Well, Howard was rewarded for his efforts. How humiliating for a Prime Minister to lose his seat!

While there are elements one can agree with here David, it's just not John Howard who seems to be self delusional?

You label what you don't agree with as left leaning, regardless of whether or not, it was an area of policy born in conservative ranks or minds?

And you critique the minimum wage even though stripped to the bare minimum, you yourself couldn't live on it.

[Pay rent, run and service an obligatory motor vehicle, dress well, keep an also obligatory mobile phone on your person like the ideal job seeker must, and eat well enough to maintain healthy nutrition, essential for the energetic physical and mental activity required to hold down a, minimum wages job!]

Clearly you've been far too long in the ivory tower, gazing down with utter contempt, from your high lofty privileged position, on the rest of us mere mortals, for who you seem to see as just numbers in some entirely irrelevant, fool's paradise, right left leaning, juxtaposition?

And as an economic illiterate? You simply don't understand that our minimum wage money generated in our economy stays in that economy, working for us! All of us! Who do you work for?

And given your remarks and usual par for the course, calloused indifference, shows the paucity of thinking you apply before tilting at your favorite windmills!

Oh, if only Senators were paid the minimum wage, it'd be the very best anywhere!

Inasmuch as you do unto the least among you, you also do unto me. Quote unquote.
Alan B.

Well done, Alan B. One of the more devastating putdowns I've read in a long time.

I imagine both houses of parliament working for the basic wage with no allowances, just recompense for money spent 3 to 6 months down the track after the ATO has scrutinised every claim minutely looking for a reason to knock it back.

.... and by the way, I agree with Senator Leyonhelm's fairly dismal assessment of our former prime minister, correctly labelled "most profligate" in Australia's history.

Fancy losing your seat and being seen in public within the next 20 years. The man has no shame, no shame at all!

certainly allowing the abc socialist to dumb people down in regards to the gw scam was certainly a failure. They should of been stripped of propganda funding. Also handing out millions from the surplus in order to win Government was not good. It is however a totally false dichotomy if you fail to acknowledge the massive waste of the Rudd/Gillard years. Howard was buying votes from a surplus. Rudd/Gillard brought votes by first of all blowing a large surplus in next to no time and thieving by creating intergenerational debt. The financial crash was music to Labours ears and gave them a licence to throw away billions. My grandkids will be paying for such theft.

As a keen shooter I have a lot for which to thank John Howard.

He is the Father of the Australian Gun Lobby, without John's efforts we would not now have our own politicians in a number of State Parliaments, we would not have the excellent local firing ranges that we now enjoy nor the increasing number of Gun Clubs.
The idea to make it a condition of owning a firearm that one must belong to a recognized club and have a certain number of compulsory range attendances (apart from primary producers and a few others) each year has ensured that clubs are in a very healthy condition.

My local range has gone from an abandoned and unused condition to a landscaped modern range with excellent facilities, including wheelchair access and suitable toilets.
The range has lockup facilities for the various clubs that use it and the last Government grant (pending) is around $20,000.

Thanks, John!!