susssssh ... don't say aything about whales or boat people.

Being and Nothingness.

Or demented Howard lovers who still cant accept the little liar and cheapskate is gone,keep dreaming on boys, hopefully the libs will be destroyed at the next election.
What are you lot going to do then,import Russ Limbaugh and those other bone headed fools Hannity and Beck.

As I recall it, Howard was pretty much electorally on the nose at this point in his first term too and was looking a lot like a one-term Government. I believe that Beazley actually got more votes in the following election but not in the seats that mattered.

Howard had Martyn Bryant and Rudd has the GFC.

Howard had a long time to dismantle much of Keating's reputation and the same thing will happen to Howard as the negative consequences of some of his stewardship start to reveal themselves - some aspects of the US Free Trade Agreement for example.

PM Rudd is certainly going down the usual Australian politician's road of bluster and promise, and is selective which promises he keeps based on populist gains.

I'm a little confused by the references to PM John Howard though, and this comment from John Ryan "hopefully the libs will be destroyed at the next election".

John, do you mean you'd like to see no opposition at all? Would you then like to suspend democracy and just have the ALP run Australia?

Who would provide balance, or is that the problem, you don't want any balance? I'm constantly amazed at the kind of intolerence in Australia politically. After the last election I heard an ABC morning presenter in Melbourne question whether any conservative journalists at all should remain employed, now that the ALP was in power. (it's not like any non conservative journalists lost their jobs for their political views during the Howard stewardship)

I don't particularly like PM Rudd, but I don't hate him. While some people hate PM John Howard so much they are prepared to have a dictatorship instead of the party he no longer leads providing some balance to Australian politics.

People who call conservatives extreme need to have a look at some of the comments this forum produces.

No but I can remember Howard wining the senate then we had no opposition and he did what he wanted,the opposition here is just a joke.
Its OK if the Libs are in Power we dont need an opposition the Howard lovers Johnny knows best.