Now that our correspondent has got that off his chest perhaps he might grace us with his reason why the polls consistently predicted the results some 12 months out from the election.

In other words, Kevin Rudd was the only excuse needed to exercise the 'cricket bat' option.

Uh... rivergum... that's exactly what the article was explaining.

As far as i'm concerned the lying Liberal party shot themselves in the foot with the GST and then exacerbated matters with all the stuff that followed.Unfortunately,a lot of the damage they did and the lies they told cannot be fixed.Good riddance.

Nice blast, David. It describes several dear departeds very well (especially Downer and Costello, as you point out).

That said, Robb's contributions this week do not exactly match your description. Nor, I think, does Minchin's column yesterday.

I feel the Howard Govt suffered from the the Right to Rule syndrome that afflicts many management groups that have had a long tenure. They know what is best for the masses and start to pontificate from their position on high to all and sundry.
They do forget that there are many who are as well qualified to occupy their positions and often more so.
Sadly Mr Howard and his troops forgot this simple fact as have many others and as will many more in the future.
I think it is human nature and a basic cycle in the scheme of things.
Wait a while and you will see it all over again, if you arent already observing it somewhere else apart from those in govt.
Shaggy Dog

Howard, yesterday’s man

1. Neo-colonialism very much written into Howard’s foreign policies.

2. His backing of George W Bush simply replacing our American cousins following on from Pax Britannica to Pax Americana simply carrying on the superiority of the English-speaking clans.

3.The role of the American deputy sheriff in the Western Pacific and somewhat in the Sou-West Indian Ocean zone also gives reminders of colonial times.

4.It is obvious our Australian public though somewhat against an attack on Iraq, also obviously feel that being backed by the one nation that is allowed to pursue the latest in weaponry, including nuclear, is a very safe bet to be aligned with.

5.Also it is obvious that Howard’s belief in an Almighty is one that unlike the Sermon on the Mount of the Nazarene Jesus, Howard believes that war is still as necessary as it was in colonial times to preserve the Anglipholic as the ruling clans on earth to keep the world in order.

Unfortunately much of the above is about faith more in the faith of preservation of a caste than faith in what us Aussies might term a fair go.

The Israelis, of course, were and are still eager to stay aligned with us, and particularly with America, because though ruthlessly ground down in spirit by Hitler, know that only through America can they prove themselves in this world, which they certainly have so far in all kinds of mentalities.

It is in the Schools of Humanities in universities, however, were it it is felt Howard in his training as a lawyer, failed to get the message that human progress does not mean simply having faith in one ever-growing Great Power to rule and manage, but possibly more like is happening today in the sporting arena, learning from each other, and in the process all eventually working together and making for a far far kinder world, letting the hate burn out under field compeition, all colours mixing

Let's hope the Liberals "don't get it" for a long time. That way, they can sit in the “naughty corner” of the opposition benches and think about what they've done for a while. They need to learn that they can't just destroy our basic principle of a fair go, just to mold Australia into their miserable and disfigured image.

I was amazed to see Howard shaking Rudd's hand at The Lodge shortly after the election. Surely if there were any truth in the Coaltion's fear campaign, every minister that lost their seat would have packed their bags the next day and left the country to avoid the imminent economic depression we were about to hit under Labor. On the contrary, Costello has said that he'll be moving into the business sector. Now why would he want to do that when businesses around the country are about to collapse in a heap?

During the election campaign, Joe Hockey said that the Coalition's fear campaign was "based on truth". But I'm still waiting for those thuggish looking men with beer-guts poking through their suspenders to barge into the office in which I work and switch off the lights. 'Cause I'll tell ya what, if they dare do that, I'm gonna get right up and switch 'em strait back on. Ain't no Union thug gonna switch the lights off where I work. That's for sure!

In all seriousness though, why would the Unions want to shut-down businesses when they would cease to exist without them? Hmmm... looks like the former government thought we were pretty naïve.

But the Coalition can rest assured knowing that economists (long before Labor won government) were predicting a recession and more interest rate rises in the future - then they can blame Labor for them. Unfortunately though, there will be some who are uneducated enough to believe them and possibly get the Coalition back into power.

Here's something for the Coalition supporters to consider: If the Coalition is so great, then why do they need a coalition to win government, when Labor does it on their own?

Well, of course we had a change of government. A new generation of voters had grown up unaware that the Aussie dollar was once worth 46 US cents, and that housing interest rates reached 18% under Keating.

Labor governments have no idea how to make money, but they sure are good at spending it to buy themselves more ethnic interested or green obssessed Labor voters.

Unfortunaely, sooner or later, the well runs dry. So Australians have to put the Libs back in so that they can figure out how to repay our squillion dollar foreign exchange deficit and make our economy work again.

My advice? Work plenty of overtime now to tide you over for the 2010 "recession we had to have."

AJ,
“Here's something for the Coalition supporters to consider: If the Coalition is so great, then why do they need a coalition to win government, when Labor does it on their own?”

LOL!

Labor is a coalition in everything but name.
A thousand disparate little me-first groups – only unified by a common desire to raid the pantry.

Horus,

<<Labor is a coalition in everything but name.>>

It depends what you mean by “coalition”. Broadly speaking, I guess you could say that. Electorally speaking though, a “coalition” is: An alliance (or combination) of political parties for the purpose of securing a working majority in parliament. (http://www.elections.act.gov.au/glossary.html)

<<A thousand disparate little me-first groups – only unified by a common desire to raid the pantry.>>

What a hyperbolic statement. I don't see how the Coalition are supposed to be any different. They're all self-serving politicians at the end of the day.

According to recent polls, the main reason the Howard Government was voted out is because people felt that they had become internally focused; more interested in themselves than anything else.

This isn't a case of who is better – Labor or the Coalition. It's about getting rid of an old, stale, complacent and arrogant government, who had started to think that it was their right to stay in power.

If you don't think that a government (regardless of their political persuasion) should be tossed-out when they get like this, then I question your rationalé.

I'm afraid, redneck that your memory is faulty. The only time the Aussie dollar dipped below 50 cents US was in 2001. http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/mesi/FEATURES/Exchange-rates.htm So I don't see how you can blame the ALP for that.

I can't say I'm much of a fan of Rudd, but I suspect the sky won't fall down straight away.

Love a laugh! we have some one who commented on the thread after reading only the title.
A good thread very true and most posters said it like it is, but JOY!
The pain and silliness of a couple of hurting conservatives!
Love it!
Fact is by the time Kevin Rudd leaves and our next Prime Minister Bill Shorten takes over the high interest rates issue will be dead.
So to may the conservatives!
Unless they take ownership of this loss, this flogging, this deliberate well earned rejection by the electorate.
Understand it, and find the way back to liberalism and away from Howard's NSW right.
Watch closely as they rip one another apart and give Rudd a free run.
By the way Mr Shorten will not take very long to prove he is going to have a great future in politics.
Thanks to those posters I highlight, my party's self destruction from about 2002 was a self inflicted wound and the difference between me and them is I never subscribe to my party right or wrong.
Nore do I blame the electorate for voting as they wish.

AJ, the ALP got less than 44pc of the primary vote- hardly doing it on there own.

The ALP sought to maximise economic discontent and highlighted the potential for abuse of people thru WorkChoices. They have raised expectations of control of price increases of groceries, petrol and housing; and of improvements in the delivery of services by govts, including State govts. in the area of health, education etc.

They will be judged on their results.

It seems that we give a govt a few terms to prove their worth, and fair enough too.

Like Labor in the 90's, the Libs died a death of a 1000 cuts. Hardly rocket science. Nor is it hard to understand that the victors seek to influence the losers in their loss and confusion, and to write their version of the truth. Saw the same from the Libs. after 4 consecutive victories.

One can capture the votes of the electorate by POPULIST policies, but one cannot govern the nation, especially in times of war, by a POPULIST manifesto.

http://kotzabasis3.wordpress.com

David Ritter?The smart alek who thinks the real world operates like the socialist world of family life.Mum and Dad provide everything,so why shouldn't the state do likewise?

Time to grow up little boy and detatch yourself from the nipple of public service intravenous drip.The socialist's Labor luddites will be the downfall of all of us.

This is an inexplicable and unprecedented loss from a government managing a healthy vibrant economy. The coalition should find no comfort in the argument, that, familiarity breeds contempt.

Not since the 60s has any government tried to be so right, so parental, so black and white. Not since the 60s has any government rolled back civil rights. Who could have imagined we would see the justification of out and out torture? Who could have imagined the deportations, the rendition, the attack on human rights? The flimsy justification for war?

Only, 12 months ago our daily newspapers were still debating the legitimacy of torture. It may have taken us a long time to question these excesses. Perhaps, we needed to feel the economy was in safe hands before we were prepared to cleanse our conscience and express any outrage.

Many of us know the self indulgent idiocy which will inevitably follow the advent of the Rudd government. But the excesses of the Howard government are something all together different.

Who knows, we may never rediscover our equilibrium. Howard, Ruddock, Vanstone and Costello should be charged, punished and incarcerated. Only, we are too tame to understand the necessity for revenge. We do not have the necessary courage, the principles. I believe, we are in collective shock at the medieval mindset released by the Howard government.

But make no mistake, when the revisions are done and dusted, it is the Howard government , that, will find itself as the foremost pariah. This government consistently expressed unflinching confidence in its rightness only to be proven as out and out dishonest, prevaricating and dissembling time and time again. This government's greatest enemy was truth.

To all the true believers out there,
I have never seen such an outpouring of HUBRIS.

Everyone from the pollsters to the party hacks believes they have the sure-fire-reason why Howard’s lost.

The truth is likely to be a lot stranger.People vote for a party for a whole host of reasons, and many appear to ‘endorse’ polices which if put to them on an individual basis they’d reject.

The electorate hasn’t swallowed labor lock stock & barrel –don’t kid yourselves.

In my own electorate (dare I say it) BENNELONG, this election was either a referendum on:
-Nuclear power
-Climate change, or
-AWA’s
Depending what poster you came upon –take your pick …

Inevitably as night follows day, disillusionment and downfall follows HUBRIS.

Congratulations, David Ritter.

Yet another excellent article!

And if more of the electorate had been told the truth about the Howard Government, the vote against them would have been higher.

Horus find a quite spot scream the pain away but never forget until Rudd voters took the best of two evils,never in love with Howard just little choice.
Now it is different policy's and a leader?
Your lost wasted mob holds the lord Mayor of Brisbane that is the highest position in this country.
Yet you blame the voters? hugely funny!
And if you wait for them to wise up not your party it will be a long wait.
I am wondering when the election in Brisbane is? may take some union thugs[joke bloke] up and see if we can help.
Now is the hour of conservatives discontent and boy are they showing it , next election? small swing to Labor!

Congrats, everyone for a great mixture of points of view, reckon both Libs and Labor can learn from it, especially as it meant knocking out a government that seemed to be presiding over what has probably been our best financial times, though some say that despite the droughts, it's been the lucky country pitstock politics or quarry economics that should be given the praise.

Cheers - BB, WA.

How would Mr Rudd and the new member for the Hunter area - imported from Victoria's Trades Hall - like to paint the decision of the Iemma Government Electricty sell off?

If they had made the announcement prior to the election, would the result have been the same? Of course! Party hacks don't think.

With the Libs/Nats, the electorate was participating in a bit of illicit sex - enjoying the good bits, but not comfortable with the morality - but, the ALP, if this NSW decision is anything to go on, will be seen as raping their own near and dear.

Your rights at work indeed!