Had my say on the anti union stuff, no further debate here, but even some in the Australian news paper are saying Turnbull got it wrong.
Julia has fallen on her sword, Hockey takes up the poison challis, Brendan takes his bat and go,s home.
All in all the best thing he ever did for the coalition.
Costello was asked to be treasurer but said the only job he was interested in was the top one, look out Malcolm.
Yes the answer to the thread is yes the Liberals have lost the plot.
Long thread , notice some get one or two posts, sometimes only the authors.
OLO has a way of leveling things out but we do need to control the insults, we truly do,wit sometimes softens the words but only the letter T separates a wit from a twit.

Efranke.
No surprise about Col's origins just contempt for his attitude.

Simply read my post directed to the collective then read his response compare the differences specifically where I attacked or personally insulted him…I didn’t, he did nothing else but. Nor did he offer counter facts.

Likewise this comment is directed to you but he’ll jump in with his tirade of personal abuse and irrelevancy.

CJ could improve his language, although Col could improve his responses a lot.
Manners and respect cost nothing

Belly
What odds would you give me that in the next election it'll be Costello V Rudd? If not that how many seats will Rudd win by if its
Hockey V Rudd? What odds are you giving that Turnbull won't be the challanger at the next election?
Not that I'm a betting person mind you.
Some of the choices of the LNP are well 'interesting' as in the Chinesse "curse may they live in interesting times".
I raise this because whom ever the Lib challanger is he will be depending on Qld seats. and I think the state enmities will arise and bite the libs on their sensory organ.(The one that contacts with Parliamentary leather.) :-)

Bronwyn, I am totally mystified about what particular "cat" I am supposed to have "let out of the bag". I did make it clear that my political preferences are not static, but PALE probably doesn't understand that language. You're right, it's campaign now seem to be against everyone and everyone as the opportunity arises. Animal welfare has well and truly fallen by the wayside, its campaign destroyed by its vilification of everyone and everything else in the movement.

Col, there is nothing wrong with patriotism (I am not Australian born either), but if Margaret Thatcher was that great, and the UK system likewise, may I ask why you are here? Thatcher was a disaster for anyone with a social conscience. She is an example of governments getting elected because there is no effective opposition/alternative. Happens all the time in most western countries.

PALE, I suspect you will find that in most industrial instruments, PROVEN theft is grounds for instant dismissal. Please do your research before making such crass and ill-informed comment.

The Liberal Party seems to have got itself into a tangled mess. So would Rudd be better calling an early election (finding a 'double dissolution trigger') in the middle of a financial crisis, while thousands of people are losing their jobs, and while the Liberals are in disarray?

A lot of the people whose jobs most recently lost are from companies at the "big end of town", those companies who pay their executives top-end salaries, (and can afford to provide proper safety equipment for their employees. As someone pointed out earlier, if they can't do that they shouldn't be in business (but what are "plastic" gloves?).

But are the top-end jobs being lost? No, they are rank and file workers, who will be forced on to Centrelink benefits. That's after they have been forced to live on whatever payout they get for a prescribed period too. No getting away with paying that off the mortgage if they want something to live on.

Social policy under Labor really hasn't really changed that much from the Howard mentality really.

Nicky

Efranke - I haven't used the term "Noble Savage" with respect to Aboriginal people. Rather, you did in another thread in a clumsy attempt at sarcasm.

Now, kindly crawl back under your racist rock.

Further to Efranke's claim that I am "foul-mouthed", my use of the term "twats" in an earlier post was in accordance this common colloquial Australian usage, from the Macquarie Dictionary:

<< a despicable or unpleasant person >>

Yes, it can also refer to female genitalia (among other meanings), but I rather like them.

It's interesting that Efranke somehow missed his/her hateful hero's "despicable and unpleasant" attempt at toilet humour at another forum member's expense just a couple of posts before his/hers.