For mine, the Liberals lost because John Howard didn’t know when to go, and because he took the party too far to the left. How this writer can still believe that the Liberals are ‘conservative’ is beyond comprehension. They need to do what their supporters and ex-supporters have always expected of them. A name change would be a good start. Anywhere else in the world, liberal – big or small ‘l’ - means left-wing, and during their last period in office, the Howard Government did its best to practise socialism and displayed a sickening devotion to multiculturalism and inappropriate immigration. Howard lied when he led us to believe that multiculturalism would be phased out. It became stronger than ever during under the Coalition. Paradoxically, it was the Chinese vote that lost the old fool his own seat.

Already, Brendan Nelson has got off on the wrong foot by calling for a ‘fair-go’ for homosexuals; hardly conservative, and utterly offensives and sickening to conservatives. The loser for the leadership grab bleated about saying ‘sorry’ to the so-called stolen generation. What a shower of wets they are going to try to regain government with!

The Liberal party is a total mess. Tony Abbott might have made a go of strong leadership, but he is too straight forward and PC for the lily-livers remaining.

What we need now is a group like the Australia First Party to respond the total lack of conservatism in Australian politics. In the meantime, the dumb Australians have got what they deserve

Dear oh! Dear leigh. The only thing missing out of your piece was "Zeig Heil"

Whatever the commentariat might say, Australia has lost a successful government and a great prime minister. Many Australians are pleased about this, as is their democratic right. But the saddest thing of all is the abusive and offensive language used by the Howard Government's critics to express their pleasure at this outcome. They really have debased the currency of political debate and comment in this country, and we all are the poorer for that.

"...conservative ideology of just reward for effort, of enterprise and hard work, of aspiration and achievement and of a hand up, rather than a handout"

What on earth makes this a "conservative" ideology? Almost all progressives I know (including myself) would agree with it entirely - indeed my main beef about the status quo is that it often excessively rewards people who have not particularly worked all that hard or achieved all that much, whereas others who have toiled incessantly and dutifully there entire lives have received little reward for it.

And for what it's worth I would tend to place myself in the former category: I've never had difficulty finding well paid jobs, but while I'm prepared to work hard when the situation calls for it, I would be dishonest to claim that I was a naturally dedicated hard worker.

No, we shouldn't let history be rewritten. Rewriting the history of the Liberal Party in power might hide all the lies and immoral behaviours.

As for politicians going to church, while it makes me very nervous, I can stomach it (just!!). But when politicians, particularly those in power, have secret meetings with the leader of the Exclusive Brethren, the reek of extremism is unmissable.

Me too? Not on this issue. If I recall correctly, Rudd declined a meeting with Bruce Hales.

Hey, HOWARD told us himself why he lost.- He said "Loath me or love me" and more of us loathed him, than his Lovers, who had been riding on his coat-tails for 10 years and telling us we had never been so well off.I could have voted for the local Liberal,but NOT for his leader!