I am afraid Colin I want to get back to the threads subject.
However you do start many fires ,then aim at those who return fire.
It Sir is in your sad nature, seemingly born in an idea you know much more than you actually do.
A thought for you.
If Colin you are in your mind always right.
Then there is no room for improvement, and indeed no need,to catch up with those in front of you.
Rather like being last across the line in the City to surf, lot of bottoms ahead.
Gillard in this poll is even closer to her end,no turn around is coming it is all down hill for her.
My beloved ALP, just has to, like that conservative British one, that dumped Old Maggy, get it done.
Weird but very true, only Tony Abbott has kept her in the job.
Far too many ALP sitting members think Tony will drag Labor over the line, he too is not going to be around very long
My regards Colin.

Back to the subject:

"But Gillard's problem is still Gillard. Her public positions lack private convictions. From opposing a big Australia, gay marriage and a republic to supporting the flag and the importance of religion, Gillard so obviously echoes voters for no other reason than political gain. Her statements on everything from immigration to population are knee-jerk populism, aimed at dominating the media cycle and putting out potential policy bushfires, rather than presenting a genuine narrative about her political beliefs. Gillard darts all over the place depending on what she wants. Hence her opportunistic factional twists, the philosophical shallowness given Gillard has never put pen to paper about her beliefs, and her concomitant policy inconsistencies."

"Voters are not stupid. Gillard is tanking in the polls because her contortions have caught up with her. No one will make a movie about our Incredible Shrinking PM but someone ought to write a short book as a lesson for leaders in what not to do. In the meantime, as Gillard knows only too well, Labor has a history of brutality that the Liberal Party lacks. The ALP doesn't tend to go down with a sinking, shrinking ship. It does something."

http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/06/15/1226075/321250-110615-fed.pdf

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/shrinking-gillard-is-out-of-step/story-e6frgd0x-1226075230299

The only thing in favour of the Labor government at present is the sheer ineptitude of the Opposition. Like Labor they are not offering anything tangible by way investment into a sustainable future, they would bring back the worst excesses of the Howard era and retain those that should have been scuttled by Labor such as the generous subsidies to private-for-profit schools, the baby bonus and no improvement in effective and humane conduct towards boat refugees.

Labor did manage, under Rudd's leadership, to steer a path through the GFC - something people seem to conveniently forget.

I don't vote for either party, however if I had to choose I would vote Labor due to a complete mistrust of the Libs.

During the Howard years there was:

Deception - Core and non core promises, never-ever GST

Callous Racism - Children overboard, the sinking of SEIV X, Nauru (which would be re-established)

Plagiarism - copying many of the extremes of Pauline Hanson's policies

Neopotism - Bail out of Howard's brother's company.

This is just off the top of my head, there was more, much more.

Col

I am here to help:

An insult (also called a putdown or called a snap) is an expression, statement (or sometimes behavior) which is considered degrading and offensive.

Your posts are full of ......... them.

Therefore, you reveal you are not sincerely interested in debate, just denigration.

Either take a good look at the Libs without your rose-coloured glasses or stop wasting time here. Same goes for Shadow Minister - the Libs have never been perfect. I would respect some honesty from both of you, but you are so mired you cannot see. That Labor has moved further to the so-called 'right' is beyond your capacity to observe - you appear stuck in an 80's political climate.

And for the record:

Dear Maggie believes in climate change and thinks Sarah Palin is "nuts".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/09/margaret-thatcher-sarah-palin-meeting

Ah Belly your reference to dearest Margaret

the difference between the walking weasel (reference to Gissards use of obtuse motherhood statements to illustrate matters of compete irrelevance) and dearest Margaret

Margaret achieved much, especially cleaning out the rusty iron of institutionalised national industry and leaving the tax resources back into people pockets (instead of the pockets of unionised national parasite industries, set up by incompetent and corrupt socialists of the past)

Julia has

been party to the distaster of Krudd and Co economic stupidity.

Stabbed Kruddy in the back to save the top job for herself and is now

screwing it up even more and using even more "Advisers" to do so

she is as worthless as Whitlam as her unpopularity holds testament to

SM "Voters are not stupid. Gillard is tanking in the polls because her contortions have caught up with her."

I understand on her CV she lists under special interests:

limbo dancing under the belly of an earth worm

btw could you work out who Belly meant when he referred to "Colin" ?

if you did, maybe advise me

Colin I see your pain brother, try a nice cup of tea before posting.
Both Shadow minister and your self [by the way well said Ammonite] need to revisit my first comments about our Julia.
Now yes she is our first woman Prime Minister.
And was once a hard headed front line defender of workers and human rights.
She very much had Abbott's measure before they both became the leaders party's have if they do not truly want one.
I take great heart, at the fact you both are quite right,she can not last.
No sharp knife needed here she is doing the Job herself,just watch her combative speech about the cattle industry and ask your self how she can do such a bad job of a so very important issue.
Julia could not take my party to an election victory if it was a raffle and she bought every ticket.
No such words, about your side WILL EVER BE UTTERED BY my combative mates Colin or SM
Unlike my mates Colin and SM I demand better from my party.
After all AUSTRALIA PLEASE CONSIDER,without change Tiny Tony could be Prime Minister!

Dear Col R.,

So glad to read your reference to "playful panter." At last you're attempting to head in the right direction (no pun intended). As for your reference to getting the last word in - I didn't realize this was some sort of competitition and in any case on the law of averages because of the difference in our ages I imagine my getting the last word in would be the natural sequence of things anyway.

When I first joined OLO I was told by some people that you were an asset. I believed them. But reading your recent posts - I can now see they were off by two letters.