Ho hum, another leftist wishing to blame the Lib's for winning. Who else are Australians going to vote for, the ALP, they can't even organise their own parliamentary wing.
Another example of the academic elite, only they can see Howard's methods for only they are so intelligent, as opposed to the masses who are oh so ignorant.
Keep whingeing and not working and you will see another ten years of conservative rule.

All- You are an irresponsible person. You do not represent the majority of Australians. Why? I visited the threads you suggested and am confronted with a cat aiming a automatic rifle out a window with a telescopic lens onto a street. I have faith that the majority of Australians would be appalled at a website that is so obscene. And you expect me to take your patronising nonsense dressed up as friendly advice seriously. That is behaviour of a jackal and John Howard and his Liberal mob should stand up to extremists like you instead of pandering to the right to get there vote.

Re: your earlier post in another language. Why another language? You hypocrite you and your mob jump up and down because a few refugees and immigrants are having trouble learning English and you deliberatly use another language to get your rocks off. They have a valid reason - you All- have no excuse.

One last thing: Re: that blog. No All- your problem is your nose is too close to your bum.

Allow me to to over-simplify here, and to borrow from behavioural science: we vote for a party/leader largely because we (perhaps unknowingly?) succumb to the biological drive to reflect our own mind out loud: we want a father/authority figure to lead our dog-pack. We need a tough leader who will impose order upon the pack and who will savagely lead us, through the wilderness to the red meat.

Given that they've obviously all voted this way so frequently, John Howard/the Libs must be a reflection of the average Aussie. So, yes, that makes the average Aussie a modest fascist, a self-concerned, short-term-biased, aspirational mongrel, of limited conscience and with a good dose of narcissism. Go on, admit it, you love being a closet bastard.

In the end, those with more left-inspired sympathies (social equity, respect for rights, concern for one's neighbours, an altruistic love of education and the arts, pro-choice, for separation of church and state, etc) may be 'right', but the dog-pack's self interest with filling its belly will probably win out any day over prinicipled concerns for the greater good of the race, the planet and to posterity/our inheritors.

John Howard is not the problem: we are the problem. Australians live in a privileged world, borne aloft by Mother Earth's bounty of coal, iron, wheat and sheep. We spend the profits therefrom on plasma LCD screens and 4 wheel drives. Of course we are going to vote for a pack-leader that flatters our own biases and prejudices.

Hey, the boat's not sinking today, so we must be doing nothing wrong yet, correct? One day, the bill will come due, we just don't care too much to be reminded of it. Howard voters will then live in the world that Howard's legacy (and their own narcissism) leaves to them. I hope they will remember to not complain then, and to keep thinking what they've always thought. "She'll be right, mate."

Opinionated 2,
I believe there is a centre in politics, how you find it is to go left 100 klm's from the Liberal Party, and 99 klms' left of the Labor Party, and there is is the middleground. I too long for a centre party to fill the void.

Some of the left's ideas appeal to me, however I would really enjoy the best of both worlds, a party of balance, consisting of left, right and centre, with an emphasis on centre. However we have seen attemps at beginning a new party before, New Labour, One Nation etc, they get off the ground, then fall on their face. I believe the only way for reasonable, rationable people to change the current situation is to join their favoured party and work from within to pull them back from the brink.

You are offended by Little Yassa Ali-cat, you are further advanced than I thought;

How many cats in one day do you see running around with fire arms? did you see the Sardinian cat in his frog suit ? After all, it is a Multi Culti society? Fairdinkum Ran, if you can only look at pictures and are unable to read, you should have said something to save the embarrassment. The Continued expletives denote some activity . The other Language is Latin, and I am not telling you , find out your self. I can not be bothered after that Dummy Spit about nothing.
Good one Shonga.

PFH,

You sound like a very disgruntled ex-labor voter...

I agree with you the opposition is weak... but it seems to be improving. They are at least having a go.

The cleverness of John Howard was to get the one nation voters to come across to him thereby giving up their hopes of some radical change in society. Not that I agreed with One Nation but that is what happened.

One Nation voters are now back in the fold. Most of them don't even realise they were tricked to get back into line...lol Queue here, One Nation voters and they queued up in droves. When Pauline was around at least they were trying to make a difference... maybe in the wrong direction at times but they were at least participating.

Politicians by nature have to manipulate situations to get what they desire... John Howard is very adept at this practise. But there is nothing "left" or "elitest" in pointing this out. They are just facts.

Read more on the AWB scandal.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18339010%255E7583,00.html

Shonga, I like you would love to see a middle party that represents the average Aussie. I have never belonged to a political party or voted a particular way because I want to remain independent. I wish that by joining a party one could change them from the inside but I'm afraid that is not the nature of parties. They always have egotistical politicions in charge. The come the egotistical advisors ... and way way back come the poor little members.

Look at many of the people who have posted here. Many have probably voted one way all their lives. They have never seen a reason to change. Wow! Illegal Wars, Inproper Ministerial Conduct, Inproper behaviour, Corruption, Lies, Broken promises won't make them change.

If only people could step back from their biases and see that parties are no different to them. In a party they vote along party lines and as individuals they vote along party lines also. So much for thinking!

WTTGW : Good post it is our own fault!