Unsurprisingly, John Howard has taken a further battering in the polls, after the inevitable interest rate rise and his poor responses to it.

Many would say its poetic justice, given that his party made the economically absurd but politically clever promise to keep interest rates “at record lows” at the last election, leading to a landslide victory for his Government.

Since then, interest rates have increased six consecutive times, and Labor just keeps reminding the electorate of the broken promise, while all Howard can do is quip that he’s sorry, but that he’s not apologising. Whilst Howard has been happy to take the credit for Australia’s good economic fortunes over the last ten years, he has proven completely incapable of accepting at least some of the blame for what has occurred.

Clearly, John Howard today is clearly not the political mastermind that won the 2001 and 2004 elections against all the odds. His response to interest rates has been inept, and could have been far more effective. After the interest rate rise, Howard would have been far wiser to simply take responsibility by unequivocally apologising to the Australian people. He could have acknowledged he made a mistake to make the Australian public believe that he could keep interest rates at record levels. And finally, he could have pointed out that in spite of the interest rate rises, tax cuts and strong economic growth were still delivering prosperity to the Australian people.

His Government could also have avoided some of the interest rate hikes, as we remarked in a previous post. Instead, however, his Government has remained the biggest spending and biggest taxing government in Australia’s history. In spite of some of its important economic reforms, the Howard government will be remembered as embodying big government conservativism.

And it appears that the electorate has simply become bored and disillusioned with John Howard and the same tired old political formula. Unless those nasty anti-union ads start making serious impact, it is almost certain that we are seeing the end of the Howard government.

For the full story: http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/11/howards-last-days-likely.htm

While I am not a Howard apologist, it has to be pointed out that intereset rates rise and fall due to global effects and not on the whims of the government of the day.

The alternative would be a totalitarian government with a closed economy. I'll take my chances with rates rising and falling.

Howard can be accused of stupidity or deviousness for misleading the gullible public into thinking he could control rates - nothing else.

Methinks *Guvna Johnnie* is in pain. Mayhaps the potential 4 him 2 retire "GraceFully" as an *Australian StatesPerson* is @ risk?
..
But then:
" ... Listen to them, the *Children of the Night*
What beautiful music they make? ... "
..
Whilst I must profess 2 bias in the 1st instance, why not a more StatesMan like display of *Power & Finesse* I say?
..
With the assistance of *Count Putin*
(" ... & I 2 shall *Luv* again. ... ")
& the "Indo Authority" get the BanyuWangi Airport OnLine, the lokals off the "PooWee" river system & ON2 an internationally recognised *Traditional/Organic* certification 4 prompt delivery of fresh fruit&veg direct to international fee delivering restaurants in Bali. (with % bonus of *Bali Price* on top of *Lokal Jawa Economy Price* direct 4 the Jawa growers)
..
I note that the lokals r our friends who answer the door & C off those who "U" wld label as *Fanatiks* & yet they r left 2 languish on a "hand to mouth" daily income of Rp20,000 when 1kg of rice costs Rp6,000 & 2 fast trak this 4 U this causes "Holy Month" @ times too b anything but.
..
If the *Saudi's* can negotiate direct with the lokal Islamic Authority (Tier 2) to put a "Prayer (ChiLL) House" not just in every suburb, but on every block & then some @ lokal price "We" find ourSelves bemused that others have yet been able 2 do similar.

...JA'Lobo...

John Howard may be in pain,but we'll have to suffer Labor pains that will destroy our economy.The Aussie dollar is already falling in anticipation of a Labor Victory.Brace yourself for a NSW Labor style debacle.

Henny Penny, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Ah, p-lease give us a break.

The NZ dollar is nearly the same as the Australian dollar now, under a Labor Government. It was half our currency under the former conservatives that stuffed it all up.

The UK is still booming under a Labor Government. It is neither totalitarian nor is their economy suffering.

It really is funny reading the Liberals excuses as to why they are really stuffing up to mega billions so badly, what do they do? They blame the world economy. What a punch of putzes!

You know that Howard's economy was on the coat tails of the world economy, just the same as NZ's Helen Clark in NZ. We arrive at a similar point.

The Liberals have sour grapes and refuse to listen, and are playing music load selecting their memory so very carefully.

The sky is not going to fall because of Labor. The only reason why any sky could fall is because of global warming.

The money John Howard promises to spend is outrageously irresponsible. Private school fees fully tax returned. Great if you are earning that kind of money to start with. With such an expensive burden to the economy for plump up the obese rich, the education economy will dry up even more because the selective few will suck it all in with this scheme, and they are too selfish to share to the State education system. This is just immoral to the point of sickening.

40% more spending on military. How much more? Are we defecating money now? We certainly have the s*its with this pork barreling.

We can't afford this spending orgy with the Liberals, this power grab, this squandering of tax payers money on futures funds on a stock exchange set to fall. We could lose it all because of Costello's wet dream.

They are going crazy with tax payers money.

The ALP, meanwhile, also needs to grow up and show some responsibility in restraint in spending sprees that are unbelievable.

saintfletcher, 'The UK is still booming under a Labor Government. It is neither totalitarian nor is their economy suffering'.

Not 'totalitarian'? There are more cameras there than round the necks of all Japanese tourists that ever lived. Big Brother is watching everyone, everywhere. The PC Thought Police are outlawing free speech and alienating the native Britons in their own country.

Cool Britannia? No, thanks.