Hasbeen... I had the misfortune to do some ALP FDE work with Swan years ago. A very good manager of the Qld ALP, building on the Murphy reforms and very effective in taking it from a band of clapped out no-hopers, suffering from years of Joh and the Nats in power, but I think he has exceeded his abilities as treasurer.

At least, he does not sound the least bit credible to me, even repeating his lines from Treasury.

I agree that Gillard would not be threatened by him, but might have been by Tanner.

I'm not sure that JG is 'bad', just driven by ambition but lacking on any ideological purpose, beyond mere power.

Maybe keeping her head down and obeying Rudd without apparently questioning anything has allowed her to be the PM now, but I suspect what we see, what we saw, is what we will continue to get into the future.

I doubt she will reverse Macklin's total absorption of Howard policies,or end the NSCP, or design a 'sustainable' population policy that differs much from the current projections, or deliver 'the workers' any relief in the building industry, or create an 'education revolution, or get hospitals working better, or, or, or.

Life will amble on, very much as Rudd set it, apart from an end to the media appearances outside a church.

Dear TBC,

Bicycles are popular in Europe.

But, as you point out - the distances
here in Oz may just be too great for
most pollies to handle on peddle power.

How about hot air balloons for all pollies
instead?

Pollies provide enough hot air in
Question Time. And, if they want to speed
up the transport - they can always consume
large plates of lentils (baked beans),
and off they go!

Benq.

Basically it means governments tend to pay more attention to their life-stiles while in power than addressing the countries problems, "hence the snouts in trough" Even thou my vote goes to the greens, all are in the line of fire when it comes to tax payers money, and when it comes to prime-minster Gillard, in my book that's one point of three I give as far as being one of the people persons Labor used to represent in the past.

I just think they would get more popularity ( just like BOB HAWK did with having a drink at the local) in getting closer to the ordinary fellow person in the work-place.

You know the media! the rattle-snakes in the news rooms have ready begun to hiss and sharpen their fangs.

Again! The people are getting sick of the pigs rolling around smiling while bathing in our money.

TTM

Ah yes ...

Here's another ditty that may
put things into perspective, it's by Dennis Pryor,
"Political Pryorities." :

Dedicated to Canberra

" Where bureaucrats parasytical
And parties political
And Ministers hypocritical
Steal the money of the nation
Through what they call taxation."

And of course let's not forget "Party Funds."
As Pryor tells us, "A form of bribery whereby
business enterprises are encouraged to make
contributions in the hope of ensuring that the
next government will turn a sympathetic and, if
necessary, blind eye to their activities."

Mining, anyone?

Thanks TTM.

Shadow Minister, you're saying that Gillard is corrupt because she used the plane in the way she did.

SOOOOOOOOOOO, launch a legal action against her!

But you won't, of course. Why? Because everyone here knows your claims are politically motivated, and that the morality/legality of Gillard's plane use doesn't interest you in the least. What interests you is the chance to claim political points. A chance to show you're **IMPORTANT**! You are utterly disingenuous with this topic, you know it, I know it and just about everyone reading this topic knows it.

But it's good for a laugh!