"While only one-third of respondents are uncomfortable with Rudd holding religious views, almost half are uncomfortable with Abbott holding them."

So 'only' one-third of us are mildly concerned about a leader who gets his most important decisions from a Sky Fairy rather than reason and logic? Sounds like a genuine atheist might be in a good position to become PM -- if only we could find one who was silly enough to want to be!

Arjay

Graham Young's article is a good one for discussion - on the substantive issues he raises.

You are ranting (again) about the Lord Chris Monckton - he wasn't even mentioned.

It seems you are trying to change not only the goal posts (again) but the whole playing field - typical.

In fact, I hope the author (and chief moderator) will try and keep the comments on track, but knowing his 'opinions' of his "hobby horse" (climate change) - this may be difficult.

________

Graham

In this article, I agree with much about which you have to say - the next 10 months will make it clearer, for everyone.

The next federal election will be fought on the Governments record and Abbott's promises. Specifically the commitments made by Rudd in the face of the collapse of global warming, Rudd's escalating massive debt, his economic mismanagement and his refuting of economic conservatism. More important will be the overriding collapse of the world ecomomy with the initiation being California's defaulting on it's debt from about March 2010...

Good analytical article Graham. I'm a values voter and a Christian, evangelical Protestant. I liked Rudd's essay on Faith in Politics, and have been pleased at his concerns about homelessness, problem gambling and binge drinking.

I like Abbott's social conservatism and defence of the Anglo-based political and cultural tradition. Unlike many of his opponents, I don't jump up and down against his views on abortion and stem cell research.

Both Rudd and Abbott genuinely dislike the pervasive antisocial behaviour we now see in our communities, but neither has had the courage to name its root cause: the catastrophic falling away of the last two generations of parents from belief in any set of absolute, faith-based, values, and their consequent abandonment of responsibility to transmit moral education to their children. Admittedly Rudd has supported the school chaplains program; and Abbott said recently he thinks all children should read the New Testament.

I strongly reject the view that Abbott is a 'genuine' religious-conviction politician while Rudd's religion is only for electoral convenience.

I cannot reconcile Abbott's overt Christianity with his stance on quite a few issues.

From the Pope's strong calls for us to be responsible environmental stewards, I suspect Benedict would share my view that Abbott's stance on climate change is irresponsibly opportunistic and lacks moral compass.

I'm not a scientist, but I worked for a year in the Australian Greenhouse Office, and before was deeply immersed in sustainability issues in another Commonwealth department. Surely it's selfish madness to ignore the precautionary principle.

Abbott's economic views are both shallow (eg over the ETS) and callous (eg his defence of Work "Choices"). Abbott and the right wing of the Libs demonize unions while not conceding that a decent society depends on both labour AND capital behaving decently.

The Liberals are currently on a hiding to nothing. They will become relevant – WHOEVER their leader is - only when

* the electorate becomes disenchanted with the Government 's performance, AND

* the Opposition presents coherent alternatives which a majority of voters see as credible.

Neither condition holds yet.

Abbott will perform better than most people will realise.He sticks by unpopular principles such as his anti-abortion stance is very disciplined and is smarter than most people give him credit for.

In a live audience he is far more articulate and self assured than on the media.He seems to choose his words very carefully on the media and comes across as a bit unsure.This may well change as he gathers confidence.

I agree with him on AGW and that CO2 is not the devil incarnate.He has saved us for now from signing up to this obscenity at Jokenhagen, that Monckton refers to.

Kevin Rudd is a very shallow man.He is totally obsessed by the power of the UN when he should be looking after the interests of ordinary Australians.He may win the next election but with a substancially reduced majority.He will definitely go for an early election if he senses unemployment rising.

That said unless the Libs start to distance themselves form the really powerful corporates then I won't support them.Sarah Murdoch helped launch his book.It will be interesting to see how the Australian backs or ignores him in the coming months.The same can be said for Labor.I want to hear noises for truely small Govt and freedom for people to determine their own destinies.

Those who are uneasy about the Christianity of Tony, should remember that the foundation stone of all our freedoms was thanks to the English Roman Catholics, who gave us the Magna Carta, as a law derived directly from the Holy Bible.

Magna Carta was a law that made the courts an apostolic catholic church, in which the prayers of a righteous man, could be heard and answered. Since 1297, this fundamental Christian Law, has remained on the Statute Book. For those of you who would emulate the English Roman Catholics, and do your own scholarship, go buy a Red Lettered Authorised King James Version from the Cambridge University Press.

Peter Spencer is up his pole, and could come down, if Tony takes his Christian butt up there, climbs the Tower of Hope, and shares his mission from Almighty God with Peter Spencer, and they read together, the words of Jesus Christ, from the book of Matthew Chapter 18 Verses 15-20. Peter Spencer is a righteous man, as is Mr Abbott, but his prayers for justice have fallen on deaf ears. The work of Tony Abbott of winning back the Christian centre, will be so much easier if he and Peter Spencer pray together. As Graham points out, Tony is a fit and healthy man, and shares Christianity as a conviction with Spencer. Its not far from Canberra to Shannon’s Flat and The Lodge. .

Now the whole Nation is concerned about Peter Spencer, and Graham has raised the ironic claim that Abbott is a Hansonite. We no longer have a United Nation, but a United States of Australia, with no universal apostolic catholic church, to unite us as , dare I say, One Nation, in which Spencer’s cries for justice can be heard.

Making like an ostrich, which every lawyer who advises Kevin Rudd is, and pretending the Australia Act 1986 is a legitimate Act, is the root cause of Peter Spencer’s protest. If Tony goes to the Mountain, and assures Spencer that the next election will be the referendum, we never had, on that Act, Peter must come down