Runner, regarding Rudd and Wong,

Like them or not, like their positions or not, their time is about ten million times more valuable to the rest of us than yours on your best day. You would be the first to carp on if they took a slow boat to copenhagen and back.

Rusty

Sigh, I don't think there's anything left to be said- except that almost everyone correctly pointed out Abbots hypocrisy in his already rather abhorrent views (almost as abhorrent as his rather contradictorily decadent behaviour, which conveniently goes ignored as his empty posturing still leaves him as the closest thing to a conservative figurehead this country has), and a few idiots jumping to his defense assuming that everyone who dislikes Tony Abbot MUST therefore be some free-sex liberalist who is also in alliegance with the Labor party.
If only life were so simple.

Oh, and you few know who you are- and don't worry, I don't expect you to actually respond to this- as usual.

Bye all!

Leigh; you breath and live on another planet and missed my points altogether. You also have no idea as to how easy drugs are popped into a water or glass of alcohol.

Fyi: my 19yr old daughter possesses loads of self respect and has NEVER slept around [we have a very close mother/daughter relationship], secondly my 15 yr old son is a farmer who has never tasted alcohol to date.

The comments made regarding teenage girls in no way reflects upon my 19yr old and 15yr old. It pays [as I have stated] never to make assumptions on young people [in my original post]given that many girls are raped as a result of their FIRST taste of a little alcohol with a DRUG popped into it. What generation do you breathe and live in Leigh? You OBVIOUSLY reside in a little town and have nothing to do with "young people". I suggest you get in touch with "young people" and commence a voluntary role in a centre assisting teenagers. Then come back and contribute to some issues involving "young people" Leigh. Hear their stories, view their severe depression, mostly as a result of the original drug slyly popped into their drink during their first taste of alcohol.

This generation lives in far more deadly times than back in the 70's when one did not have to be worried about drugs popped into drinks [water included by the way]!! Happens in our city to women of all ages [not inebriated at the time either].

Do not generalise Leigh: deal in real life occurrences and facts. Get to know "young people" and their lives before making totally wrong declarations.

we are unique: Well it's very refreshing to see someone posting supportively about young people. I have raised three myself (M and F) and they were a delight throughout - very moral, decent young citizens; yet given the space to make age appropriate decisions during their growing years so that they have a pleasing degree of self assurance. All of them maintain loving, respectful relationships. Friends of my children have always impressed me too. I think that in the main they are all pretty beaut.

Like you, however, I have also met young people (though they are not my primary client group) who have not had such a fortunate upbringing, and condemnation out of hand in no way helps them. Most are doing the best they can with what they have in situations they don't have any power over - which often include difficult adults.

They have enough to deal with without adults assuming they are all loose and easy when in my experience that has rarely been the case and when it has; it has occurred in the course of a traumatic history including early child abuse; child sexual assault; drug use and so on.

Helen:
I personally think that we do need someone to try to bring our society back onto the straight and narrow, thus I consider Tony Abbott as good as anyone else to offer his well-intentioned advice.

Why should we attempt to shame him or accuse him of hypocracy, after all he is only human, .......show me a man (or a woman) who is free of any sort of guilt or sin and I will show you God!

Helen Dale sounds suspiciously like Helen Demidenko newly labelled once again.
If that is the case who has "forgiven" you for "The Hand that Signed the Paper" ?