Leigh "CJ Morgan has discovered the word "gratuitous"."

It fits perfectly with most of what he posts,

"free" being at the lower end of "cheap".

"The Liberals have run the economy on the lean and prudent manner resulting in people achieving with less government interference."

– show examples before I answer that.

The Howard Govt. is larger than the Keating Govt. The tax act is reams larger, the GST has made every business a tax collector, red tape on small business is vastly increased.

They have outsourced the job network to a defacto bureaucracy, give ABC learning 44% of their income, allow 1680 people per day, who should be in aged care, take up hospital beds.

They have done absolutely nothing Col?

Col Rouge,

What a pity someone with your obvious intelligence is stuck within such a narrow range of perception.

Have you ever heard of String Theory. It is a physics theory, primarily applying theroretical mathematics to help solve the riddles of the universe. Anyway, if string thoery proves to be correct: the universe has actually 10-11 dimensions. Imagine that!

In a two-dimensional universe, you and Howard are probably right about everything. But with the assistance of the 4th dimension, time, the cartoon will end, soon enough.

Col I wonder if you saw The Navigators on SBS last night. It was set in Sheffield and charts the privatisation of British Rail from the employees standpoint. I wonder how much contact you have had with the UK since you emigrated in 1979? Your love of all things Thatcher is perhaps out of touch.

I am reminded of a Greek girl whose family had migrated to Australia in 1961. Dad was always on at it his daughter for her 'loose' morals ie going to nightclubs, wearing skimpy dresses, arguing back - the usual. Anyway papa visited Greece after an absence of 25 years and was chastened to discover that Athens had the highest rate of unmarried mothers in Europe. Daughter was triumphant.

I wonder how you would have fared under Thatcher and whether any of your school or uni friends remained in the UK. As you studied in London - you clearly can't be from there - you might be from the north.

Seriously - if you liked dear margaret so much - why didn't you stay in the UK?

Some reasons to vote against Howard's liberals and the Nationals:
They have: 1. Taken away Lawfull Indigenous Rights via the Wik Laws.
2.Trying to do the ostrich job and deny Australia's Holoucast - the generally Violent White Colonisation of some 250 distinct ancient Aboriginal language groups.
3. His inability to say SORRY [and getting plenty of backup from his rednecked mates ] for past injustices to Aboriginal People - AND then blaming the States or the people themselves for their present depressive,tragic state of health and the lack of resources afforded them.
4.Looking like "honest John" and then producing the Tampa Affair and allowing ministers and others off the hook .
5.Ignoring the wishes of the Australian People and the advice of experts by sending Australia to war in Iraq to look for non- existant WMDS and oust Sadam Hussein , our old ally against Iran .Just Who did give the Americans this Intelligence??
Estimated US dollar cost for this inhuman debacle THREE TRILLION DOLLARS by the time it ends -defeat or failure .And what is the life of an Iraqi worth to his or her family?
6.Doing nothing to help make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians .
7.For paying off the National Debt by taxing the poor and destitute and then lessening the tax of the rich .
8.Allowing Australian familys to run up huge unsustainable personal debts without worrying about the future; all it seems in the name of "MORE Choice" and the unsustainable GROWTH DISEASE .
9.Ignoring climate change "In the National Interest".

10.For making me being less proud to be an Australian . That annoys the hell out of me .
Sorry John .

Nearly left it out,how could I forget it :
11 . Howard's "how I will beat the Chinese and Indians at their own game"- the AUSTRALIAN WORKERS with no CHOICES LEGISLATION.
cheers, kartiya.