It seems to me you take John Howard at face value or verbal value, to which he lacks integrity on both.
It is not about big government at all, it is about corporate power, and their power over governments. Whether we have Howard or Rudd will make no difference.
The State governments are also puppets for corporate power.
Local government, has no power, developers and Sartor rule.
Australia should make use of corporates by taking services to the bush and creating regional centres.
Gough Whitlam was before his time, his vision of trying to decentralise government and business to centres such as Bathurst/Orange, it would have had a positive effect.
Public transport is a major issue, ignored by governments, rail has become mostly private to support corporate power. The people miss out every time.
The big government vision, you allude to was demonstrated by Howard's National emergency in the NT, This type of stunt would not be tolerated by white Australians.
Howard can only bully marginalised people who are unable to share the riches of this country, who are missing out on their basic rights to adequate health and education services.
We do not need Big Government Vision, we need a benevolent dictator to right the wrongs done by people like PM Howard.

In a system in which profit is all,then yes let us get rid of state parliaments as soon as possible. They do cost money they do get things wrong they are subject to bribery or coercion.
Part of the cost however is the price we pay for having a democratic say in our affairs.
Only necessary when of course one thinks democracy is about people exerting their will.
Granted as corporate power increases and impinges in a way that is out of sight of the electorate very wrong results will happen.
To believe that lobbies have no effect or that politicians are not open to bribery or coercion, merely shows how effective spin is. Or how ill informed one is. Same thing really for increasingly we are misinformed, fact becomes opinion or is omitted altogether.

Local-isms and Partic-ularisms is how we as a "whole" community operate.

Nationalism for me is about culture and how that actually translates or inter-connects an issue for each of us and our families, our fellow citizens in community - at work or play.

For me 'nationalism' works as a cultural gift... a respect earned together... If we understand eachother... the truth comes through as parts making the whole...

Sorry - it is that I am proud of how "we" as Australians handled ourselves during the APEC - into yesterday.

I am proud of the street police - (all those) who didn't "provoke" - who set a cultural example - given all the orders... and that it is possible that many felt otherwise... themselves... and,that we as civilian's gave "passion" (regardless...) everywhere.

I am proud of the Leaders, as people of Australia yesterday...

I adored Lateline... THANK YOU!

About the "A" word addressed on WAE... and how that appeared to me to be the only "UNSAID" observation (not highlited by us) when listening on talkback... meaning the clowns and the treatment of the skit was very helpful and I felt relief to see it handled this way. (LAST nights WOE, a tightly drafted edit)

I feel it is up to us as citizens now.

I adore the way we are learning as a NATION under so much pressure. I mean even our complaints are growing more positive... as a means to create solid debate.

May we sort this election out. May politic's become something we all want to be "on about" as individuals.

And, I support a "No Wrong Door" inclusive policy for business-community and government. I am looking to the Democrates to help sort the "trust" issues related to "privacy" for this. I want a NO WRONG DOOR policy through services but will contest it's value seriously if it isn't handled with absolute care.

I believe in openness and transparency and as much as poss otherwise it's all about more chaos - creating more burden and legal costs... (with a majority locked-out) which w\could be real BACKWARD.

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sarah 101: you are the real source of danger to oz, people who ask for benevolent dictators invariably get 1/2 what they ask for, the back half. that's why we have howard, you're too lazy, or too ignorant, to learn the facts about politics. there are no good politicians, sarah.

the depressing truth about oz society is, ozzies aren't citizen quality people. they're brought up to be sheep, and sheep they are.

you can't make a democracy with sheep, but you can vote against incumbents, you can vote for independents, this will reduce the power of party politicians. it may save us from dictatorship.

The vision of big government is already here, just as it was in Eastern Europe.

The press is mainly propaganda. It doesn't carry the stories of the people and stories relevant to the people's experience. It carries stories of politicians, political parties and their fortunes coupled with an unhealthy dose of distraction, like sport.

Regulation is ridiculous with most of the population spending days or weeks filling out forms for our public servants, developing business cases for essential services for review by public servants, trying to avoid penalties exacted by our servants and paying over 50% of our income to support vast bureaucracies.

Government performance is a disaster. Health services collapsing, Customs debacles that keep containers on the wharf for weeks, Centrelink with its 3 million or so errors per year, military equipment that doesn't work and constant budget blowouts created by lack of planning.

Many people are afraid of the government and one look at people like Phillip Ruddock tells us why. The relationship between government and the governed is one of master and slave, where the slaves are given work by the master and punished if they don't perform. The spectacle of the security 'needed' for APEC should be sufficient. Or the $2 billion plus that extra 'security' has directly cost us in recent years, the indirect costs must be staggering.

We have entered a world of few freedoms and all responsibility for the taxpayers, and massive freedom and no responsibility for our governments.

This is unsustainable, unpleasant and undemocratic.

Sarah is right. We need a benevolent dictator. But one who will immediately rules 2 term maximums for all state and federal leaders.

The current system is capable of the most heinous propagandist collaborations between state and federal leaders. Collaborations that raise many questions about the Bracks and Beatie resignations.

The biggest problem for Australia and the world is overpopulation to 8.5 billion in 2025 colliding with oil running dry.

Yet the NSW state and the federal governments argue about the IRRELEVANT issue of housing affordability. If immigration intake was reduced to zero tomorrow, house prices would stabilise and families and renters would gradually get back into popular markets. However politicians along with their developer and ethnic minority power backers would be out of business and have to really work to satisfy community needs. Thats why they lie & pretend to argue affordability when immigrational housing demand is the problem.

As I've said before, economic growth based on population growth is pure corruption. It allows politicians to make voters PAY for a future that governments are continually finding ways like skewed health, education and basic services funding to deny electors. They pass our benefits on to more manipulable skilled immigrants whom they no doubt believe in their hearts are better genetic stock than existing Australians.

It is possible with due and proper education regimes to have a stable 21 million population AND have economic growth particularly in high tech areas such as a PBR nuclear industry, space research and hot rock geothermal energy generation.
System architects in these areas can be bought from overseas to design systems & train Australians without having to make them citizens.

We have the human potential, we don't need to populate approaching PEAKOIL and we can better our economic and community standards a la Scandinavian countries provided we get a decent benevolent dictator.