Personally, I still cannot see why we don't have annual general elections.

Better accountability
Better transparency
Better long-term planning
Better stability
Better politicians
Better educated electorate
Better mandates to actually achieve things
Better sense of sovereignty in an ever-increasingly globalised world

... and that's just SOME of the more pragmatic improvements.

By holding general elections EVERY year, it would better inculcate democratic principles & practices into our culture.

If you believe annual general elections would be like having the elections we have at present, only every year, you have completely missed the point of what a paradigm shift it would be.

What do ALL religions have in common? ANNUAL festivals which celebrate & inculcate their "world view" - this goes as much for secular religions as for the more traditional religions (you CANNOT hold Xmas, Easter, Passover, Hajj, ANZAC Day, Australia Day, Melbourne Cup, etc. etc. every 2nd, 3rd or 4th year!)

If you're scared of this idea, I beg you to think a little more deeply about it. Good people of the 19th Century were just as scared of universal suffrage, but who today would consider a country to be "democratic" unless it gave the vote to every adult?

Is there any chance that the vote could be taken OFF a section of the community now? Not likely!

I think the same will be said af annual general elections. Many will oppose the idea - for much the same reasons they opposed universal suffrage (fear of "the mob"?)

However, when annual general elections are adopted by any one country - and seen to succeed - see how quickly the idea spreads across the world! (Much like universal suffrage and secret ballot spread from Australia in the late 19th & 20th centuries).

Council, State & Federal elections should be together so that parties would be FORCED to align their policies across all three levels of government!

I'm willing to vote once a year.

What's stopping YOU from wanting it? Especially given most of us on this site want more accountability from our politicians!

In peace,
David (from Perth, Western Australia)

Democrats should learn something about democracy or change their name.

My other main point is that I have chosen Keating as my benchmark to measure all present and future PM’s. It might be a while before I really get disappointed. My disappointments with Howard therefore do not yet carry enough weight to list them here, although I promise that when I decide to make my protest vote, it will not be directed to the demoncrats. I’m even prepared to move to make it count.

I am sure we have had a Nine year stint by the Labour party that managed to stuff Australia right up.

Howard has done nothing to change those stuff ups which has virtually sold Australians out.

Business will tell you they are in control of the economy, it has nothing to do with Government. The Government only take the credit.

Harvey Norman Director laughed on the Business Sunday program when it was put to him that the Government was creating Australia's economical success.

Which concludes recent stories that Business group who advise the Government on policy, is actually dictating the policy.

By Business as a major contributor to Governing policy, what are the chances of a conscience when it comes to the major wellbeing of a countries Labour dependent market?

Personally I believe many posters disregard the consistancy of the Howard Government which began in Opposition with "We will never ever have a G.S.T. the 1993 election killed that idea" since 1995 you could always rely on this government.

We had "core" and "non-core" promises, "children overboard" the war "we had to have" the "non existent WMD's" the "AWB scandal" a lowering of Ministerial stands following the loss of 18 Ministers or parliamentry secretaries in the early years, ah yes consistancy is what we like from our governments.

John "Bonsai" Howard is the most srewd politician we have known since "Pig Iron Bob Menzies" how do we know when "bonsai" is not telling the truth, "his lips are moving" with the introduction of Workchoices [ironic name for a "NO choice law] the Howard battlers may at last realise enough is enough, as their wages and conditions fall. Some employers could not wait for this law to become official, and are already beginning to strip employees of their livelyhoods.

So let's all buy a $1,000 ticket to have dinner with "Bonsai" I noticed an inordinate amount of "Howard's battlers" at that one! and celebrate a "decade of fear" with Johhny. Bonsai is a little Bush. Oh nearly forgot, yes Winston, I fear it may be a communist plot....

Mind you having said that, I do agree with the notion of some posters, that JWH has only survived because Beazley "yes that's what we believe also" does not provide an alternative. He seems to present much like Crean before him, a nice bloke, but not leadership material. Now we look like getting stuck with Bill Shorten, he could run for Mark Vaile's current job, Deputy Liberal PM.

The Labor Party has never been more ineffectual in my living memory, the last ALP Leader of any substance was Whitlam more than 30 years ago. Since then Hawke, Keating, could have been Liberal PM's, Crean ineffectual, as is Beazley. The scary thing is that the last poll I saw gave the Labor Party the lead with 52% of the vote. This would not be disturbing if they offered something different, which sadly they don't.

Australian politics is no longer about two conflicting philosophies, merely a change of face. The most hypocrisy I have seen for a while was yesterday, Beazley had a go at "Bonsai" for being too Americian, an insult to be sure, not only to "Bonsai" but to the balance of the countries that make up America, Beaz should have said the United States of America. Beazley's hobbies include yank history!

Bonsai is a con artist, however Beazley is a b#$$^hit artist, how do you choose, chips or straws? It is way overtime that the ALP came back to their base, if they do not, they will shrivel into political oblivion, and quite rightly so, pardon the pun.

Lyn Allison,at last I have found someone that agrees,with me, for a long time,I have submitted my comments to some Australian newspapers,and made it clear,that in my opinion John Howard is a con expert,stating my reasons for coming to that conclusion,but I was made out to be,someone that really does not know what He was saying,and all comments came from Howard suppoters,wearing tinted blinkers,but as Lyn Allison points out,all is fact,and Australians will suffer in the end,and it will take the ALP a long time to undo the damage done by John Howard and his government,the coalition.