I listened before he flipped flopped all over the pace, on climate change, negative gearing and marriage equality!

Now it seems he has gone cold on a republic anytime soon? Given we seem to be waiting for a foreign queen to kick the bucket as a sign of (unspoken) royal consent? The other, a trifle difficult under said circumstances?

That said, he is clearly the most able mind in the coalition and stands out even more so among the assorted Troglodytes, who form the balance in the melee, trying to act as an united coalition?

So, who in the alternative government would be more able or resolute or willing to look at or try new ideas/original thinking! And that's where the carousel (thinking within a fixed circle of very limited ideas) and the music stops!

And think Everald, it's all downhill inside the (tin ear) descending spiral, merely masquerading as competent government, from here!
Alan B.

I am confused, when did the music start?

Alan B,

One of the myths of Australian politics in recent years has been the one in which Turnbull is always the smartest guy in the room. Yet there is no evidence to support that. On the contrary, he has a tin ear for public (and Coalition) opinion and has flip flopped on numerous issues. Income taxing powers for the states and more recently, the kite floated about the reintroduction of an emissions trading scheme are just two examples.

His voting record over the years has been incredibly inconsistent and contradictory: http://www.openaustralia.org.au/mp/malcolm_turnbull/wentworth

No wonder nobody is listening any more.

My original post analysing Compton's proposals missed a glaring contradiction.

On one hand, he says we are all going to have to get used to (probably very large) tax increases "to get our debt and deficit into order and make funds available for the a vast program of infrastructure". That would be hundreds of billions in extra taxes, apparently to come from ordinary citizens.

On the other hand, he reckons that (implicitly all) private enterprise companies are characterised by "greed, corruption and incompetence" and that they need "constant tax cuts, incentives and handouts for them to survive."

So they don't pay taxes, then? And none of them report profits?

Clearly, then, they are in no position to pay any of those increased taxes.

Poor old Everald. A stranger to reality.

This slew of "comments" only goes to prove that we are doomed.
The "usual" suspects have jumped in with their usual cries of disbelief that anyone could be so crass as to not believe their screams of hate for any criticism of their heroes ideology. They are after all born to rule and are the only ones that have the brains and ability to get us out of the mess that Labour have caused.
The fact that labour has been mostly so quiet that they could be accused of being asleep on the job and have not been in power for three years, does not strike a chord with them.
Sorry guys but it is not going to matter who is "in".
The system is at fault.
What is the better way to run this country? I do not know but it is never going to be any good all the time the really stinking rich and the big corporations are able to buy the politicians of their choice to enact the rules they want to squeeze even more loot from the proles.

The people doing most of the squeezing of loot from the proles are the likes of Shorten - who sold out his own union members to fatten his union's coffers at their expense - and the criminal enterprises like the CFMEU, now facing up to fines of millions of dollars for their standover tactics, threats and intimidation.

Strangely, though, none of what you say rings true: the comments on this article have uniformly dealt with critiques of the content and arguments put forward.

Only you, Robert LePage, have regaled us with you deep knowledge of "the stinking rich and the big corporations" who are allegedly able to buy politicians. Any evidence for that? Or is it just a pose?

Calwest: I well remember when Lance Hancock, took iron ore so pure, two chunks could be wielded together, to many Australian Government!?

To be met with comments like, mountains of the stuff? And you want startup capital? Fair dinkum!? LOL. Oh my aching ribs!

Eventually he was forced to concede we lacked any pragmatists inside (surprise surprise) conservative politics!

Leaving him with no other choice than to sell to a foreign mining company or risk losing his leases?

A Large Canuk mining company duly arrived, replete with as it turns out, a virtually worthless letter of credit? Backed by Chase Manhattan? Who reportedly, were trading while insolvent?

Only had their irons pulled from the fire, ten minutes to midnight, by new mexican oil finds?

And it was that reportedly, virtually worthless document, that levered the entire start up funding from our own banks? With mining machines constructed here by vickers ruwolt of melbourne and most of the skilled staff, sourced locally!

In other words, the real outcome was, all the finance and expertise, was sourced locally!

Since then hundreds of billions have flowed offshore as monumental repatriated profits and massive avoided taxes?

But I guess that's OK Dilbury, given not so much flowed as virtual rivers of gold, yesterday? Is that your carefully considered judgement Mate?

Remove the foreign miner and his virtually worthless letter of credit, from the scenario; and all those billions in repatriated profits and avoided taxes could have stayed! To be reinvested here in myriad, fail safe, cheap, clean, safe energy projects!

Think, with pragmatists at the helm, where and what could we be now! Certainly not an almost failing economy with record exponentially expanding foreign and domestic debt!

I'm not against private enterprise by any stretch CW, just rank stupidity, and the highly flawed notion we need foreign capital! But particularly that which comes with debt laden, controlling, foreign speculators attached to it!

What's your problem mate? Could it be patriotism and pragmatism are dirty words where you come from?
Alan B.