Oh really! You do not say! A labour Party member takes two pages to say "Pick us, pick us!
I honestly think this can be described as political advertising.
Why is it here?

It's August 14 today and the election is on September 7. We have no accountability from Abbott on costing and budgeting that Treasury can study, nor adequate time left for the public scrutiny. Abbott is just pinning his wing-nuts back and tearing for the line.

Doesn't that worry you JBoywer, or do you like flying completely blind in your allegiance?

The tragedy of current politics is that people like Tristan would love to be able to fill out the ballot papers in the current election, when the fact is that the electorate (who don't know what is good for them, etc.) are the ones who actually will.

In all the spin obscuring this election, there are two issues that the electorate clearly want implemented.

Firstly, they want the boats stopped.

Secondly, they want taxes reduced, or at worst, not increased.

The situation reminds me of the position in Europe, where there is complete and total agreement about who should pay their outstanding debts.

Everyone agrees that the debts should be paid by someone else.

In the election there is much discussion about the need for infrastructure, and this should not really be a problem. In the 1940's the Snowy Mountains scheme was begun, with sound financing, and was paid for by selling electricity. Infrastructure paid for by the user has never been a problem.

The problem today is that the National Party and the political left want someone else to pay for their infrastructure, or a least subsidise it so that everyone pays the same. The slogan of the National Party for decades has been "capitalise you assets and socialise your losses". In the 1960's they even pushed for the same amount (the lowest STD rate) to be charged for every phone call, and this has survived today as 1300 numbers.

If only politicians would implement what the people want, instead of what the politicians want, everything would be OK.

A good first program would be:

1. No taxation, with or without representation, with any deficiency in government finances being paid for from the sale of politicians' assets.

2. Treble government spending.

3. Balance the budget.

4. Pay off the national debt.

Of course none of this is achievable or logical, and that is why economics is called the miserable science. It also makes politics much more fun.

I agree that we are heading towards a US style society with little safety net, insecure (or no employment )for the young, minimal tax paid by the wealthy and a "market' solution to everything!!. This is the inevitable consequence of Abbott's quest for power and comes from the Republican Party playbook. Very sad situation.

The author demonstrates a naivety that must derive either from his youth or political conviction. The last opposition leader to issue a detailed document was John Hewson who prior to the 1993 election produced a 650 page detailed document called Fightback. Prime Minister Keating spent the whole of that election negatively campaigning against the package with the result that Hewson lost the unlosable election. What is often forgotten is that Abbott was Hewson’s chief-of-staff during the election. Since that election no opposition leader would be so stupid as to produce detailed policy statements and that is one lesson that must be seared in Abbott’s memory.

Howard did not in 1996 and all Rudd did in 2007 was promise to be an “economic conservative” or Howard “lite”. Of course Rudd turned out to be a total hypocrite. The last five years of the Howard government produced a cumulative cash surplus of around $80 billion while the next five years of Labor government produced a cumulative cash deficit of $200 billion. It is not just the deterioration in the cash position that disappoints the rational Australian voter, it is that much of the money has been wasted on stupid, irrational schemes based on impetuous decisions and lack of due process.

As a true Socialist the author has listed off a series of programs he would like to see introduced. Eventually, Socialists run out of other peoples' money. Of course as the Socialist George Bernard Shaw noted, “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”

Tristan, being of the far left, did not surprise us giving the bumbling performance by the Dudd his nod of approval.

Comparing the Dudd with Abbott (identical ages), ignoring physical attributes, academically Dudd did not even come close. With a BA in Asian studies he was qualified to work in the public service or MacDonald's.

Labor has served up a PM previously rejected for incompetence with his primary attribute is that he was not as incompetent as Juliar, and did not lie quite so badly.

plerdsus's comment is better than the original article.
Luciferase please see EQ's answer on Abbot's not giving costings and also read Plerdus's comments. He actually puts it better than I can.
The point is poor old Tristan really sets himself up here but it is amusing seeing people who are not as clever as they think they are getting their just desserts

SM,

George W. Bush had a degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard.

He was still as dumb as a brick.

Watching Abbott rattle around inside his brain for a description yesterday was excruciating....and all he could come up with was "sex appeal".

Pathetic!

Poirot, you have insulted all bricks, perhaps without meaning to. George Bush's intelligence was below that of any self-respecting brick!

Abbott has an Oxford blue, eh! Does this refer to a punch-up he had during his time there as a Rhodes Scholar?

Listening to Abbott talk, it is hard to believe he is a member of the intelligent class. He talks like a mechanical man: slow, labored, using only three letter words such as a brickie might use. He often repeats the same sentence over and over as if he thinks he is talking to morons.

Of course he did reveal that he is not a suppository of all knowledge. We already knew that! And he is not Mr Personality either although he has a good eye for an attractive woman.

It fits in with his 'Tarzan' persona!

It is amazing Tristan, that you can talk about trust and then ramble on about Tony Abbott increasing the GST. This is such a red herring. All the GST money goes to the states, so why on earth would Abbott want to increase it? He can't use any of it.

As soon as Kevin Rudd brought up The GST in the debate, I became deeply skeptical. It appeared to me that he was deliberately trying to confuse the electorate. Rudd is playing a dangerous game, if the voters see through his veil of misinformation, he will be totally discredited.

Tristan, I can tell that you are a young man so need to be encouraged to see the truth about matters. The Socialist Left of the ALP are the problem with the ALP not the solution. When the ALP had a simple message for the middle class, they had all they needed to succeed. The SL have this unhealthy view that they must change people's opinions to match theirs. That sort of political mind corrupts the person and leads to hubris. The ALP's boost in the polls from Rudd's return was due only to the unfairness of his original removal. Australians still like to give people a fair go. The SL like to take this principle further and buy votes in the name of affirmative action. Once Rudd started to open his mouth he could be seen as the snake-oil salesman he is: why else would all the SL members of the government's cabinet walk out on him after he knifed Gillard.
And don't, like your colleagues complain about the Conservatives. They know how to appeal to the middle class. And don't slag off at Tony Abbott. He does more good deeds for the disadvantaged (eg., women in refuges) and community groups than the whole of the ALP caucus put together.
If the conservatives appeal to the middle class because they appear able to protect them, Abbott appeals to them because he is honest and well intentioned. That seems a pretty good combination to me.

At last, I managed to smoke out the left whingers who had gone into hiding after their hero (Rudd the Dudd) is starting to stink. A few pointed zingers did the trick.

No one that gets to be PM or President is stupid, just some do some really stupid things. TA has often a case of foot in mouth, but has brought down Dudd, and Juliar. Juliar made a string of unbelievable blunders, but Dudd, however, is a special case, in that just about every thing he has done has been a disaster, and has been prepared to backflip over everything.

Next time Rudd could forgo the notes and rely almost exclusively on a teleprompter or a tablet.
He could even have a few really good typists in the audience, texting to his tablet from already prepared notes. Something for every occassion or to counter any well made points.
Not all that long ago, a huge fraud was perpetrated on a very generous US quiz show, by a contestant equipped with a virtually invisible high tech mike, earpiece and micro transmitter, all of which could be mounted into a pair of reading glasses?
Not all that difficult for someone with the PM's resources.
Albeit, he might begin to sound like Tony Abbott, with lots of ums and ahs, as he listens to and absorbs the internal prompts?
That said, The re-installation of Kevin Rudd, is a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Perhaps if Mr Rudd remembers to get enough rest, his brain might not fog; and he might not need to consult notes, but simply learn and remember his prepared material.
Trained speakers have little problem with committing an hours worth of dialogue to memory after just two or three readings.
And it becomes even easier if it's delivered over and over as the same message, or broken record rhetoric.
Kevin could make up a little more ground before polling day, but probably not enough to win the day or the treasury seats? [The former green alliance and the endless undermining of the former leader by the leakers, has see to that!] (A house divided against itself cannot stand.) And many former Labour supporters have probably come to a view that Labour needs to spend enough time in the political wilderness to fix those things that are wrong with it or have so tarnished its brand!
However, Kevin Rudd could yet possibly win enough support to form a very effective opposition and well and truly hold the govt to account?
Rhrosty.

Tristan, mate you are mouthing the negative labor campaign spin. Don' t you realise that the labor polls are going south for that reason. Everybody has twigged to the labor spin managing of the media and their negative anti Tony campaign. Bruce Hawker doesn't know anything else. Bringing back Beattie was another of his ideas. That has backfired so badly that now in Queensland even Kevins seat of Griffith is now borderline.
Hawker is yesterdays man with yesterdays ideas and beliefs.
It is becoming more and more apparent Tony is todays man.
Rudd needs to get rid of Hawker. His ideas are pulling Kevvy down.

Cheers brother

Hi Tristan,

You could have saved yourself a whole lot of time and effort on your Karl Popper special if you had gone to Sportsbet first.

Coalition $1.14 ALP $5.50

“Whenever a theory appears to you as the only possible one, take this as a sign that you have neither understood the theory nor the problem which it was intended to solve”.
Karl Popper -Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach (1972)

Thank you Tristan. I'm sure this couple of pages of spin & garbage will have helped yet a few more see through labor lies, & sent them to the polls ready to vote for a man, not a soufflé, concocted in someone's back office.

Tristan, not a good effort.

Try this tack, how would another three years of Labor be good for Australia?

Or what should Labor do to boost Aust's fortunes, yet remain a centre-left party. Latter strategy is very hard, but idealistic and biased pieces don't really cut it any more

We have no accountability from Abbott on costing and budgeting that Treasury can study, nor adequate time left for the public scrutiny.
Luciferase,
Has Rudd divulged how much is in the coffers for Abbott to use so he can work on policy costing ?

Treasury provides the budget info, Indy, not Rudd. Abbott said he'd use the Independent pre-election fiscal outlook (PEFO) from the Treasury and Finance departments, but it hasn't happened. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-09/abbott-to-use-pefo-figures-as-base-for-costings/4876554

Labor has adhered fully to the PEFO, the LNP wants the imprimatur of the PEFO without addressing it adequately or in time for real scrutiny.

The only reason the GST question is still burning is because LNP promises are not costed or budgeted. Something has to give, less expenditure or greater income, according to the PEFO. Higher income tax is out, company tax cuts are in, carbon pricing and the mining tax are out, the GST will not rise, there will be no slashing of welfare, pensions will not be decompensated with the removal of carbon pricing, health will benefit, education (Gonski) carries on, as does the NDIS, a parental leave scheme for the wealthy, defense spending will rise, and the list goes on.

But all this should be irrelevant because the LNP has a "Plan"?

The LNP strategy, that you can fool some of the people all of the time and some for just enough time, attempts to turn the election into a mad flag race. Abbott is the race favorite according to the bookies, and Rupert has decided Australia should change government(like a good little country). The next three weeks will be torrid, but we are a nation together and that lives on.

Chris; I'm sorry you didn't like this article as I usually respect your opinion - regardless of my being a fair bit to the Left of you on some issues.

But if you want to talk about 'pluses' form a Labor Govt then there's the following:

* Limits on middle class welfare; maintain co-payments for low income earners contributing to their superannuation; Finish the NBN; implement the NDIS; guaranteed billions more for public education; no 'industrial war' with the building unions; implement emissions trading...

ON Aged Care neither party has enough to say - I'm beginning to feel the Greens are the final hope to get something done there. :-(

Perhaps you'd be more interested in my response to Chris Bowen's book? Have you read it? He seems to identify with a Crosland-esque position - but calls it 'social liberalism'. Might be a while getting around to finishing it, though. Lots I disagree with too.

I thought I might save it for after the election, though - As that's when Labor will be soul-searching - win or lose.....

The reason why debate has become so boring is because of fear of making a 'gotcha' statement, which the media seize on. The ALP has especially imported a gotcha spin merchant. The result is nobody is game to say anything except platitudes.

Luciferase,
that link is not ALP biased at all is it ? If you can ask Abbott about policy costing then you should be able to ask Rudd also. Are his policy costings better that Abbott's ? I doubt it very much.
If you can dispute Abbott's costings then you must have information that the money isn't there now, so where would Rudd get it from ? More borrowing perhaps ? If you already know that there isn't enough money in the coffers for Abbott to use then tell us right now.

Tristan, you say "ON Aged Care neither party has enough to say - I'm beginning to feel the Greens are the final hope to get something done there."

What a typically dumb thing to suggest. Have you ever done any math. Can you add up well enough to get a handle on our crazy amount of borrowing, run up during a boom.

There is nothing like enough money for the NBN, the Gonski schools pipe dream, or the disability insurance thing, none of which is funded in the current budget.

Where do you think we should go for more money to spend on more programs for the oldies. As one past his three score plus ten I would be like to benefit from increased aged care spending, but I am not greedy, or self centered enough to throw any more load on our kids & grand kids to gain that benefit. Many of them are having enough trouble balancing their own budget, after greenie inspired new taxes have added to the load.

Until we get back on the straight & narrow, living with in our means, & debt free, it should be a matter of looking for savings, not more ways to do the Greek thing. Wanting to initiate new spending is just crazy.

Tristan, I do respect your efforts, as I do with other efforts that express and address concern for ordinary workers and people.

Thing is that partisan politics, that excludes the many weaknesses offered by Rudd and Labor, is hardly going to encourage policies that better balance the creation of wealth with welfare needs, the hallmark of any half-smart modern society. Rudd is a reasonable election campaigner, but I don’t think he is that capable of putting all the pieces together.

New challenge for both Coalition and Labor is how we reposition Australia for the future to restore viable and competitive manufacturing sector that adds value to commodity sectors, at least to some extent; how we trim or welfare sector so that it remains mean-tested and fair, and how we address first home buyers needs rather than allow foreigners and the rich to own a much higher percentage of the housing stock. All of this is easier said than done, but we can address such issues.

Sure, the Coalition is light on details about how it will reverse Aust’s problems, but so is Rudd and Labor. As you would know, things have still got worse after six years of Labor for many people, so this suggests that we are now in a difficult phase in democracy terms in holding on to many of the gains achieved in recent decades (continued).

As for Abbott leading Aust down the US way, I can’t see it. In fact, I believe that it is he, rather than the dud and even Gillard, that will be more capable of leading and listening to a wider range of players to get a more effective policy mix. Just because the Coalition is a pro-business party does not mean that it is not subject to common sense. It just has a different approach, and the aust version under Abbott will remain vastly different from the US experience.

It is up to people, like you and others, interest groups, public opinion and so on, to offer ideas and/or summaries that appeal to all common sense leaders, rather than treat the policy game as a football game of us and them.

If you want to advocate a Scandinavian approach, one which remains quite successful, then you need to explain how it could be applied in the Aust context, including our rather different interaction with Asian rather than European nations. If you want to highlight the adverse effects of abandoning welfare needs, then show them. There are plenty of people on both sides of politics that are interested.

Today, Australia demands much better scholarship, more in line with the new demands facing all liberal democracies. Good ideas must be directed to both sides of politics

"If you already know that there isn't enough money in the coffers for Abbott to use then tell us right now." That's the point,Indy,we know how much is in the coffers and what is projected on the revenue side and we have no costings or budgeting from the LNP, only from Labor.

All we are told from the LNP is everyone kicks a goal and everyone's a winner because it has a "Plan" and the same old mugs we've suffered before to carry it through.

Forgetting about money and considering policy alone, the LNP is still coming up short on that too. It is relying heavily on building negativity and trash talking the economy to get it over the line

Not costed, and even when they're dangled as a vote winner, they're found wanting.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-15/climate-institute-coalition-carbon-policy/4888106

Abbott is pathetic as a party leader. A gaffe a day for three days running. That's what happens when he's required to think on his feet.

Gawd help us if he ends up PM - imagine the headlines when he's required to rattle around inside his brain for coherent rhetoric in an international forum.

Poirot, he can't be worse than Rudd.

As for international forums, who cares. We don't need another tosser saying he will save the world. I will be happy with someone saving Australia in line with international considerations

Chris,

You're another one who seems to think that "someday soon" Abbott will finally display the intelligence and savvy that he's bee hiding under a bushel.

Sorry mate, what you see is what you get.

It's even more devastating that it's so clear since he's been required to speak off the cuff during the election campaign that he's a pretty vacuous fellow.

It was quite easy for him during his time as opposition leader to just sit back and watch Gillard being pummelled by all and sundry - now we get to see what he is made of.....which, unfortunately, appears to resemble a little of what George Dubya consisted of.

Not much at all behind the facade.

(And his red hot team aren't much better)

P,

Abbott can't be that bad, his party is united and consistent, and has brought 2 labor PMs to a sticky end.

None of TA's gaffes have cost us $250bn like Rudd's.

SM,

"Abbott can't be that bad, his party is united and consistent...."

Well - now the heat's on....

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/labor-preferences-set-to-fuel-coalition-rivalry-for-nationals-victorian-seat-of-mallee/story-fn9qr68y-1226697644739

Tell that to Sophie.

"The decision comes as Nationals members are being accused of trying to unseat Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella from her north-eastern Victorian electorate of Indi.

Ms Mirabella is one of Mr Abbott's closest allies and is under siege from independent candidate Cathy McGowan.

The Liberal Party believes the Nationals are bolstering Ms McGowan's campaign."

Last post here for today.

(Yes, SM, I suppose you'll say that the Nationals aren't technically his party)

It would be interesting to see where the Libs would be without them.

Ta ta.....

everyone's a winner,

Abbott is pathetic as a party leader.

Reminds of the attacks on John Howard before he proved them all wrong. The morons rather have another tree years of failure than offer Abbott the chance to prove them wrong. They must be just so scared being embarrassed by their own stupidity again.
As they say once a moron, always a moron.

P,

That's a bit feeble even for you. Minor squabbling for seats is always going to happen, and is nothing compared to the fratricidal back stabbing going on in Labor.

As for the squabbling between Labor and its coalition partner the greens....

I just saw a news conference, one in the N.T. with Rudd which was followed by one in Tasmania with Abbott. It was interesting to compare and contrast them.

Rudd was polished, erudite, quick thinking, on top of his game, full of smiles.

Abbott was pedestrian, repeated his boring lines and slogans mechanically, was flanked by a woman that had sex appeal, and answered questions as though he was reading the advertising on a packet of porridge.

Rudd has real personality. Abbot has a personality deficit.

Perhaps the tight budgie-smugglers have cut off the blood supply to his brain?

David G,
Rudd polished ? Is a cheap, poor act all it takes for the likes of you to be impressed ? How about some sense & competence ? It is not sexy I know but it beats incompetence & stupidity hands down.
Why do we never see Rudd going into workers territory ? I tell you why, because workers are thinkers unlike half-baked academics & they wouldn't be so impressed with the cheap acting.
The Southpark kid should strip down to budgie smugglers & then let's see who is the more pathetic figure.

Oh well at least Tony Abbott has given the old hate Howard brigade something to bleat about ... for the next 20 odd years of his PMship.

Lol.

At least Abbott has a budgie to smuggle !