."Hawke and Keating organised an economic revolution and the Howard years were ones of prosperity."

Another example of the authors Labor bias and lack of balance. No attempt to give credit where credit is due. Some points that could have been made if even handed:

- many of the most important economic changes implemented by Hawke were those Howard had developed and left to Hawke to implement (many blocked by Fraser). These reforms made by Hawke were strongly supported by Howard in Opposition, so all Hawke had to do was to persuade the unions to go along with them.

- However, when Howard won government, Labor, instead of supporting good policy (such as the GFC and sale of Telstra to name just two), were relentlessly negative from the get go. Labor set the president of unconstructive, relentless negativity. Labor is perfecting it now.

- Howard Government was highly competent but blocked from doing as much as it could have done because of Labor's irresponsible, relentless negativity.

- Howard government deserves credit for the economic success during its decade in government. It sorted out the budget debt and deficit crises left by Labor (as virtually all Labor governments do) and gave business confidence the government would not continually stuff them around, as Labor under control of the unions invariably do.

- also recall the screams from the laborites complaining that the government should not be running large surpluses, it's not the government's money, it's ours, give it back. Laborites now ignore history or like to try to revise it.

- regarding the hate filled speech and the vitriol - it is the political Left that is largely responsible for that - e.g. calling people who do not accept their ideological/religious beliefs "Deniers" as just one very clear example. That's just one example of their continually hatefilled pejorative language. What could be more disgraceful than that?

Then of course there is the continuous flow ofmean-spotited, hate-filled comments from misandrists like Gillard and the female Labor politicans - Emily's List https://www.emilyslist.org.au/about/our-history and many of the Labor-Greens

By being politically correct and a muddler, Malcolm, like Rudd and Gillard, does not justify a ranking higher than LOW among Australian PMs.

Malcolm has failed to do anything of note since he knifed Tony Abbott in the back.

He certainly ranks below Abbott.

Raycom,

I agree. here are just some of Abbott's achievements - in just 2 years as PM!

• Stopping the boats,

• scrapping the carbon and mining taxes, ¬

• accelerating budget repair,

• the signing of trade agreements with Japan, South Korea and China,

• removing support for the ailing car industry,

• refusing ¬financial support for (now profitable) Qantas,

• repealing red and green tape,

• the creation of innovation growth centres,

• Royal Commission into Union Corruption and Governance (and therefore also into Labor & Greens corruption, integrity and lack of ethics), and

• the commissioning of papers on

o tax reform,
o northern Australia and
o the federation

These are but some of the Abbott government’s successes.

The record is impressive and will surprise many.

To give credit where it's due, Hawke and Keating presided over fiscally conservative changes that included driving labor further to the right?

Whereas, (fiscal illiterate) Howard rammed his regressive G.S.T. down our throats, as his only considered response to the almost universal off-shoring of corporate Australia, taking their tax liabilities with them. Quote unquote.

Then squandered mining booms mark one and two; and their rivers of gold, buying votes with pork barreling and welfare for the rich? Power and its retention being the only compelling priority!?

Moreover, you can't polish a turd, unless fully fossilized? Like some of the brains on the ultra-conservative ultra-socialist side of politics?

There once was a shining light on the hill! The day it went out, even his chief rival, Mr Menzies wept!

And the day we buried our last political visionary! Simply put in real measurable terms, we been going backwards ever since! As has bipartisan pragmatism and putting the real national interest ahead of all other considerations?

Now, it's just winning at all costs and the winner takes it all! And what else can we sell or duck shove? Moreover, nobody cares anymore!?

New ideas? What a novel quaint eccentricity! Real nation building reform? The very idea! Go wash your mouth out!
Alan B.

Peter Lang, a very useful summary of Abbott's many achievements.

o sung wu,
"I suspect some wouldn't agree with me"
What's the bet 80% of those people would be women, and they would also think you are sexist, no matter what your reasons.

And what does that tell us?
I dare not ask...