SM

Instead of appearing like a bully, I suggest that you go back and read Belly's early posts on OLO. You will observe that Belly has made huge improvements in self expression. All of which indicates a sharp and thoughtful mind.

For all of your further education SM, you display a lack of lateral thinking with regard to politics, being unable to see the obvious (to everyone else) flaws of Abbott. Nor can you understand that Gillard is having to clean up the many mistakes of Rudd - in very little time given that she must call an election soon in order to confirm her leadership. Unlike Rudd and Abbott, Gillard can take advice from others, work in a collaborative method and is a very quick study, all of which means she will engage the wealth of talent in her party in a consultative method. The same cannot be said of Abbott (the unexpected announcement of his Parental Leave plan and other promises he has made without consulting his party - not unlike Rudd).

And yes, she will be elected as PM at the forthcoming election. Read it and weep.

Yes, no need to get nasty SM. It's not Belly's fault that you're backing a loser - Gillard will call a Federal election next month which the ALP will win, albeit with a reduced majority. The Greens will pick up another Senator or two and maybe a lower house seat or two, while the Opposition under Abbott may pick up a seat or two but not enough to win government.

No doubt the Opposition and its useful idiots will mount a typically negative slur campaign which will backfire on them, after which they'll dump the odious Abbott in favour of another loser. Enjoy!

Belly,

I apologise for over reacting. However, in your posts you have shown little restraint from having a personal dig.

As for your predictions, your track record is not stellar.

As for my personal preferences, I am a conservative who would not pick Abbott as my first choice. I preferred Turnbull, and support a carbon tax along the lines that Gillard is proposing (not the cumbersome costly ETS) which you could have picked up if you had read my previous posts.

However, MT was trying to show that the voters should vote liberal because the Liberals were better, which in the face of a consistent negative campaign by Rudd and JG was ineffective.

Abbott ousted Turnbull, and set about an effective negative campaign convincing the voters that they should not vote for Labor. The policy failures and Rudd's management style were easy targets.

The mining tax issue is not completely over, as there are definite rumblings coming from the small miners of coal and iron ore that were not party to the negotiations and who are more badly effected. As the small miners cannot get capital at the low rates that the big 3 can, and often pay more than 12%, this significantly reduces their ability to compete. The truce with the big 3 at least has silenced the worst of the criticism.

The next is the asylum seekers issue which Abbott has used very effectively as a wedge. The working class are generally concerned about the boats, but the more liberal (in the true sense of the word) Labor supporters prefer a more open policy.

JG is under pressure to address the issue, but is in a lose lose situation. Keeping things as they are will lose voters to the liberals especially in marginal seats, tightening policy will lose them to the greens, but the back-flip will favour the liberals.

The only true way to win on this issue is to keep it out of the public eye, which exactly what TA is preventing.

No offense taken Shadow Minister, you are quite right I do play verbal tennis, and can not escape my lack of formal education.
I am a warrior type but only counter punching never King Hitting.
Want to challenge the view I got it wrong more than right.
Yes never saw Julia coming, but am on record saying she will govern very well.
Also that I will never trust her fully.
I again say, hold me to it an increased majority for my mob.
And I did hide my head in the last few months of Rudd, still like the bloke, but apparently more than he liked himself.
Labors impending victory is helped by work choices, it still hurts to see those who do not understand its impacts on low income earners.
Of special help to the ALP the fact Abbott too is a warrior but has no coordination between his mouth and brain.
That clearly was the case long before he rolled Turnbull.
I hope I see both sides of issues ,surely my constant harping about MY PARTY in NSW its lost nature its betrayal of its reason to exist, its forgetting its past , gives me some credit.
No lower house CJ Morgan, but that extra senate seat?
Just maybe.
Tomorrow a new policy on boat people, canny and a real surprise will give JG a further lift in polling and take another plank out of the bottom of Abbott's boat.