There is nothing to him really is there? Yes he can speak Mandarin, yes he thinks Dietrich Bonhoffer is beaut, and he can eloquently rattle off political rhetoric like its all been pre-recorded by the BBC.

We seem to have gone from someone so ideologically hardline and myopic (Howard) to someone without any substance at all.

He’s an ideological free zone, an air kiss, a soft hand shake, a flat beer, a fart in a cyclone.

Its excruciatingly clear he’s very practiced at being Mr Nobody and it’s got that way that I can’t help but turn the TV over to another channel when I see him lest I lapse into a deep involuntary comatosis. Truly, it’s that bad!

In times past some called him a trendy vicar, others warned to look for the snake within.

But I fear what we have is far worse.

He appears to stand for everything and nothing all at once. Not unlike Chance, Peter Seller’s character from his seminal movie Being There, in which his every utterance is mistaken for a deep profundity. Check him out on Youtube: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=xYLy1Yj_P_Q

Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard all had something to offer us, something culturally familiar, something lovable or loathsome. But this bloke’s got nothing at all. I don’t hate him, but I’m certainly not overflowing with love and admiration for him either?

Perhaps after 11 years of Howard this the therapeutic Prime Minister we had to have?

A fart in a cyclone?

“But I fear what we have is far worse.”

I share your concern Rainier. And I think it is an extremely serious matter.

Rudd’s increase to immigration, boosting of the expansionist paradigm and apparent complete lack of understanding of sustainability or the likely consequences of the impending energy crunch make him considerably worse than Howard.

So far, he is looking like just the kind of PM that we desperately needed to NOT have at this point in our country’s history.

It never ceases to amaze me how quick people are with their criticisms. The newly elected PM has only been in power for a few months - and low and behold out come the attacks. This is to be expected from the "do nothing" opposition that lost the election.

Why not give the man and his party a chance (smile), and judge him in two years time?

But then that would be the fair thing to do. And, depending on your political leanings, not every one is capable of doing that - as the
scare tactics of the Liberal Party in the last election demonstrated.

I have to agree. Rudd is the far lesser of the two evils, but still an evil. It's going to take the coming oil decline apocalypse to bring some effective leaders forward.

Id like to know what his real, secret heart is towards China.
I worry sometimes, like a lot of christians, that Communism here isnt dead... and that China has got a few of our fine young men involved in the global takeover.

A Roman Catholic priest was once quoted having said "If we get them in the first 7 years, we've got them for life".

I wonder about all of the young guys at Uni, all of those years ago, that Communism sucked in for a life long trip... and who they tutored.

Foxy, it's not that anyone is attacking him, just that we are observing his actions.

The man is obviously lying to someone. I felt, during the election, that he was lying, mostly, to the labor faithful. His actions since, have proved it. The qusetion is, does he stand for anything? So far the answer must be NO.

I don't believe we can afford 2 years of bad government. The best thing I have seen is that he goes to water pretty easily, [petrol price], so If we jump high enough, & shout loud enough, we should keep him from too much of his foolish applauseseeking behavior.

Definitely the better choice of the two tweedles and perhaps we did need a Rudd as a softer blander figure in stark contrast to a Howard (or heaven forbid a Downer or a Costello - or an Abbott).

While I understand that some things are out of government control there are many things that are not - caring for our pensioners and carers, rebates for alternative energies without means testing just to name two. If Rudd is serious about environmental and other matters like homelessness etc, he needs to walk the walk not just talk the talk.

But as Foxy says it is still early days and maybe he will listen to what the public is telling him and be open to consultation including reassessing where needed. And not continue in the same strong "I am out of touch, economic grwoth at all costs" vein reminiscent of the dark Howard era.

As I stated earlier, let's just wait and see what happens.

I personally have faith in the man.

He certainly can't do worse than the previous government.

But, I'm hoping that he will do better, much better.

Anyway, time will tell - and if he doesn't deliver, you can make it count at the ballot box.

But be honest, would you really want to go back to the Howard years?

I wouldn't.

“It never ceases to amaze me how quick people are with their criticisms.”

Foxy, do you think my criticisms of Rudd are unfounded or insignificant?

I consider them to be of the utmost seriousness. He has shown his true colours on the enormous issue of continuous growth versus sustainability….and he deserves the strongest possible condemnation for not only continuing down the rapid expansionist path, but for actually increasing the rate of expansion.

Dear Ludwig,

American political analysts have concluded that it takes at least 3 years to evaluate, analyse, and program the events of the previous administration and current world trends, and 1 year to re-act favourably. And, it takes a further four years to develop a positive result.

We in Australia have a 3 year term of office, frequently truncated by the insecurities of the government in power wishing to be re-elected and calling an early election. So don't you think it would be fair to give the newly elected government its full three year term to meet its promises or at least secure the promises for a further 3 years of commitment?

The current petrol crisis is governed by the world market and is beyond the control of any government in power anywhere in the world.

We in Australia are too quick to jump to criticism without giving an
Australian "Fair Go" to anybody trying to do something different -
(long term) for the benefit of the country. Most of us are easily satisfied with short term solutions only despite the damage caused in the future.

Foxy, we can’t afford to give our government three years before we evaluate them. I don’t think that that is a realistic proposition at all, not in our rapidly changing times and not at any time in our nation’s past. The main policies and directions of a government become apparent very quickly.

There is an urgent need to reduce our rate of immigration so that the overall pressure being placed on our stressed resource base will at least stop rapidly and continuously increasing. This is particularly obvious with water in our cities. It is also utterly duplicitous for Rudd to be pursuing large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time boosting the already rapid rate of increase in the number of emitters.

We desperately needed a major slowing of expansionism off the end of the Howard era. I would have accepted a careful slowing, by gently reducing immigration and phasing out the disgusting baby bonus. In fact I would have expected that, after Rudd’s rhetoric in the election campaign and through the year or so before it, during which he had a prolific media presence. I was not at all expecting him to actually increase immigration.

The path has been set, not only for the next three years, but for the life of the Rudd government, which is bound to run at least two terms. Rudd deserves my strongest condemnation.

Ludwig, I'm not very impressed by Rudd's approach to various issues either. Far too populist, growthist and ridiculous over this latest Henson thing.

But still better than Howard. Way better.

Rainier - yes, there's more than a hint of Chauncy about Harry Potter :)

Dear Ludwig,

With the current projections of immigration into the future ( I think, 50 million - was the horrific number) and our diminishing water and other resources, I agree, we should pressure the Government to maintain a sustainable population of not more that 20 million based on the past predictions of the 1950s and 1960s.

But, I still feel that judging a Government after only a few months -
compared to 12 years of the previous one, is too soon.

CJ, I’ll have to reserve my decision as to whether Rudd is ANY better than Howard for a while longer.

In what ways do you think he is “way better” ?

I am concerned about Mt Rudd`s lack of passion and tha fact that he is so positive towards China that he may lose those essential links with the US and Europe.He is promoting an Australian Republic which I think follows this essential theme. He is not a typical Socia;lisrt but , more in the line of a down grade Robotic Tony Blair. He has no idea about sustainability or the fact that it is essential NOW to find alternative Energy Models.Everything is based on fiscal planning and any essential items re Conservation are planned years ahead whan it will be too late. Also as a bureaucrat he does not appreciate that unless we revise the Health system to include promotion of wellness and prevention of illness soon the GDP will be completely taken up with Health costs
Micheal

I think "our Chance" is a spy for China...though he may not know it.
I believe "our Chance" is so enthralled with the the Middle Kingdom and all of the romance and adventure with the Chinese and their past that he actually may be inadvertently working for them.
In Pastor Jack Burrels book "What will become of Australia" 1975 we see Jack speaking about a two-part vision and of "words of knowledge" he has just received from The Lord about an invader inside Australias shores...and of the enemy finally taking the northern part of Australia for themselves... and the southern part of Australia will become a prisoner of a communist-style government which will control all property and land.
How would such a southern government comes to pass (I believe in prophecies on the invader by-the-way)?
My thoughts are that in getting closer and closer to China, as we are, the old communist flame is once again ignited in the hearts of some in Australian politics and we eventually fall into the trap Red China has for us.
Distancing ourselves from China seems to be to be a better course than subconsciously adopting a submission to their somewhat nasty government.
China will never be friends with anyone but China.

Ludwig: << In what ways do you think he is “way better” ? >>

Actually Ludwig, on reflection I probably overstated my case - given the last couple of weeks' performance, I'd say Chauncy is somewhat better than the Rodent, rather than "way better".

However, our resident Sinophobic ufologist is dead wrong, as usual: one of the things that make Rudd a better PM than Howard is that he is better able to engage with China and the Pacific than Howard, who sought to return Australia to the status of an Occidental outpost in the Antipodes.

"our resident Sinophobic ufologist"

I'm not sure the labelling of other posters adds much to the debate but in your case, CJ, it certainly adds to the entertainment value! Keep them coming!

Well...thats what I felt.
I also feel that our "overseas allied intelligence services" ought to look at the direction that "our Chance" is taking us in relation to the Chinese thing and make some hard decisions about how they want to deal (fellowship) with Australia.
ASIO has already allowed over 1,000 chinese spies to take root here (boy, I love that Chen Yonglin...a man of real courage).
We cant even protect US secret bases in time of invasion...no guns for a citizens home guard army to defend anything.
This country is far too slack when it comes to pagan nations to our north.
"our Chance" seems to have lost contact with a part of the Bible which says, "what fellowship does light have with darkness, the believer with the non-believer"...2 Corinthians 6:15.
What he is doing with China is wrong and is going to have consequences.

I don't see ANY Party as much different nowadays, and am quite cynical about Rudd and his mob.

BUT: I am at one with Gibs on this. I have seen the light. It is coming from Rudd!!

Because that bugger is the bloody Archangel Gabriel compared with the S.O.B. and his Regime that preceded him.

It is not that he is better. It is that he is better by far, in comparison to.