Belly,

Wishing it will not make it so. Based on the reliability of your previous predictions, I would not put money on it.

I watched portions of the debate, and Juliar failed to answer a single question, hardly a stellar performance. The news report this morning commented on her inability to give a single straight answer.

Turnbull is the favourite Liberal leader as polled by Labor voters, but after his inflated ego made him defend the policy for which he was dumped, his personal standing within the liberal caucus has fallen considerably.

As for a price on carbon, the liberal policy is to review this as and when Australia's major trading partners move on this issue. So while this is probably inevitable, I would say that 2013 is a little early.

Dear Belly,

In policy terms Tony Abbott and his party just doesn't take the Australian people seriously. Perhaps it is time that someone reminded the Opposition that we had an election - they lost. And, unless they present meaningful alternatives to the government's policies the results will be the same at the next election. Being superficial and irresponsible just doesn't cut it with most people.

Whereas the ALP take the voters seriously for every penny. Their policies are a joke, and are announced before negotiations have begun in earnest.

The Malaysians must think Australians are a joke. The negotiations are being screwed up by Juliar's desperation to announce an agreement. She has now signalled to the Malaysian negotiators that she needs to close the deal at all costs, so they are going to ask for more and more.

On top of this, while Howard's pacific solution complied with the letter of the UNHCR agreement, there is indication that the Malaysian agreement does not.

It must be humiliating for Juliar as the architect of the ALP refugee policy after berating the coalition for years to end up implementing something that is, as human rights is concerned, far worse.

Lexi I agree ,in fact want as you do, things to settle down, facts take the place of fear.
I do not think I am over dramatizing it, Big money interests, and Medea interests have no trouble paying for influence.
Note both conservative party's ARE THE ONLY ONES to take tobacco election funds.
Note too Abbott is a former Minister for health, and reluctant to side with plain packs for smokes.
Add to this his PROMISE not to except the mining tax miners have agreed to, see links in Medea and mining .
I however shared once the view Australian voters would not be coned by lies, they however proved me wrong.
Climate change is real few doubt the science, Labor contributed to us not having an ETS conservatives too GREENS A CONSERVATION party throttled it.
Truth will out we will get an ETS we will get changed leadership, in both sides of the house.
We will get past bought and paid for betrayal of our country's best interests by politicians telling us black is white Abbott will be judged by others ,not unlike what we say about him.

Dear Belly,

Abbott and his supporters want it both ways (poor things) - arguing that the government has been a profligate spender that will never return the budget to surplus while at the same time excoriating it for its minor cuts to so called "middle-class welfare."

They don't present a meaningful alternative to the government's policies and this makes it all the harder to take this Opposition seriously. Tony Abbott and his team may believe that they should be the government of Australia. But they're not - and won't be, unless they start to take the Australian people seriously.

You're right - positive outcomes will eventually win out over empty rhetoric and superficial, irresponsible condemnations.

i note the persistant abuse of the word ...'big'
big poluters/big tobacco[big new taxes]

small minded
small thinking people
love using..[ab-using]..the word big
thinking that calling a thought big..makes it big..that in reality is small

[OK SPIN WORD...for this year..
is '''*BIG""..

OR is big a LOADED WORD?
A..test marketed 'word'?

[you know 'big tobacco'....only]

and or .."big poluters *only..will pay"}

seems the little minded party
is picking on anyone..they call...'big'

is govt getting too big
for its role/purpose?

or too much small minded..[petty]..thinking

when is the big issue
going to become managable?

when is a nanny state
getting too big for its boots

why cant govt issue free licences
that we then can trade..in real cash...
[if were not a big ab/user..]

IS GOVT TOO BIG?

once the last tax dollar
gets spent employing public servants
or on..free solar cell's..[solar sell's?.]..on ya roof

yeah i know they arnt free...
till you payed back ten %..of their true price
and reaped in a nice top-up..[inputs]..resale price..for sunlit inputs

but how about this
govt stick to issuing 'licences' for carbon polution
via its own carbon bank...issues us each and equal share
of carbon credit..[held in trust in OUR own carbon account]

and a market
to sell your 'credit on'..
at tax time...to pay using them...

you simply forward your account number..to your energy suplier
who auto deducts from your carbon credit account...

[that deducts auto from your money account..
if your TOO BIG a user..[abuser]..
of your free carbon credit/limitation