I'm surprised at you Foxy. You know that GST claim is a misuse of the truth.

Howard went to the people with a promise of the GST if elected, probably the bravest political action in 60 years, & was elected.

That is a mandate, something your bloke, Keating did not bother with when he sold the commonwealth bank. Just like Gillard, he was not game to stand on his desired, & intended, policy.

Then for leadership deals, we have the template given to us by Hawke/Keating. Perhaps Howard admired Hawke, although I can't imagine why anyone would.

I do agree Howard should have gone gracefully. If he had, & Costello had had the guts to stay around we would not have this silly little girl playing at being PM today. Then again, if he did not have the guts to fight for it, he is probably not enough to have been a good PM.

I would love to share eyes with you Foxy, I'm sure we would agree on most things. However, when it came to politics, I'm afraid we would always be cross eyed.

On your last post, I see by the comments that most people are as sick of this fool as I am. It's a pity that the local papers don't give a lot more time to candidates before an election. This bloke would have hung himself, & never got elected, if he had spouted all this verbal diarrhea before the day.

So we've forgotten "core and non core" promises have we?

The tories have a lot of gall going on about broken promises after their record.

Dear Hasbeen,

You're wrong about my politics actually.
And I have no doubt that we'd have more
in common were we to actually sit down
and discuss things. Don't forget that
I was brought up in a Liberal-voting
family. Menzies was my father's hero.
However, I, like so many, I suspect,
although I don't have all the answers, I
do know that condemnation, aggression,
and telling your own party members that,
"We'll be in power in less than a year,"
to me indicates that you're not going to
work towards parliamentary reform, or
co-operation, but simply you're going to
try to wreck everything you can.
That for me does not sit well - in achieving
anything good for this nation.
You may find this odd - but I found Rob
Oakeshott and Tony Windsor, two credible
members of parliament - and I only wish there
were more people of their ilk as our reps.

Interesting Foxy, I was brought up in a house so strongly Labor that Menzies was very close to a dirty word. It was only in his older years, when a Labor government almost cost him his small business that my father changed.

I had no preference until Richardson's spin, & half truths showed me that Labor no longer stood for anything but power for their elites.

Since then they have continually insulted, & alienated me by expecting me to fall for their obvious lies. They could at least realise we are not all sheep, who can't see through BS, or rusted on supporters who will accept the lies as necessary, & make excuses for them

I had no idea who I would vote for, after Rudd was gone. However, the more I saw of Gillard the more I saw her as a catastrophe in action. Nothing since the election has done anything but reinforce that.

I always love the way SM and Hasbeen automatically attack anyone that dose not hail the conservatives as the holy grail to be some kind of socialist/ communist disease carrying problem.
The two of you are so blind, the lib/lapdog coalition lie constantly but have this incredible arrogance in how they do it nothing ever sticks. If they go back on an iron clad non-core promise it was for your own good.
Never mind your constant posts following the Toni Abbott system of abuse , oppose and yell it so long and hard that eventually people believe you has become very amusing. It will be interesting to see how your posts progress when his constant harassment of the independents to destabilise the government cause his popularity to crash.
You are aware that bullying in the workplace is illegal?

The new Parliament is complex.
Have no doubt getting anything done will be hard.
As independents barter with both sides for different things nothing is sure.
Labor must stop radical green movements, but the conservatives could help , confrontation is their only plan.
Abbott may face the same challenge if he turns independents, interesting to see how he back tracks.
Remember this senate is not controlled by greens.
We still have the bloke from family first,he is on record saying he may be a wrecker.
I doubt ,truly Howard took the GST to an election, the Democrats murdered their party by selling out to him.
Yet I supported it,
so long suckers, how extraordinary that SM can still think like that.
Now Labors ace, if they find the guts, greens want an ETS lets not put the silly one they want in place.
But stand firm know Liberal solidarity will fail on this issue and we are home free.
This basement section of the forum has always been rowdy, more to the point and up front real Australia.
I can stand up for my self but we all should stand by the things we post without aid.