I'll be voting for whoever promises to scrap compulsary voting immediately after they gain power.

Suze

I do confess that if Abbot allowed his RC faith to dictate too much of his public policy, I would be having that look which fightened monkey's have (you know.. lips pulled back showing all the teeth with wide eyes and raised eyebrows -I had a Macaque as a pet.. trust me I know the look.)

At the same time, with Ms Gillard, if she allowed her atheism to dictate too much...I'd raise my concern above x 2

Regarding America, what happens there will and already does impact on us in many ways. They are BIG... we are small. But the moral and cultural tone emanates from the government.

Do you know much about these names ?

Andy Stern (SIEU- Militant Union)
Jeff Jones (Weather underground)
Bernadine Dorhn (Weather underground)
Students for a democratic society
Bill Ayers (Dorhns husband)
Van Jones (communist and Green Czar until forced to resign)
Joel Rogers (Socialist Academic brainstrust for the Left)
AFLCIO (Militant union)

When such people have HUGE input to public policy from a very left wing perspective, it effects America and us. (The unions are going 'international')

PS..I'm Aussie in Aus

Still continuing on the international theme.

Tony Abbott himself (in his book or during a speech) described the Howard Gov't as "a sort of neighbourhood watch for the Anglo-sphere"
(referring to Australia's role in our region).

He claims that he will be immediately visiting other leaders in our region upon being elected. Why to apologise for his past views and statements?.

I believe that political leadership is not the place for people harbouring extreme ideological or theological belief.
The Abbott team (for the most part) already has a track record of dumbing down this country and tarnishing the international view of this nation.

As with extreme things like "workchoices" were also on track in creating
the "serfdom" they so ideologically desire, and are still advocating the god of
market forces even after the GFC taught the taxpayer that they ultimately had to bail financial markets out anyway.

The Gov't at least has a plan for the future of sorts,
the opposition has always had it's plan for it's re-ascension to Gov't
with it's campaign of negativity and hysteria that has so far worked a treat.

We'll see if it works on Saturday.

Policarp,
Your fascination with sanitised US culture is well, interesting.

The religious movement in the US is dominated by the Tea Party....they believe in guns, racism, and a series of un christian principles.
Most of all they favour that vacuous minded dill Palin. Truly a case of Pauline Hanson with glasses and steroids.

If I were you I'd be careful about aligning myself to them if you want credibility here.

Examinator,

Al knows all about the Tea Party - you'll start him off about the glorious advent of 8/28 - brought to us by Glenn Beck under the guise of "good ol' down home values".

Not sure why there is so much angst about Abbott and none at all about Gillard.

It seems she has long since dumped any claim to left-wing ideology, and is happy wearing the same suit as Howard Rudd left draped over the back of his chair in The Lodge.

There is some vacuous delight in promoting Gillard as 'our first female PM' as if that were reason enough to vote for her.

What tripe!

The 'real Julia' has been on display since 2007, and it is an ugly sight indeed.

More 'con' than neo-con, Gillard has performed as a right wing Alsation wherever her toxic fingers have walked, allowing Taliban-like laws to continue to be imposed on building workers, destroying all hope for public education, and now siding with the ACL on school chaplains and, did you hear her demanding an Internet filter to recreate a Hoyts cinema standard of viewing for us all in her latest display of support for extreme Xtian 'values' in the Brisbane 'debate' with addle-head last night?

We need to fear Gillard being elected as much as Abbott... particularly if she does not place Rudd in the sport portfolio, where he belongs.