Don't think there is much question that the election will be called soon enough. Julia will want to go while the honeymoon hangs in. First though she will want a quick resolution with the mining tax, a new position on the ETS and don't be surprised if she changes some of the health agreement to apease WA. All of this will sit well and probably won't be too hard to achieve coming off the problems Rudd had with everyone.
Electing a GG is on the face of it not a bad idea. The issues come around once elected people will expect more action from the GG. This leads to the position becoming political and how long before we have a labor GG threatening to sack the liberal government. The current system is not perfect but functional, so until i see a better alternative i'll stay with it. Why do you think the republic never get's up. By and far the majority want it, we just don't trust the pollies to deliver it without making fundamental mistakes in the constitutional changes they will have to make.

benq>> The miners are just big babies and whiners when they don't get exactly what they want

What they want is what was on the table before they invested billions to extract the minerals. Nobody expected, or should have expected, that some hot shot Pm would suddenly shift the goal posts.

Now on the other hand, if the government says that they are going to tax all future projects, then that's another story and they are well within thier rights to do that, just as the miners are within thier rights to take thier projects elswhere.

This is the cruts of the matter.

Belly>>And Julia, surely you understand? is bound for an increased majority?

Boy, where have I heard that line before? Along with lines like, She will never lead my party....

Wake up belly and smell the roses old mate.

Now as for Gillard.
Well, if she can prove she is worthy of the top job, then that's great for everyone, myself included, as for labor to loose office after just one term means we all loose.

Just remember though, she played a huge roll in wasting her fair share of OUR billions.

I say again, if only these fools were finacially accountable.

My tip, costelo to make a re-appearance. After all, he's proven to be the best money manager we've ever had.

Boy, wouldn't that cause some panic.

Rechtub I have no doubt you and I could have a bar b q and a beer without fatality's.
Watch a footy game together and enjoy it and each others company.
I have form for mixing with the under informed.
Of my large family the brother I love the most votes Liberal.
Worse still follows Manly.
My neighbor is also a mate, for ever, he votes Liberal, but at least follows Parramatta.
Me? Saint forever, if you insist Dragon.
Those two could come to our Bar B Q I will buy the snags so you can make a quid.
Brother who became a Liberal for one reason, his namesake Bob Askin was number one fan will have nothing to contribute to the conversation he knows bugger all about politics.
You can talk to my Viet vet mate.
He knows even less .
Football? now we all will enjoy that.
rechtub old mate my understanding of politics was on display as some feared 2007.
Judge me IF the increased majority does not come, meanwhile keep the subject to football.
PS as I am buying the snags I want real pork not ones you blanched under cold water, hope you like Bundy it was my drink a long time before white bears conned kids into buying it.

"After all, he's proven to be the best money manager we've ever had." rehctub i appreciate that you said money manager and not treasurer. He was a good accountant and new his limitations but as a treasurer he left some to be desired. A good treasurer is one that makes valiant decisions that have a lasting effect over how an economy performs over the next decades. Not one that slashes the spending to bare bones sells the heart out of the country and rides a finance and mining boom. His stupendous surplus turned out to not be so magnificent when the hard times arrived and now all the Telsta money has been spent we have non left for environment. The Asian financial crisis was a blip on the radar in view of the GFC and the GST was his only reform of any significance that in the end was the final part of Paul Keatings reform agenda.
The current government with all its problems has already put forward more reforms and investment into the country than the last government did in 11 years. The national broadband plan will see strategic investment into a system that will contribute significantly to the investment of business and commerce in rural Australia. To leave this investment to business will see it limited to the major cities and the continuation of the current problems in development and overcrowding of our cities while rural Australia falls further behind.
The mining tax will see the reinvestment of finances into the rural communities that the mining sector have stopped spending on since the fly in fly out mentality began. It will allow expansion of a super system that is under enormous strain trying to keep up with the rate of expanding cost of living. An ETS or Carbon tax would give the nation an ongoing ability to sustainably fund reforms in environment while encouraging companies to move away from carbon polluting systems. Funny how we all react when a few hard realities appear.

Good post nairbe.

Mr Costello was a GREAT money manager and national accountant. He was a TERRIBLE treasurer.

The magnificent surplus was NOT available to Australia because Mr Costello was a good treasurer. It was available to Australia because we had the BIGGEST mining boom period in our entire national history........ (Costello admirers should repeat that sentence 100 times so they at least have a small chance of understanding reality)!

As it turned out, and not through any foresight or planning whatsoever, we ended up with a surplus that could be used to help us avoid a terrible, lengthy recession "IF" it was used for stimulus and infrastructure repair IMMEDIATELY and at the beginning of the downturn. Mr Rudd, in a stroke of genius that saved our sorry a r s e s, did just that. Our country was the first to act in such a strong and decisive manner. It helped us GREATLY!

Belly>>Judge me IF the increased majority does not come

You have already been judged mate, your 'PM with increased majority' has gone and pulled off a 'Kim Huges'!

As for the barrby, would love to.

BTW. To blanch something you use hot water.

nairbe
Great post, I will respond latter as I am out of time.

BTW, this may shock you all, but so far, madam PM has announced some very positive idears.

Despite what you lot think, I am always a swinging voter and will always vote for what is best for the country. Cheers