Yes, I agree.

Johnson was an outstanding example of a 'can-do' president, using his vast experience in the Senate to pursuade, negotiate and, if necessary, bully his legislation through Congress and into law. He redefined the Democrat Party as the champion of minorities and the oppressed. It is his personal tragedy that his great mistake - the belief that the use of overwhelming force would bring a swift end to the Vietnam conflict he inherited - is the one thing he is remembered for.

Johnson was an outstanding example of a 'can do' president, using his vast experience from his days in the Senate to persuade, negotiate and if necessary, bully his legislation through Congress. He redefined the Democrat Party as the champion of minorities. It is his personal tragedy that his great mistake - the belief the Vietnam War he inherited could be quickly won with the use of overwhelming force - is the one thing he is remembered for.

"The Prime Minister has often appeared to be a hostage of those minorities. This was very true with regard to the Carbon Tax, when she reneged on an election promise so she could bring the Greens into her minority government. "

Who can forget the PM's reliance on the amoral Greens, the virtue-deficient Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper, and the 'independent' dependable pawns Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott?

Yes, who can forget the PM's broken promise about the carbon tax , and how the implementation of the world's highest carbon tax (now six times the EU rate) has lowered everyone's standard of living?

"Gillard has been able to keep her government together largely because of the personal unpopularity of the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. "

The author either has failed to observe Abbott's relentless and effective attack on Gillard, or else has caught the Gillard disease of blaming Abbott for everything.

Yes I agree with main point of your article Everald - this minority government has legislated progressively and successfully. More so than any government I can remember in 50 years.

Australia would do well to follow the example of NZ and introduce the Mixed Member Proportional Representation electoral system. This results in fair representation in parliament of significant minority groups all of the time.

PS My view is that it is already apparent that a carbon tax is the only way to go with carbon, the reason being is that it is the only way to give certainly to investors and fairly compensate poorer sectors. Carbon trading has deteriorated as some predicted into an unstable farce. While this government might not have got all of the details right, their carbon tax reform is on the right track.

Roses 1: "My view is that it is already apparent that a carbon tax is the only way to go with carbon, the reason being is that it is the only way to give certainly to investors and fairly compensate poorer sectors. ... While this government might not have got all of the details right, their carbon tax reform is on the right track."

The AGW believers have conned you into believing that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are the driver of global warming. That is still very much hypothetical, as there is no scientific evidence to prove it.

There is consequently no scientific or economic justification for implementing a carbon tax or ETS. It is pointless to give certainty to investors so as to encourage them to install inefficient renewable energy generators.

Implementation of the carbon tax has had the predictable effect of penalising all industries with the possible exception of renewable energy producers, with higher energy costs and helping destroy their natural advantage. We will all be the poorer for it. The prediction that many thousands of green energy jobs would eventuate, was spin at its best.

The national interest would have been much better served by improving policies for adaptation to climate change, which, after all, is a natural process.

Most definitely. So called 'stable' government gives us disasters like present day Queensland where a mob of supremely arrogant upstarts can claim a mandate to do the most stupid things. Sure we had to get rid of the Blighters who had refined ineptitude to the stage where it was an art form, however only the most myopic LNP fanatics would claim electing Newman Seeney Nicholls et al with such a massive majority was a good move. What makes the situation in Queensland even worse than it would otherwise be is the lack of an upper house (which may or may not have helped) and a dumbcluck governor who is far too busy swanning around getting a new hairdo & who knows what else to keep an eye on the government. To add insult to injury, the only significant newspaper is joined at the hip to the LNP government, consequently there isn't even a semblance of objective reporting.

I agree that minority governments are not necessarily bad, but this one has been. Its flaws are linked to its minority status – the willingness to break promises (carbon tax) and deal with unsavoury characters (Slipper), the expedient formation of alliances that are quickly abandoned when no longer needed (Wilkie and gambling), and disproportionate power exercised by groups that represent only a tiny fraction of the community (Independents, Greens).

Political systems designed to deliver proportional representation, where parties are accustomed to negotiating alliances and compromises, and where that’s what the electorate expects, can work well. But when we get minority governments in our system we end up with the worst of both worlds

I agree with RAYCOM that Abbott's attack on Gillard has been relentless, but it has not been effective. If it had been he would have brought her down. He has failed to do that even though she has a very unstable one vote majority

The present day Queensland gubmunt must surely be the ultimate proof that a 'stable' (ie one with a massive majority) is the very worst of all moronic ideas. Whilst there can be no doubt the utterly inept Blighters had to be unceremoniously turfed out, none but the most myopic LNP faithful would argue against the suggestion that we ended up with a mob of effectively unaccountable tyrants. Politicians being the avaricious & parasitic bottom-dwellers they are, giving them ultimate power without and extremely robust system of checks & balances is an exercise in insanity. Queensland is especially open to abuse of power as we have the UN-holy trinity of Newman / Seeney / Nicholls mit lots of 'friends' wanting favours, an opposition which reportedly has meetings in the back of a Tarago, no upper house (which may or may not have helped in this case), scarily friendly media and a governor who is only seen when an occasion arises to big-note herself at taxpayer expense. Imagine a situation where Newman / Seeney / Nicholls decided in their 'wisdom' that henceforth, Queensland would become a dictatorship. What pray tell could we do to prevent it ?? Before someone suggests this is over the top, note the promise to seek a mandate before flogging Energex/ Ergon / Powerlink. can anyone imagine a situation where even if we get granted an election in March 2015, the LNP WON'T get returned without a huge majority & thereby claim a 'mandate' ??