The latest Crosby/Textor polling must have come in- the Coalition has given up on the filthy character attacks on Rudd's dead father and attacking his wife.

Now the best this tired side of politics has got is attacking Mr Rudd for not falling into Howard's blatant political wedges and a cold war era attack on the labor party as apart of the socialist conspiracy.

The last socialist government floated the dollar, privatised the commonwealth bank & QANTAS, deregulated the financial markets, cut tariffs and moved from a centralised wage fixing to EBAs.

Many of these reforms were what John Howard as treasurer was too gutless to touch.

This opinion piece is another example of the political desperation in the Liberal Party that is so structurally and intellectually weakened that it will descend into unelectable anarchy when it loses the federal election.

It may appear to the authors that Kevin Rudd is 'Mini-Me John Howard'. Upset that Rudd's not falling for Howard's wedges, Rudd gets sledged as an echo. It's desperate slurs from the losing side of politics.

Despite the slurs, Rudd looks like becoming our next PM because many Australians want major reform in the way that government business is conducted in Australia.

Above all we need a government with integrity and transparency instead of the sleaze and corruption that has been the hallmark of Howard's regime.

Rudd is set to deliver a government that is prepared to tackle structural reform, with the huge efficiencies achievable through systematically stream-lining government decision-making and ending the Federal-State blame game.

Removing states from service delivery, strengthening and enlarging local government roles and addressing constitutional review including a bill of rights would be a good start for a Rudd government. Rudd is keeping his policy amunition under embargo for his election manifesto.

I look forward to fresh thinking in 2008 that will allow Australians to stand proud in the world community, dedicated to implementing the UN's Millenium Development Goals aimed at eradicating world poverty and in foreign policy, distancing ourselves from the lame duck 'Mini-me George W' and his disasterous crucade alliance of the gullible that has made OZ an enemy to the millions of ordinary citizens opposed to military adventurism in their homelands.

We should solidly support international treaties and not weaken the nuclear non-proliferation treaty with the typical back-door deals as occurred with the wheat deals with Saddam in the oil for food scandal.

mr clark, a working family is one where dad is not beating mum, or drinking up his wages, where mum is not poisoning dad or visibly having it off with the neighbors, and the kids attend school regularly, don't do a sideline in drugs or prostitution, and the dog doesn't attack postie. your ignorance is understandable, very few left of this standard.

non-working families get all the media attention, as do politicians, for much the same reasons: violence, corruption, greed.

I don't think public space should be given to party hacks to propagandize on their political opponents. I haven't and won't bother to read their stuff which should come with a warning..and OLO should demand ad costs. I am not a member of the ALP and would feel similar if these two hacks banged on from that side of the tracks.

Very confusing item. Uses the same data to argue two separate cases.

First you acclaim Howard's policies as being the best ever, so to speak. Next you attack Rudd for copying those policies you think are so brilliant.

Please explain as our favourite daughter would say. How is it wonderful for Howard to have such policies and not for Rudd? And don't tell us that Howard's policies are unique to him. You know fully well that prqactically everything he has done is s direct copy of either Bush but more frequently that Labor PM, Blair. If you don't agree then name some policies Howard HAS NOT copied.

If those policies are great then isn't it appropriate that Rudd uses them? Or did you want him to create ridiculous policies so we can reject them.

What you Coalition barrackers don't get is that :

. There is no left or right,
. Socialists disappeared some decades ago and the comrade stuff is limited to behind closed doors and usually Greens rather than Labor,
. Rudd does not have the baggage that Howard does. Howard has a record which isn't possible to record here. We all know what he has done. Some good, some bad and some purely aimed at destroying our way of life.

I'm surprised you didn't just write an item with one line, being :

"Lefties are bad people". Despite "lefties" disappearing some decades ago.

That covers your vision and views as I read it.

If you are going to claim an item as being some sort of analysis it is sometimes a good look to be unbiased. Disappointingly such items are rare here.

Well said Jup. Party Hacks and that's no surprise given Graham Young's previous career as a Coalition MP.

By the way Labor is just as bad and I will attack them when they get in. As I do at the State level so don't accuse me of being a biased Party hack.

It's the usual story though isn't it? The Coalition makes the unpopular changes because people are tired of the "Spend, spend, spend" attitude of the ALP. Then people get tired of the unpopular changes and think that the promises of the ALP equate with some sort of Nirvana.
Rudd can afford to offer people the moon and more at the present time. He is well aware that ALL that matters is getting into government. After that he will, like a good little Vegemite, do just as the unions and factions tell him to do...unfortunately the rest of us are unlikely to be saved by Vegemite sandwiches.
I am actually frightened by the prospect of the ALP coming to power. They are inexperienced, inept, union driven, arrogant and tneir smiles do not reach their eyes.