For me it started with the No Carbon Tax rally outside of parliament house in March, where posters labelled Julia Gillard as "Bod Brown's bitch" and asked the country to "Ditch the witch". Tony Abbott appeared to endorse the behaviour while at the rally. When pressed he changed his tune and expressed regret, but when he said in the next breath "But I can understand why people feel very passionate" I was left wondering if he was hoping the same thing would happen the next time around. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/story-fn99tjf2-1226093905998

When all but 11% of Australia's economists failed to express enthusiasm for Abbott's direction action plan on CO2 http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/2225478.aspx , Abbott's response wasn't to answer the criticisms. Instead he took a jibe at the entire profession. Judging from articles here on OLO and elsewhere http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12290 , it hasn't gone down too well. But perhaps fair enough, economists are big boys and girls and can take care of themselves.

What isn't fair enough is when the police intervene to prevent carbon tax protesters from harassing each other. From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/story-fn99tjf2-1226093905998 :

"Police stepped in at a forum of Liberal supporters in south-eastern Melbourne after a woman was jeered, booed and followed for two blocks by a man from the audience. ... as [she] left the hall, she was followed by a man who repeatedly ignored requests to leave her alone, saying "it's a free country". The man later left with police."

It seems like this country is forgetting how to have a civil debate and attack the issues rather than each other. It's time to turn the rhetoric down Tony, and show us how it should be done.

Surely that would require a modicum of wise counsel or even statesmanship, rstuart - and it appears, those are qualities we don't presently require in our political leaders.

Dear RS,

I don't like your chances (or anyone else's) to try to get Tony Abbott to tone down his rhetoric. That's all he's got. He and his
business lobby have had a field day, running a well-orchestrated fear campaign that has convinced some voters that the carbon tax will be
bad for the economy. Even though the announcement by the PM on Sunday
showed us all that there is nothing terrifying in what was being planned, did Mr Abbott admit that perhaps he was wrong. No way. He
wants to be PM - no matter what it takes. And what it takes as far
as he can see is to keep up the same rhetoric, slogans, and scare-mongering. He won't rest until he's either replaced as leader or
told by his own party to lighten up. But who's going to be came to
do either?

The immature "rhetoric" comes wholly from the Liberal and National parties.

Why?

Because their private polling tells them that this is what Australians will fall for. This is backed up by the public opinion polls, which prove the tactic is working well.

At the present time, the majority of Australians are not the least bit interested in an intelligent, two way debate. They want to see a "fight". They want to be "entertained".

The last thing they want is to be "informed". That's because they'll then be required to "think". This is why Labor's attempt to explain policy is doomed. The Australian electorate has been successfully dumbed down by coalition hissy fits, coalition theatre, coalition scare tactics and coalition juvenile behaviour.

The Liberal and National parties know this. Their number one priority is to kick the government out, at any cost whatsoever. It's, party first, Australia second. They are bitter, and have never gotten over how close they came to government, and to this day still don't accept the loss. A monkey could have won that election against the Labor Party, but Tony Abbott LOST the election, and the coalition will continue to be bitter till the day they die.

Look at the way the coalition behaves in parliament. They continually scream and yell across the chamber, disrupt parliament at every possible opportunity, get regular suspensions from parliament AND this juvenile behavior works for them. It's what Australians want. They want ENTERTAINMENT.

Australia is getting the opposition it deserves.

The other day I complimented rstuart on the quality of their posts of late, and this one is an excellent example of why. It's well overdue that Abbott and his gang of knockers are brought to account for their role in lowering the level of political discourse in this country. I've been trying to remember a time in my adult life when people have been nastier to their political opponents in Australia, and when an Opposition has contributed less to our good fortunes. So far I can't think of a time when the standard of debate is lower.

Thank goodness for the Greens. No matter what else you say about them, their parliamentary behaviour has always been exemplary. If one compares Abbott's ugly antics with the quiet composure of Bob Brown, it's very easy to see who would be the better PM. The irony is that Brown doesn't want the job and Abbott will never get it.

And thanks again, rstuart.

rstuart, there is a very simply way to end all this, and that is for madam PM to call an election.

Let the people decide!