Perhaps the best thing about the Labor party is that they had no appreciable agenda much less a hidden one, outside of winding back Howard's rush of hubris.

Anybody want to take a bet against: that if Abbott's lot (the conservatives as opposed to the other 49% *l*iberals) get in that they'll do a Howard i.e. "everybody knows my stance on..."(religion) baby bonus up the wazoo, anti abortion, and Work Contracts by stealth? unwinding AGW advances to assist business.
More farmer/business welfare is a given and odds on.

great choice! do nothing govt or back to the future.

Terrific

Battlelines very credibly defends the need to respect the best values and institutions of our own culture, derived from Britain and added to by people from other cultures. I’ve travelled in 50 countries, and while no country is perfect, Australia is about as good as it gets.

Abbott rightly quotes Scruton that conservatives should oppose ‘this breast-beating, guilt-ridden desire to thrown away our inheritance’. To paraphrase Churchill, British-style democracy is the worst of all systems – except all the others. The Judeo-Christian ethic of standards of morality and civility in behaviour, respected in the past, produced a less violent, less nihilistic and happier society than we see now.

Where Abbott is socially conservative, he’s on sound ground.

I enjoyed most of his discussion of ‘What’s Right?’ But the book fails the test Abbott himself sets:
“ ‘we are always right and they are always wrong’ partisanship often does as little to cast light on issues as it does for the standing of politicians” (p x).

Abbott is an immensely tribal politician. His chapter ‘A Tale of Two Governments’ justifies the Howard government but spectacularly fails to give credit to Hawke-Keating for ending the longstanding tradition of strikes. He says (p 25) “the former [Howard] government was a victim of its own success … People with no memory of strikes weren’t scared of unions.” This is a blatantly dishonest representation of the achievements of Hawke-Keating through the Trilogy and the Accord. In the WA Iron Ore Industry, to take just one example, days lost through strikes plummeted from the mid-80s.

He quotes Bernard Wise (p58): ‘an action of the state .. ought not weaken the motives for morality’. What on earth did Work Choices do? Isaiah 10:1-2: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.”

Abbott’s economic credentials are poor and rather callous. He should take seriously a point he quotes from the UK Centreright website: “private choices have public consequences” (p65).

Personally I think that Malcolm Turnbull
should start a new Party. Now that would
make for an interesting choice in
the next election.

You only have to look at Tony Abbott's
front bench to realize that it's time
to stop repeat offenders (Don't re-elect
them!). If ignorance is bliss - Tony
Abbott represents Paradise!

Sure you can trust the Liberal Party -
Just ask our Indigenous people!

Thanks Timothy for posting this article. Great summation of what Tony Abbott proposes to stand for; shall we say what Mr Abbott does not stand for.

Mr Abbott does not stand for the best interest of Australians. He does not have Australia's intrest in mind when complainig about Labors efforts to subvert and successfully guide Australia through the worst economic crisis sice the great depression. Mr Abbott does not stand for the working class and he certaininly does not stand for the best interest of women in society.

What Mr Abbott does stand for is alot of confussing, flippant ideas that will take Australia backwards; backwards with our economy, backwards with action on climate change, backwards to the cave man era in terms of womens rights ...

Gosh Xoile that's very close to a "Wayne Swan Rant"

Surely it would be an error for Mr. Abbott to start spruiking economic Policy , did KR do this at the last election , he didn't and of course we now know why .

The other aspect is Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott to be fair have not had enough time to flesh out a sensible relationship .

Foxy,
You should have added
- ask a woman who want to be in control of her life.
- ask a person who doesn't want their coastal property to swamped.
- ask a person who doesn't want to be bushfired out.
- ask the 49% of real liberals
- ask a mum who's looking for facilities for children. schools, kindergartens, child care facilities etc.
- ask a economist what's going to happen with the debt bubble
- ask those who are trying to find work
- ask those who want a real uni education ...not just the rich

While they're at it ask the labor the same questions. Let them *both* know they're wanting and are on notice.

Interesting to note that the English BBC4 are taking pot shots at Abbott's Liberals' AGW denialism.

ShazBaz001,
Pistols at dawn and hope neither misses sounds about right to me.
Then start again