What is too often overlooked is that almost nobody votes FOR Tweedledum OR Tweedledee. The vast majority vote to keep (or kick) the alternative Tweedle out. It's a con. Only democracy - feared by all political parties - can break the logjam. By democracy is meant what Abe Lincoln meant by it (while never practising it) - government OF the people BY the people FOR the people, which in practice would mean binding citizen-initiated referenda (BCIR) for all decisions over which there is significant public dispute. What we have in Australia is government OF the people BY the political parties and mandarins FOR those who buy them.

PS: Sorry to be hiding behind a nickname. I wrongly thought on joining I was required to nominate one. Once you have one the software won't let you change it without changing your email address. My real name is Dion Giles, but I do still admire Julian of Rome who briefly disempowered a state cult which went on to create colossal misery for centuries thereafter. Gore Vidal's "Julian" is a terrific read.

I'm sure there will be many opportunities for negative comments if Tony, "Tow the Boats" Abbott, becomes PM.

Emperor Julian,

Agree that "Julian" is a great read, however I'm not sure I'd regard Julian as a role model, he failed disastrously, he was probably too late. I also agree on your assessment of Christianity- it's worth remembering though, that the Church gave Western civilisation unity against the attacks of an even nastier state cult, Islam.

I've often wondered if the low standard of debate in this country is due to the adoption of compulsory voting since politicians have to appeal to the apathetic and ignorant, who in most other nations, don't vote.

Russell Walton

Thanks Mac. Great to touch an issue that greatly transcends the Zionist Israel flash-in-the-pan. Yes, Julian failed to stem the then-new state religion because of a colossal blunder followed by the inevitable. The blunder was attacking Persia - a blunder that others are hot to repeat today. The inevitable was that he got killed before stamping out the embers at home.

Not sure Roman Popery united the world against Islam. They're still in cautious cahoots with Islam today, and in fact have devoted enormous energy over the centuries not against Islam but against Christianity in Christianity's name. Though not myself a believer in any religion, I put a lot of store by the historical account in the early 20th century Christian polemic "The Great Controversy" by Ellen White[1], a saga of violent suppression of Christianity, wherever it reared its head, by the Church of Rome.

I've always been cautious at seeing any religion as a counter to Islam - a bit like typhoid fever to combat cancer. Zionism isn't a counter, it's poisonous soil in which Islam thrives as a noxious weed. Christianity is distinguished from Islam by its iconic figure. Christianity's is a partly mythical man of peace and goodwill. Islam's a murderous paedophile.

[1] Buckshee from Kindle at Amazon. Ms White told the past, but was no prophet of the future.

Emperor Julian,

I wasn't referring to the Christian ideology but to the institution of the Catholic Church which gave the West some of the unity it had lost after the Roman collapse.
We have to give the "Devil His Due" and allow the Church some credit for the defeat of Islam.

Since we're way off topic I'll take the chance to recommend Mike Duncan's "The History Of Rome" on iTunes.

Thanks for the Duncan lead, Mac. I'll have a look.

I am a swinging voter and there is no doubt Labor have made quite a few mistakes but ultimately their social policies have always been streets ahead of the Coalition..., but what I cannot get my head around is that the population appear to have very short memories. It was neo-liberalism which gave us the GFC and if Workchoices had have been fully bedded down at the onset of the GFC big and small business would have laid people off en-masse and we would all be facing a much larger mess than what we have endured so far.