According the media reports John Howard is getting back into action.
Not as PM:( but open to helping Brendan Nelson, who funny enough, Ive come to like.
Thats what I loved about John. He had a good heart towards helping and he never tore others to pieces.
Past Labor...hmmmm?
I remember a Warren cartoon in the Daily Telegraph quite a few years ago showing a shocked Paul Keating in bed waking up to look out the window of the Lodge to see little John coming over the morning horizon carrying his suitcases. I thought it was great. Paul wasnt so good for Australia though he might have stayed longer under God if he had closed his mouth more often. Its no good to have a PM who swears i.e. "scumbags".
Anyway, it was good to have a strong, church going christian leader for all of those years. He often likewise attended the parliament house prayer meetings and was open to receiving christian church leaders and counsel. Wouldnt it be interesting if once again he mounted the political platform?
He's still a young man in his heart; and has much to offer a nation in decline.
I would have no objections at all if he came back.
We'd be better for it.

Surprise, surprise.

I, for one, am glad Australia woke up and showed him the door, in a spectacular fashion.

The man was a lout!

I got sick of his filthy language, binge drinking and womanizing ways!
I won't even mention the burping and farting in public.

I was sick of his incessant phone calls to join his damn peace marches, and worker rights rallies.

He was crude; dressed like a tramp;-and was obsessed with stealing from the rich to feed the poor.

I for one don't want him back; don't you worry about that!!

That last line Ginx sounded a bit like Joh Bejelke-Petersen.
I met Joh once. Wonderful chap. He too was a strong man of God. I reckon he made it to Heaven having received Jesus as His Lord and Saviour.
Hope you chaps do too.
All you have to do is confess the sin and invite Him in believing that He died on the Cross for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
Now off chaps to a lively Christian church...one that really truly jumps!

What can I say Gibbers?

I ave seen de light! Hallylooyeah braise the gourd!

The age of posters in this section seems to be about 12.

Well Mr Right, good to see you're honest enough to include yourself in that classification.

I do find it interesting to see the dire warnings that come out from the defenders of the Howard era. Doom and gloom abounds, but I've yet to see any persuasive reasoning that indicates Mr Rudd will be any less of an effective economic manager than Howard was.

On the economic side of the equation, the only real gripe I had with Howard, was his lack of investment in infrastructure and his obsession with destroying unions - it became quite pathological by the end. I've never belonged to my union and was among those who cheered when he broke the wharfies, but he just took things far too far - in this day and age, unions have become quite tame, but he was determined to create some kind of working class enemy.
Plus, there was the fact that he was simply haemorrhaging funds to interest groups to buy votes by the end. $500,000 for the apes of Borneo? You think that convinces anyone?

On the social justice side of the equation however, Howard did our reputation enormous damage. Throughout Europe and the developed world, our reaction to the Tampa incident smeared us horribly. It was just plain inhumane - whatever your politics may be, for crying out loud, they were people in need on board that ship. Process them and deport them later if you must, but don't just turn your back.

His obstinate refusal to ratify kyoto, simply to garner US support - for crying out loud, we were meeting the targets.

His just plain idiotic attack on Barack Obama? What have you to gain by smearing a potential future leader of the US, when Bush is nearing the end of his term and you have a close relationship anyway? What kind of retarded diplomacy is that, anyway?

There are too many things, over too many years for me to list them here. But suffice to say, I think we're blessed that he's gone.

Dear Gibo,

In many ways - we should feel sorry for John Howard.

After 11 years in power all he is going to be remembered for is a failed war, a failed industrial relations policy, a failure to accept reality and commit to addressing climate change, and virtually closing our borders to non-white refugees.

I imagine that when he is listed in school texts for future generations, there will be just a short paragraph under his name saying - "John Howard was Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, and was only the second sitting PM to lose his seat in a general election. He also started the war against Iraq."

That's about it - it certainly won't be a long list of achievements.

His Prime Minister-ship was very much a wasted opportunity. One where he focused more on implementing his own ideology than working for the betterment of the nation and it's people.

Somewhere along the line he just lost touch with the people - and that can be the death of a political career, as he found out.

TRTL

I second everything you wrote in your last post.

I am so happy Howard has gone, just to hear him recently in the media gives me the chills. Like Bush he was the most unchristian of christians.

A pity the Libs still have the likes of Abbot, Pyne and Turnbull when they are in desperate need of a complete make-over.

TRTL

Just a note though, I disagreed with the methods used to break the wharfies' stranglehold on the docks - it was a harbinger of further unethical actions to come. I'm not saying the union didn't need bringing into line, BTW.

In the end the power really went to Howard's head - his comments about Obama was evidence of that.

Yeah, I'd agree with that Fractelle. If I'd known how far he was going to go on the unions, I would have been far less enthusiastic about his actions on the wharfies.

Oh and I should clarify my earlier post 'I've never belonged to my 'profession's' union.'

Get this right, right. You think you're right, right? Well you're wrong right.
Not only are you so completely wrong right, but I doubt right, that you would even know the difference between right and wrong;- right?

Given that most all of your posts right, are wrong;-you demonstrate in each and every one the clear incapacity to distinguish wrong from right right, and indeed right from wrong right.

Right right?

_________________________________

Because if you WERE able, you would have realized that I have a scathing contempt for the Howard Regime, and that Regimes increasing megalomania.

And it will be a cold day in hell before I will ever want to see him and his guns for hire back in power.

I thought I had made that VERY clear.

Get it right right!

"The age of posters in this section seems to be about 12."

"I ave seen de light! Hallylooyeah braise the gourd!"

Hey Ginx. You've got my attention. I love your humour on our No.1 eco-vandal, Atomic John - Australia's trooooooo believer.

I'm about 12. Amuse me some more pleeeeese.........?

Mr. Right - "The age of posters on this thread seems to be about 12"?
Welcome.

In my opinion the Wharfies were controlled by THUGS of the worst kind... they needed the only medicine which would treat that cancerous growth on our economny and society.

Big blokes in balaclava's with dogs.. it's simple.. If Warfies want to live by thuggery, they can also 'die'(as a union) by the thuggery method.

I hardly think 'turning the other cheek' would have had the slightest impact on their entrenched, inherited jobs for the boys and other practices..

When it comes to 'the world'.. sometimes it's better (practically speaking) to have the Roman Emperor than the Bishop of Peace.

Romans 13:1-5 does allow however for the Emperor (Christian or pagan) to exercise the 'sword' in deterring the evildoer.

All this pro & anti labor or conservative is getting rather tiresome. The REALITY is as follows;
I'm dreaming all day & the world owes me a living people vote left & gee, better get out of bed & do some work people vote conservative. It's always been & always will be so.
There are a thousand-fold more pressing issues to be addressed. concentrate on finding a solution on those.

An eye for an eye.

Hey Boaz?

And I thought you claimed to be a New Testament kind of guy.

I guess the means don't matter to the truly unethical do they?

Well, soon Bush will join Howard in the quagmire of dubious history and I'll have yet another celebration.

:-D

I quite like Brendan Nelson too!....It seems that some stars shine through the thickest fog!.....not that I am a Liberal supporter by any means, in fact I would be quite happy to see a truly democratic system whereby an individual could afford to run as an Independent candidate without having to rely upon the financial support of a "PARTY" (has anyone ever thought why they call a Political organisation a "PARTY"?)...nonetheless this man has shown a much more humane side to modern day politics and deserves a fair go!

Brendan Nelson, who thrust into the front line of fire, whilst the defeated retired to the rear to regroup (and conspire), is now facing the typical loyalty and support of the PARTY he is and always has loyally represented, and who I would suggest is waiting tentatively for the knives to be plunged fatally into his back, delivered by his comrades at arms who have been busily honing the edges of their daggers, whilst secretively annointing the new Caesar "Julius Turnbull"!

I really love Howard because not only he did not elected even as MP but he took the liberal party with him to zero! Only of cause Howard the Liberals jumped to 9%, 7% and now they are flat! Thank you Howard you opened our eyes, WE NEVER AGAIN WOULD VOTE AN MP LIKE HOWARD!

And you know what, Gibo? John Howard really loved voters like you.

Vanilla: << And you know what, Gibo? John Howard really loved voters like you. >>

In the 'biblical' sense, what's more!

No, Cuphandle, I'm afraid Brendan Nelson just doesn't have the ticker, from what I can see.

The blowtorch is being applied at the moment, though Bishop came out swinging, saying this scrutiny is ridiculous.

That, to me, is a death knell. Nelson's got to be able to punch back, preferably as some kind of strong opposition leader.

Fact is, he isn't. He isn't picking issues that cut through, and his folksy 'listening tour' is a farce.
I sincerely hope the Opposition gets its act together before it's too late, because bad opposition makes for useless government, and if this goes on for too long, they will become entrenched with a perception of incompetence, as has happened with the State oppositions, despite a plethora of state issues they should be able to make use of, but just... can't.

I think Brendan has a good use. He's not long ago come out of a defence portfolio...and I think thats important. Defence minded politicians are needed even right now, at the fore front, of the conficts we are going to have with asian armies later on. I say support the guy for the sake of the nation.

Uh, Gibo, would that be the defense portfolio that poured millions into the seasprite helicopter project - helicopters we ain't actually getting?

Would that be the defence portfolio responsible for buying the collins 'louder than a hundred cannons but half as stealthy' class submarines?

Does it even matter that he performed miserably in the role, just as he botched education? Frankly, I'm amazed Nelson's been given as long as he has.

Actually, no, I'm not. It's not about 'talent' as much as it is politics, and the perception of achievement.

You mean 'Gohnny' Howard?. That slap you heard on his way out was the door hitting him in the bum.

John Howard never took from the treasury instead John Howard filled it keeping Australia fair .Advance Australia fair is the way to go.The new Australian chinese prime minister Kevin Rudd does not hold any education to hold australian jobs in australia and be able to say no to foriegn investors .Drunks who once wanted work to have a family or deal drugs because they cannot find worka and with work there would be less alcoholics and drug addicts .David H.

I dont pick on Liberal defence all that much TRTL. I dont think they had much control over the situations.
Someone in behind the scenes is doing the planning and the purchasing (junk, irresponsible purchases) and I dont think its the up front politicians in either party. Its like theres some closed off back room somewhere and a lucky dip situation and it seems to have been the same little man doing it all the time, even when Labor was in. I know the country is mostly gunless at the moment. The gun clubbers and the farmers had theirs taken off them and after Pt Arthur. Im sure there was no compensation in defence arsenals for that loss...and the great armies to the north manufacture for another time. They wait for something to happen so the door opens to move south. I reckon the Bibles endtimes will provide that opportunity.

Actually, no, I'm not. It's not about 'talent' as much as it is politics, and the perception of achievement.
TRTL,
I noticed that you're not drawing any attention at all to the sabotage by lefties in anything the conservatives were trying to achieve. Yes, things should have & would have been better were it not for the interfere for interference's sake policy of so many lefts. The left really is a most competent opposition. Take Health & Education for example. Everyone blamed the Howard Government for the abysmal state in those services, yet no-one wants to admit that literally 90% of departmental staff are staunch Labor supporters.