their public hate fest this week, I guess it just proves that it's impossible to underestimate Labor. But still people on this forum defend them. WTF is wrong with people.

Surely Labor should consider disbanding.

Dane what choice do people have? Abbott, the ultra conservative, anti migrants, negative, policyless, unholy priest OR the conniving, treacherous, lying Gillard with not an iota of credibility. Dump Gillard and face Abbott ... brrrr, shiver, hell no. Dump Abbott and realise our gravest nightmare for another 3 yrs. We in Australia are an 'unlucky' lot in politics. At least with Turnbull vs Rudd we have a decent choice to make. If the Liberals are serious about a landside victory and a sure majority government, the Liberals will put up Turnbull. But this will not happen as the king makers in both Lib & Lab are little boys who can't look past their factions. So, yet again we reluctantly turn to the Greens. They must be laughing!! Another hung parliament. Sucks!

jaylex, you are joking!

I have not read the article yet, but I couldn't help respond to your comment.

Typical one eyed, labor can do no wrong, supporter.

While I agree with you views on simply calling an election each time the shock jocks bag them, you have to realize that this is not a fuchional government, this is a government that is continually being distracted by any number of ministers, some from within, who threaten to withdraw their support almost on a daily basis.

Add to this the infighting, mud slinging and lies, and you have all the ingredients for a dysfuctional government.
Now as for elections costing millions, well, that has to be better than wasting billions.

To quote a line from Austin Powers, a billion is more tha. A million num nuts.

It is blatenly obvious now that the PM, whoever that may be, does not run the labor party, and ultimately the country, rather, it is run by the faceless men, the string pullers, pulling the puppets strings.

Finally, unless you go around with your head in the sand, or, you are like many on OLO who are simply in denial, if an election were held tomorrow there would be little doubt we would have a majority government, hopefully one that squashes the greens as well, as they are poisonous towards our future.

Now I will read the article.

. michael_in_adelaide

The thought of Abbott as prime minister is almost too terrifying to contemplate. If there has ever been a better example of someone who ........

How about, there will be no carbon tax in a government I lead.

Or, the deceitful deal Julia did with Andrew Willki.

I think you will agree this was a typical case of doing anything just to hold office.

James O'Neill
If only this was a race.

Well it's not, its the running of the country.

Ever since they started to slide years ago, labors primary focus has been on holding office, at any cost.

They have had several opportunities to call a DD election, yet have not, simply due to their poor performance.

Sorry, but I'm over this crap.

The simple truth is, governments are elected to spend our taxes, not theirs, wisely.

If they are dysfunctional, as is the case, then we must be given a chance to re elect a government with a view towards electing a stable government, much like the one we had for several terms.

Do you remember how the country was booming.

Just a passing thought.

Labor keep dragging up this how good are we crap, while blaming most stuff ups on the GFC.

At the night of the GFC, our market fell from some 6600 points, to about half, yet has only come back to low 4000's. Not even a 50% increase.

During the same period, the US, apparently a basket case compared to our economy, fell from some 13,000 points, and guess what, they are back to where they started. A 100% increase.

How can this be, considering we are the envy of the world and have the worlds best treasurer.

Yeh, right!