So what’s the answer to Labor’s woes?
Ludwig,
Absolutely nothing personal but that is a silly question.
How about starting to show some sense in policy making would be an excellent start. An even better thing would be to rid themselves of all the academics. You'd see an improvement within a day or two.

Indi, who’s being silly??

I would be most interested in Kevin Donnelly’s views on how Labor can recover. It is certainly not silly to ask!

But how silly are you being – rid themselves of academics? Not that really is somewhere between silly and outrightly daft!!

And as for policies, a lot of what they have desired to do hasn’t been too bad. It is the implementation that has been downright woeful.

**NOW** that really is somewhere between silly and outrightly daft!!

Aaaargh!!

Kevin,

Did you really call Gillard intelligent?

Most people would think you'd need to be intelligent to get into Melbourne Law school. I guess Jules has tarnished their brand. Maybe some tips for future Law courses at Melbourne Uni:

i. International law - please tell students that countries accepting asylum seekers from us like to be contacted about it. Preferably not through the Australian media.

ii. Constitutional law - often refers to 'The Commonwealth of Australia'. This is in fact a different legal entity to the Australian Labor Party. The 'Government' is formed by the party with most seats in the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament. Again, this is a different legal entity to the ACTU.

iii. Bankruptcy Law - when countries spend more than they earn that is called a deficit. Never ending deficits mean we go broke and leave future generations a lower standard of living. Countries themselves cannot actually be liquidated (as per companies) but their fate is much worse. Please refer to Greece circa 2008 to present. I obviously haven't studied law but maybe this comes under Company Law?

iv. Company Law. Companies are actually owned by shareholders and run by the board and executive team. Unions are rarely shareholders or executives of public companies. If you are unsure who actually 'owns' a company you can always check the Registry of Shareholders.

v. Family Law. De-factos are now considered the same as married couples. So if you earn say, $350 000 and your partner just spends a lot of time at sporting events then watch out. He or she is entitled to half of everything you earned.

But applicants who come from the correct political persuation obviously need not worry about the above. Just write about class warfare and no 'hyperbowl' will be too much.

The main fault with the ALP (be it Gillard or Rudd leading the party) is they act like an opposition. Rudd was constantly running a 24hr media cyclic campaigns instead of actually delivering the junk policies he spewed out before and after he was elected.

Since Gillard has taken over she may be legally smart (debatable) but she is 100% politically dumb. Her blunders are amazing during the 2010 election campaign and even going back to her time in the shadow cabinet. You need to be careful about what you say in opposition as you might end up PM....... but she failed to learn anything once in government also.

Her image now is completely unacceptable to the majority of the electorate and she is running out of BS cards to play to fight off defeat. Most don't listen to her at all and the ones that do are not overly impressed.

Given the time left I find it amusing that her supporters think that a strategy / image change /other can get he over the line. Her only hope right now is for Abbott to do something very stupid. The reality on that score is Abbott has played a very good game of small target politics

She is to Machiavelli as much as that character in the G&S production is a Modern Major General, she is a serial disaster who blackens the name of the Welsh. The only high skill she possesses is incompetence with an unsurpassed capacity to jump from the frying pan into the fire.

It is a worry that such supporters as she has are are only at the first of the 5 for Grieving (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). Fortunately she may be sacked, even (probably?) by her own before the extended agony leading to Sep14.