Dear Foxy,

I hear you and certainly my family has a soft spot for Kevin Rudd. I took the girls out of school and travelled to Canberra for the Apology to the Stolen Generations and we went to the Community Cabinet that came to our area. One thing that really impressed me was receiving in the mail regular Medicare cheques for dental checkups for my children. This had been an election promise and it was delivered without fanfare, it was just the business of his government. It was very painful to watch his speech.

But I am sympathetic to the view that the parties should be able to get rid of a leader because if the only way to move on a person who has lost the confidence of the people is to have us vote for the other side we are left chasing the lesser of two evils. There would have been people who would have voted Liberal against their better judgement because they felt he needed to go.

Perhaps the only way to circumvent the problem is to have primaries like in the US where people have a say in who leads the party. Without them I think we should not dwell too much on our processes.

At least the actions of Julia Gillard in calling for a timely election and not residing in the Lodge until after she has the mandate of the people, shows she has some sympathy for those like yourself.

Prediction: Within 3 months the Liberal Party will have a new leader, Joe Hockey.

Prediction: Mr Hockey will then lead the Liberal party in defeat, at the hands of Julia Gillard and the Labor Party, at the upcoming election.

Prediction: Within 3 to 5 years Australian finances will be at or very near surplus.

Prediction: Boom times are coming, get in now! In 5 years time the entire world will be in the middle of the biggest expansion and boom era ever experienced.

Prediction: The current doomsday merchants who see only bad times ahead will be the * *FIRST* * people to get aboard the gravy train. Why? Because they don't "really" believe what they write. Mostly, their writings are politically motivated. One thing's for sure - - - you can't trust a commentator, an economist (one who has a hand in the pot), a politician, a radio shock jock etc etc to tell the truth. Their very tools of trade are based on one thing.... "manipulation".

Foxy, as I've said before, you are too nice. You liked Rudd, your choice, but many think he is a conman.

Why would the libs want to go for Turnbull, he is a clone of Rudd. As we have just seen Rudd, for what ever reason, is a failure.

I am starting to like Abbott, but I'm not sure of him yet. I have no idea about Julie, but will give it a while, before I try to make up my mind.

I know it's a bit small minded, but I can't help marking her choice of hair colour against her. I think it's a silly choice, I often see on my youngest daugther's less cleaver friends. It is not what I expect on a mature woman. Ok, I know I'm old fashioned.

Benq,

But haven't you heard the end of the world happens on the 21st December 2012.

This has been prophesised by the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Hopis, the Egyptians, The Bible and now Opinionated2....lol

Hopi (passed from generation to generation) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Vhivi6nws

Mayan, Inca, Aztec, Egyptian Prophecy 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhWTbVz-1Og

Plus the Hopi's even predicted the BP oil disaster

http://earthevolution.blogspot.com/2007/11/nine-signs-of-hopi-prophecy.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bSWzi7eAh0

* But none of the ancient civilisations predicted GILLARD would be PM *...lol

I too feel a little sorry for Kevin Rudd, as I think he has been blamed for trying to overcome the Howard's Governments failures to keep infrastructure funding flowing.

Great surpluses lousy infrastructure!

Elections are like Christmas...Generally you get a turkey...lol

Likewise the Rudd Governments failure to go after, and failure to insist that the States go after, all the people who have allegedly fraudulently misappropriated moneys through the stimulation packages is lamentable.

If what has been alleged by every right winger in the country, this has been so terrible, the Governments should have launched themselves into prosecuting the offending parties.

If I were Gillard that would be my very first step.

Many people benefited from the Insulation Scheme and yet it was still considered a bad scheme due to the flaws that were exposed.

PROSECUTE Julia... We want our money back!

Benq

Mystic (wonderful predictions) and cynic (truth about gravy train jumpers).

Love your work.

I wish that Julia could've taken the reins from Kevin after the next election. But that was not to be. I can only imagine the gnashing of teeth and much wailing from the Liberal party now. They thought they had a chance.

Heh heh heh heh. Would love to have seen Abbott's face when he heard the news.

While I am sorry for Kevin (just the fact he thought he should work even harder revealed his lack of connection to his party) I am very happy that Australia's first female PM is Julia Gillard.

Not someone like Julie Bishop - brrrhhhhh!

I suppose only time will tell.

It will be interesting to see what happens
next, and who's going to go. Will Abbott
be replaced? Because surely the Liberal
Party should be able to see that they can't
win with him as their leader. Although I'm not
too sure about Joe Hockey. Joe seems too nice
for the political arena. Malcolm Turnbull seems
a more capable leader. I don't agree that he's
a Rudd clone at all. Turnbull seems capable of
compromise - and he's a realist.

As I posted previously - politics has suddenly
become more interesting.

Fingers crossed though, that Kevin Rudd will be given
an appropriate posting overseas. It would be a shame
not to use his talent and experience on the international
scene. Personally, I would have preferred to have seen Kevin
Rudd still represent Australia at the G20 in Toronto, instead of
Wayne Swann - who to me appears a bit toady. But perhaps
that's the way to survive in politics these days. Although it
certainly doesn't do much for Julie Bishop. She's certainly
found it difficult to get ahead any further. Perhaps
the mass of male Parliamentarians in her Party find it
difficult to equate women with position of power.