Wasted billions?

That's why you live in obscurity rechtub and Mr Rudd achieved the highest office in the country. You can't see even basic reality through your political bias.

The surplus could have been achieved by even a trained monkey (be it Labor or Liberal) ..... it was gained off the back of the BIGGEST MINING BOOM in our history. The biggest one EVER. Do you understand? Probably not!

That surplus WOULD have been used by the opposition, despite the fact that they said that if they were in government they would not have used it. Why? Because if they didn't do that we would have HUGE UNEMPLOYMENT, A TERRIBLE RECESSION , BUSINESS AND HOUSING COLLAPSE, and MANY LONG ARDUOUS YEARS OF RECOVERY from the damage. They would have done what EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD COUNTRY DID ...... inject stimulus in order to avoid greater damage. Politics is NOT about telling the truth. It's about manipulation. It's about political correctness. Whether it be your brand of right wing political correctness, or someone else's brand of political correctness.

Imagine how much whingeing we would have heard from rehctub if Australia's economy had gone into recession like most of the OECD. Of course, it would all have been the fault of greedy workers and Kevin Rudd.

The amazing surplus wasn't so amazing was it, the point i got from the GFC is that 30 billion is not much money at all any more when considering global finances. I hadn't noticed that any of the economic and political commentators had a problem with the money spent rather mistakes made spending it. Stimulas has worked now we must pay it off even though the world is still struggling to find its feet.
Tanner is a real loss, i dont know who will answer Wayne Swann's questions for him now.
Julia may work out well, but the concern is to much union influence. Unions and the business council are both vital parts of the way this country operates and how we maintain the balance we have, but when one or the other gains too much leverage over government it all gets out of hand. The most recent example was Work Choices. Yes change needed to happen but that was just a bit to far. In some ways the mining tax is another example, it is a fair enough argument and needs to happen but it goes to far.
Good luck to you Julia let's hope you do great things, it would be good for us all.

I just heard Tony Abbott on the radio, trying to get some mileage out of the way that Rudd was deposed. This is particularly risible, given the means by which he took the Opposition leadership from Turnbull.

Rudd had to go because he was clearly unelectable. As I've said, I don't anticipate much in the way of policy change from the ALP, although Gillard will undoubtedly try and harness the ephemeral goodwill towards her to tweak policy in order to make it more palatable to the electorate.

Does anybody think that Lindsay Tanner's decision to leave politics is unrelated to the elevation of his long-term rival to the position of PM? He's just presented the Greens with their best chance ever of winning a lower house seat in their own right. Thanks Lindsay!

CJ and others,

I never cease to be amused by our one eyed OLO bolliticians . IMO CJ, is on the money with his comment on the dysfunctional nature of personality politics.

I can understand Rudd's need to claim he was an elected PM. however it simply doesn't stack up in logic.

- I did however vote for a local representative. That was between Dumb, Dumber, "you want me to support Who?" and "You are joking, aren't you?". There was the usually statuary IQ filters, candidates that ensure the terminally senile and quadrupedal 'humans' have no part in running this country, of course.Definitely no Kevin Rudd.
- I might even say for the intellectual fringe dwellers there was an indication of Party affiliation (an the senate) but again no Kevin Rudd.
OK being the person I am I examined the policies of the candidates. Some or which could have been classified as bordering on political Hentai (cartoon porn- [some were morally/responsibly obscene]).
- That said I definitely didn't get any ballot paper with Rudd's name on it let alone indicating I was electing a PM.
Perhaps, I should consider legal action against the electoral commission in that.....

One is given to wonder at the integrity/believability of the parties concerned in that they would sink to such deliberately manipulative hyperbole as to so assert that Rudd was elected to be PM and Gillard was not.

Given the above and the further hypocrisy of The leader of the Opposition gained power one has to wonder if there are limits to his disingenuous bollitics.

But perhaps the most unsettling indication is how pliable and lacking in depth of thought the rank and file voters must be, Proving unequivocally that sensation sells better than substance. Perhaps Australians do get the politicians and politics they deserve.

The tragedy for us is the demise of Tanner as a politician. CJ, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a link. If I had a choice it would have been Gillard and Tanner, not the treasurer.

SM, I'm almost surprised by your lack of reason in this topic.

The buzz on the radio this morning:

Gillard to clamp down on asylum seekers, will this lead to a revolt within her party, and with the greens?

Mining tax, the cease fire with the mining companies will buy her some respite, but as a major proponent of the tax and the huge hole in budget that will be left if she dumps it, this will be a difficult back flip. The attack from the miners looks like returning with full force if major concessions are not quickly forth coming.

With whispers of a major blow out in the BER budget, this disaster with Julia directly responsible, looks to be the next insulation crisis. Will she nip it in the bud?

Fun times ahead.