Abbott is good bloke who gets on with his shepherd Pell well.

I've been too apoplectic to write anything about this cowboy and his outfit since the first round of outrages following their election.

Thankyou for articulating my feelings in this article. We're treated as moronic mushrooms but sadly, it appears, much of the electorate doesn't mind it.

Yawn,

Another polemic by yet another washed up left whinger.

The real reason the left whingers are so apoplectic is because in a few months he brought KRudd crashing down, and made Juliar as popular as a dose of clap. Then even worse he stopped the boats, ditch the world's biggest carbon tax and the useless mining tax and delivered 3 FTA achieving more in 1 yr than Labor did in 6.

Finally to top it off, he has exposed the unions' and their ex bosses' rampant corruption.

I look forward to Abbott's second term.

The important thing is that Abbott, when in red speedos, is kind to the Big End of town.

How can Syd say that Abbott is focussed "entirely on winning the next election"yet, at the same time, saying that Abbott is getting it all wrong? Funny way to win an election if Syd is right.

Much has been written about Mr Abbott, about his team,
about the controversial Speaker of the House, about the
Treasurer.
Much has been written about both sides of politics.
There has been much criticism, vitriol, and wrechage,
from all sides. Sadly, I guess that's the way the
game appears to be played. It reminds me of a football
game. It's who wins that seems to matter.

I guess history will ultimately be the judge.
I'm not sure that it will be kind to either side of the political
divide. What a pity that we can't have our parliamentarians
coming together and doing what's best for the country -
rather than putting their personal agendas first and foremost.
Perhaps we should question the reasons they go into politics
in the first place.

If the country was run like a corporation with best
and the brightest running the show then it would be good
for all. However that doesn't seem to be the way the
game is played in theis country. Today - incompetence,
mediocrity, and worst of all - secrecy is the norm.
And is rewarded - not matter what the cost to the people
and the nation.

I have to admit that I have been a bit disappointed with Abbott but to suggest that Bill Shorten is a credible alternative is wishful thinking.

Hockey's statement on housing was tactless but correct. What alternative does Labor have? The price rise is all about supply, interest rates and market euphoria.

The terrorism laws only apply to dual nationality and won't make anybody stateless, although I don't necessarily agree with it.

Wind power has contributed very little to Australia's reduction in greenhouse gases as they are generally backed up by coal fired power stations.

Shorten's policies on Super are delusional. There are few people with excessive Super balances. Taxing them might create fairness but it won't yield much revenue and will be expensive to collect because so many people have multiple funds.

The current enquiry into union corruption is looking very bad for Bill Shorten. Work Choices, for all its faults, actually achieved better outcomes for workers. It was opposed by Labor because the unions couldn't use extortion to get kick backs.

I've always considered the Labor party, an establisment of petty criminals: And on the other side, the LNP as an establishment of professional criminals. I find no need to change that opinion after reading this article.

No doubt Syd was one who insisted that it was impossible to stop the boats (which for a totally incompetent Labour party was), to complex to scrap the carbon tax (which for economic vandals makes sense) and to dishonest to face the fact that wind farms need coal and cost a fortune to tax payers. How bad is Abbott? Well compared to Labour/Greens six years of massive spending/debt pretty good actually.

Yes Foxy, and admiral sentiments! If only it could be so!?

And on the subject of Japanese Subs. Aren't skilled workers paid more there? And don't they have to buy our iron ore to make the steel needed?

Can it be they are able to do better than us given our gold plated power system is the biggest cost factor in building any ship, sub or indeed, our world class cars?

And or a tax system that includes an entirely unnecessary 7% impost on the bottom line, just to pay for tax compliance costs!

And why are we settling for diesel powered subs, when we now have to import most of our fuel? (91%)

And at an annual cost of 26 billion? And with just a couple of weeks reserve?

Abbott seems to cling grimly to huge welfare for the rich instruments like Negative gearing, super tax concessions, and family trusts, all of which now function more as onshore tax havens than setting oneself up for retirement/the kid's education!?

For mine, and given the debt and deficit, all government services and benefits, ought to be means tested, if only to insure that our megre funds go to retirees in genuine need, not those who can afford an annual overseas holiday, and at the arm of a one armed bandit the rest of the time!?

Something stinks when we can't afford an NDIS, but can afford super tax concessions, that cost the budget bottom line far more.

And isn't it time, the fight against domestic violence was properly funded!

I mean some 18,00 desperate calls for help from battered wives went unanswered last year, because we just didn't have enough professionals to man the help line?

And exactly what one might expect when ideology and dogma replaces reason and logic/genuine concern and empathy?

I think Abbott is probably a good man, but we'll likely need to see him out of politics, like say Geoff Kennet, to see the man and not the hard nosed polly?
Rhrosty.

I totally agree with the author in that I too would find it scary to go to the next election with Abbott and Hockey at the helm again.

After running a campaign against a decomposing Labour last time, with a promise not to lie to the Australian people, Abbott gives his 'signature policy', the Parental leave scheme, the big flick.

He also promised not to mess with the aged pension, but lied about that too.
He hasn't stopped the boats at all, as they are still setting out to come here, but he is lying again about this Government's involvement in payments to the people smugglers.

How is this crowd any better than the last lot?

If the Nationals were a party on their own, I would vote for them in a flash. At least they made good on their promises to the Western Australian people with their 'Royalty for Regions' payments to so many country towns.

Abbott is pretty bad. The following examples show the "quality" and the "character" of our PM. There are many more appalling examples, but these are some of the lowlights.

October 2007. Tony Abbott as health minister not only refused to see Bernie Banton, a dying man who was campaigning for better treatment for mesothelioma victims - he also insulted him - saying Mr Banton's visit to his office was a "stunt".
"A wheelchair-bound Mr Banton called Mr Abbott a "flea" after the apparent snub yesterday. "I'm absolutely infuriated that this Minister has consistently refused to meet with me," a visibly enraged Mr Banton said.
http://www.news.com.au/news/abbott-phones-in-banton-apology/story-fna7dq6e-1111114764079

Kerry O'Brien interviewing Tony Abbott, May 2010
Tony Abbott: "Sometimes in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark. Which is one of the reasons why the statements that need to be taken as gospel truth is those carefully prepared scripted remarks."
...
Kerry O'Brien: "One month you say no new tax, the next month you say a $2.7 billion tax. ... But what you are saying is that the public are not going to know one day to the next when you are saying something that is absolutely rock solid and when it's not. Are there two Tony Abbotts? The real Tony Abbott and the Tony Abbott who tailors what he has to say to whatever audience he has in front of him ... We've talked about the time you told the audience in a Victorian country town that the climate change argument was quote "absolute crap". And then you told me later that you were just loose with your language. "It didn't represent my true position" you said. How are we to know when we are hearing your true position and when you are fudging the truth?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc5ljcri6Nk

Tony Abbott's "Sh!t Happens" gaff regarding the death of an Australian serviceman in Afghanistan, and 28 seconds of silence that followed when asked about his insensitive remarks. February 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PkHix9Km94

Ah the joys of federal politics.

Foxy - I have to agree with the noble sentiments you posted earlier. If only our system rewarded honesty and capability.

I am traditionally a LNP coalition leaning voter. Personally however, I dislike Tony Abbott. For much the same reason as I disliked Julia Gillard and found George W. Bush very amusing. They seem to allow their personal feelings to overrule any sense of doing the right thing and getting on with the job of governing the country. In a two party system where you vote for your local representative, you are voting for primarily the party you want in power, not the individual for PM and their personal religious and other views. Perhaps if we could persuade Tony Abbott to lose the personal views, spend less time saying "it's labor's fault" and spend more time pursuing the genuine national interest he would be less offensive to some. Probably not however, he seems to have a knack for rubbing people the wrong way.

If only we could avoid the muck raking and mud slinging of politics and actually have a truly progressive government.

Just for fun - Maybe one where the PM doesn't think Wind turbines are ugly and coal power plants are attractive. That would be nice

don't forget BJelly that Abbott also supposedly punched the air 40 years ago which gave the abs two days news. NOw as for Bill's past well! Personal views only affect public performance when its a conservative. You obviously are competing with Foxy and Poirot for the Abbottphobia award for 2015. Hatred does really affect one's vision.

It is not so long since we had a Labor government, so you do not need a long memory to realize that we are now a thousand times better off under Abbott.
I am grateful for the fact that the vandals are not in charge, and deplore Syd’s nitpicking ingratitude.
We have no carbon tax, and a possibility of thr cheap power that our reserves of coal would afford us, were it not for the climate fraud baselessly demonising human emissions.

>>How bad is Abbott really?>>

It depends on your benchmark.

If you're comparing him to his two immediate predecessors, Rudd and Gillard, not too bad.

If you compare him to the three before that, Hawke, Keating and Howard, he's pretty awful.

But if your measure is whether he is up to the challenges facing Australia as we enter the tail-end of the minerals boom there's only one answer:

Hopeless.

However, probably no more hopeless than Shorten.

stevenlmeyer,

>>How bad is Abbott really?>>

It depends on your information source.

If you're using the Murdoch Press as a basis for comparing him to his two immediate predecessors, Rudd and Gillard, not too bad.

If you're using any objective criteria when comparing him to his two immediate predecessors, Rudd and Gillard, he's pretty awful.

To Aidan:

Murdoch, Shmurdoch.

The only worthwhile criterion is my last one.

>>Is he is up to the challenges facing Australia as we enter the tail-end of the minerals boom>>

Rudd and Gillard are history. Whether he was better or worse than them is irrelevant.

But is he up to the job at hand?

Answer: No, nein, nyet, lo, no way Jose, not even close.

Unfortunately neither is Shorten.

All very depressing.

The problem with the left whingers is that they are beginning to believe their propaganda.

TA has achieved more in 18 months than labor did in 6 years. The true test is whether a government will risk popularity to push through necessary reforms. Labor simply played the populist agenda with negligent regard to the economics.

TA is certainly the best PM this decade.

The problem with the right whingers is that they have long been deceived by their own propaganda.

TA has achieved no good things. He's made no necessary reforms. His economic policy serves his propaganda but damages the national interest. As does his foreign policy. And he's lied far more than JG did!

TA is certainly the worst PM this decade.

LOL

Shadow Minister & Aidan

Trying to figure out which of Rudd, Gillard or Abbott is the best - or worst - PM of the decade is like trying to figure out who is smarter between Daffy and Donald Duck. And about as useful.

None of them achieved anything of note.

None of them give even any sign that they understand the challenges facing Australia.

Left whingers and right whingers are equally deceived by their own propaganda because - guess what? - ideology makes you stupid.

Remember that:

Ideology makes you stupid.

Neither Karl Marx nor Ayn Rand have anything useful to say about running a country.

stevenlmeyer,

Supposedly you are science nut, well so am I. However, as I care about the future of the country, and am able to form an opinion, and as this thread is about Abbott assumedly with respect to his peers, and particularly about his achievements your post is supremely irrelevant.

Abbott's achievements:
Stopped the boats and deaths at sea,
3 FTAs
Reduced spending (limited by the senate)
got rid of the world's biggest carbon tax.
etc.

In comparison Labor looks more than a little incompetent.

stevenlmeyer,

It is not ideology itself that makes people stupid, but use of ideological assumptions as a substitute for facts, and failing to consider alternative viewpoints.

____________________________________________________________________________

Shadow Minister,
Looking at your list of Abbott's achievements:

Stopped the boats and deaths at sea: FALSE
He may have stopped them reaching Ausralia, but refugees are still dying at sea. We don't know how many, though, as he has stopped the reporting.

3 FTAs: TRUE
(Most of the negotiations were done by the previous government, but finalizing them is stil a significant achievement for Abbott).

Reduced spending (limited by the senate): BAD FOR AUSTRALIA!
An economic stimulus is needed — we need more government soending not less.

got rid of the world's biggest carbon tax: BAD FOR THE WORLD!
Removing the economic incentive to switch to more environmentally friendly energy sources was a political decision based upon exaggeration of its costs.