The whole Credlin thing reminds me of that English show The Thick of It. I wonder if she swears as much and if everyone is as scared of her as they are of Malcolm Tucker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaMb-5w-V0Y

Maybe she will become the scapegoat in it all. Will Abbott sacrifice his beloved guard dog so the back benchers don't revolt? She's on borrowed time whether he goes or stays.

It would be a very hard gig trying to keep that guy's foot away from his mouth.

' they are persuaded rather that those on welfare are there by design, constitute a drag on the economy, and need to be punished. '

See that's the honesty I like from the right. There is no pretense.

http://www.theshovel.com.au/2014/05/14/poor-people-scrapped/

Squeers' lazy prejudicial caricature of the rich is just as nasty as the right's caricature of the poor. But at least your general righty doesn't pretend to be above the mire.

Oh why cant we all just get along.

I do really really enjoy class warfare though. I don't know why people always criticize class envy. I reckon it's great! Why shouldn't those without envy the rich, who have their school buddy nepotism ans smug stuck up attitude. Bring up a policy to take away funds from private schools with 20 million in the bank and you're supposedly full of hatred and envy. Too bloody right! Bring the public school up to match they say? What a farce.

Australia was bred on the Roy Masters' dichotomy of Fibro houses vs the silver spoon lot. It's un-Australian to not participate in sledging other classes.

Name something else where the more you put in, the less you receive.

Imagine a situation where the more one paid in taxes during their working lives, the higher the pension they receive. Now there's something worth paying your taxes for.

Public housing. Why should some lay about single mother, with five kids to four fathers get public housing in the first place. It's a wrought as many of them are in defacto relationships, some with their partners (of the day) also claiming welfare.

If we are going to target the to end, we must also clean up welfare and get the scammers out of the system. Quarantining their payments would be a good start.

Of they want to smoke, gamble or drink, get a job. If there are no jobs, learn!

Earning or learning, what a great policy.

'BTW, Niki Savva has dumped major league on Abbott in today's Australian.'

just making sure her appearances on abc are safe.

Houellie,

"It would be a very hard gig trying to keep that guy's foot away from his mouth."

Who'd take on a job like that?

"I do really really enjoy class warfare though. I don't know why people always criticize class envy. I reckon it's great!"

I have to admit that one of the favourite books in my shabby home library is one titled "Class" by Jilly Cooper, which is a take on the British class system, written with a contemporary focus (in the 80's I think). I haven't read anything else of hers, but that was quite hilarious - written from an uppity upper middle-class perspective.

I do like your input - tends to relieve me of some of my pretensions....for about five minutes.

runner,

"'BTW, Niki Savva has dumped major league on Abbott in today's Australian.'

just making sure her appearances on abc are safe."

More likely, Uncle Rupert has given her the green light.

By the way, Houellie, Peta appears to have become invisible.

She was a no show at the great big new improved Cabinet meeting.

And Margie has been hauled out ad nauseam in recent days.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbotts-new-order-visible-margie-invisible-peta-20150204-1364ru.html