Just a thought Peter the believer.
In NSW Christians have kept mad Fred in office raffles and all.
And Gordon who is at least a good bloke with little understanding.
Form guide tells me we need to fear more Christian candidates like those we have.

*The mining industry is screaming of unfair taxes
and are threatening to take their "bat and ball,"
and go somewhere else. However, GREED will succeed*

Ah Foxy, you clearly don't understand the mining dispute,
like so many.

It is not about GREED at all. It is about being RELIABLE
and keeping your WORD.

Rudd simply doesent have the integrity that somebody like
Hawke had, when they negotiated the petroleum tax.

So let me give you an example to explain it to you simply,
so that you can finallu understand it.

If a company offered your husband a lucrative job, which
entailed selling up, moving house etc, and your husband
took it, spent that money, then when he started work they
said "ha, we are going to pay you 40% less then we agreed"

how would you feel?

Give Aussie Battlers a go

Fellow Aussies give the lower income battler a bloody go
Cease paying labourers, truck drivers and non-tertiary
qualified people wages well below

Some of us never given the opportunity to be well paid
permanent public servants, sitting in an airconditioned or heated
office, sipping on coffee working, the luxury of stability, long
service and hefty pay out super you know

The rest of us Aussies slogging it out in the elements
treated like dirt half the time, no rights,
come rain, hail, sleet, heat and snow

Laid off over the years when companies cut their costs
Long term contractors, casuals and full timers; a manager looks across.
Up goes a hand, he points to the door, no thanks, little notice, “cutting costs” he says, “You know how it is Ross”.

“Oh c’mon man, its just a week away from Christmas; my kids, what’ll I do”, despairs Ross.
“Mate, its not my problem, don’t shoot the sender, just doing my job for the Boss”.
“Will I get a reference at least, to secure another position after Christmas”, asked tired 40’s something Ross.
“Sorry mate”, laughs the Manager, shifting from foot to foot, “The boss doesn’t give ‘em for contractors and part-timers, his hours of the essence, the company can’t afford this type of ‘friggin’ reference writing time loss.

Over the next day, Ross rings around companies, feeling defeated.
After all, he’s already trodden this private enterprise non-tertiary qualified path before uphill.
Trying to ward off depression, low self esteem, anxiety and tempted not to pop a pill,
Ross uses the job seeker internet site spruiking his experience UNTIL….

(cont)

“Why did you leave your previous employer”, was yet another’s company’s query.
“Well, company policy is to lay off contractors, casuals and part-timers before the holiday period starts”, Ross explains for the hundredth time most weary.
“Oh how dreadful to do that this time of year, Sir, I am so sorry, they booted you out on your ear. However, do come along to an interview, join the other 20 young candidates, do not be disillusioned and do not fear”.

A phone call comes through after Ross hangs up the phone
“Darling, how did you go all day”, asked his loving wife Joan.
“No, Sweetheart, age is against me, now how the heck are we to pay off our loan?”.
“Ross, we’ve weathered hard times before, when you were injured and sore,
And plenty of times with selfish, thoughtless uncaring employers, who showed you and others the door”.
“I’ll just have to take something different and lower in pay,
Seems these days are no different to twenty years ago, stuff our taxes going to workplace reforms, an employee never did have any rights not now nor any time before”.

Dear Belly,

I'm so disappointed with Tony Abbott's
reply to the Budget. I was looking
forward to a positive and creative
response as an alternative to the Government's
Budget presentation.

I've just watched Tony Abbott's
speech in response to the Budget.
He has demonstrated a lack of skill to be
a leader of any Party or Organisation. No
wonder John Howard gave him lesser responsibilities
when he was PM.
It was a repeat of Abbotts first debate with Kevin Rudd.
With that sort of an attitude Abbott
is slowly losing the base Liberal support that the Party
desperately needs to stay in power in Co-Alition with
the National Party.

There has been rumblings in the National Party to separate
from the Liberals and the recent demonstrations by Tony
Abbott may easily excelerate that process.

Many Liberal supporters keep waiting for a positive
direction for their Party to take - but so far nothing
appears to be on the horizon and many Liberals who
would not support Labor in an election will definitely
turn towards the Greens or Independents. That is my
experience in our area, which is a strong
Liberal electorate with a long serving Liberal MP.

People are turned off by disunity and negativity.
And the Liberals certainly don't represent anything
positive and the Liberal voters don't like the
direction the Party is taking.

I wonder, Foxy.

>>Liberal voters don't like the direction the Party is taking.<<

It will certainly be interesting to see the next opinion poll, now the Budget is out in the open.

Both parties are now in full-steam-ahead election mode. Rudd has cleared the decks of anything he sees as potentially contentious, but in doing so has left himself open to a charge of cowardice, and of taking the easy option.

Abbott has latched onto this as his core message to the electorate, and is starting to take the battle into areas which are, as Foxy points out, blatantly aggressive and confrontational.

Unfortunately for Rudd, he has significantly underperformed against his initial promises, and in doing so has disappointed a lot of people.

Rudd also - let's be honest here - got a segment of the population to vote for him, who subscribed to the view that Howard had outlasted his welcome, and was therefore a little on the nose.

So with respect Foxy, setting out a campaign based on a negative may actually be a good strategy. Gather the votes of people with negative thoughts about Rudd by attacking his lack of achievement, and you have the mirror image of the "Howard must go" cohort, ready to place their trust in you.

Or at least, tick the box.