oh dear really the first line is wrong and it just get's worst, still what would you expect from the IPA.

I am always wary of any thing which comes form a right wing think tank.
Recently at the Field Institute in Toronto, Canada, Stephanie Kelton, Chair of the Economics Department at the University of Missouri, Kansas City made a presentation with a series of slides.
One of those stated;
The Private Sector Belongs in Surplus.
"An increase in private debt relative to income can go
on for a long time, but it cannot go on
forever.” (Godley, 2000)
• At some point lenders will run out of creditworthy
borrowers who are willing to spend
• “When that happens asset prices go sideways, sales
soften, jobless claims trend higher, and economic
activity falters” (Wray, 2012)
A fiscal space diagram was also presented but I doubt that it will reproduce here. The diagram shows an unsustainable area.
If you plot the outcomes of the eleven years of the Howard/Costello budget responsibility that government operated in the unsustainable area for all years.
So much for the Neo-liberals being competent economic managers.

What amazes me and alarms me most is that on top of the points Julie has made we now have the "spying scandal". All these issues ocurred under the previous labor and watermelon party government. Yet we have not heard any contrition for, or even an acknoledgement of these facts from those involved. Somehow their twisted minds are convinced it is all the fault of a government that has been in power for a whole two months. Intil labor has the guts to stand up and take responsibility for its failings and ceases to blame anyone and anything else for those failings it will most certainly remain on the opposition benches.

Earth to sparkyq: all governments spy on each other. The current incident happened to be under Labor but it would be deluded to think it isn't also something that happens under the Coalition. They are possibly listening in to the Indonesian President right now - it would certainly be interesting and might help them deal with the fallout. While it is perhaps unfair that the Coalition is now having to deal with something that didn't happen on their watch they have been very careful in their language and so has the Labor party. No diplomatic good would be served by everyone fessing up and engaging in public hand-wringing, much as it would give some people, such as yourself, some satisfaction.

Candide, I think you missed my point which was that no matter what has ocurred it is being sheeted home to Mr Abott.

I don't think for a minute that spying hasn't gone on under all governments, nor do I think that anyone should "fess up" as you put it. I think those now in the opposition benches should just shut up and let our PM deal with the situation at hand.

Why a star of the IPA would advise the worst government ever seen in Australia how to get back into power is a mystery. They were the worst government ever because 'they are them', to paraphrase Gillard's stupid "we are us" utterance.

Leave them in Opposition to block 'mandated' Coalition policies until July 2014 when some smarter (smarter for politicians, i.e., which is not very smart) Senators will back the government and take notice of the electorate.

Labor remains as stupid and ignorant in Opposition as it was in Government.

Well yes, but the real cause was their own disunity, and a small cohort that simply couldn't or wouldn't accept the umpire's decision and move on!
And instead, white-anted from within, throughout the 2010 election; and for the entire term of the last parliament.
That said, some visionary policies, and equally visionary funding paradigms, to turn them into reality, rather than more of the same, (aspirations,) wouldn't hurt!
The other more pressing problem for labor, is the complete lack of the requisite testicular fortitude; without which, they will never adopt the visionary reforms, they and the country needs to prosper!
I'm glad Mr Rudd has gone, given his continuing divisive presence, would have been as comfortable for labor, as a full body sunburn, followed immediately, by a full body wax job! Quote, unquote.
Rhrosty.

NeverTrustPoliticians are you runner? Or is it just that all Tony fanboys sounds the same?

It is not logically possible to declare one infinitely bad government worse than another infinitely bad government, so I will be illogical, and declare the Whitlam government the worst ever.

Contemplating that Rudd has rid us of Gillard, and then of himself, and Bob Brown has become a thing of the past, generates a warm, comfortable feeling in relation to current politics.

Leo Lane