Peter Slipper has for the past year been becoming a serious issue for the LNP, with his rorting of the MP's allowances becoming a compliance issue. Whilst the hung parliament made it difficult to publicly move against him, the LNP had made it clear that PS was not going to get any future electoral endorsement, or position within the party.

Juliar Gillard's triumph of dumping Jennings and putting Slipper in as Speaker whilst insulating her against Wilkie's threat, has giving the coalition the chance to rid itself of a member slightly less odious than Craig Thomson, who was up until now protected from both sides for obvious reasons.

The negatives for Gillard are clear, the Labor brand is tarnished, and importing another scandal is not going to help. The ongoing slow baking of Thomson as the police net closes around him and Williamson is not going to be helped with the drip feeding to the press of the details of the inquest into the finances of Labor's new speaker.

Shadow Minister

If Abbott and his goons have any information to back up their claims that Slippery Pete was/is a rorter then they had, and still have, an obligation to report them to the police, or whatever internal authority within parliament that looks into rort claims before passing them on to the Rozzers.

To sit on such information, is a (potential) crime.

If anything adverse now comes out against Slipper, it will reflect very poorly on Abbott, very poorly indeed.

As, I might add, it would too on anyone within the ALP who had protected the alleged credit card crimes of the ALP chap.

Isn't it odd that, now slipper has jumped ranks, former supposed crimes are now the responsibility of labor. That is very selective by non other than SM. Such supposed crimes were hidden from view while he was an active member of the NLP. Now where do you think the blame should be held accountable to.

579,

The unethical rorting of public funds are the responsibility of Peter Slipper, but whilst these actions are getting him disciplined and excluded from the ranks of the Coalition, it would appear that they make him the ideal candidate for the party of crooks and pedophiles.

Juliar Gillard and other Labor MPs have been singing his praises, just as they did for Craig Thomson who happily pilfered the union dues paid by HSU members.

Slipper by comparison is suited for one of the highest offices that Labor can offer. Jenkins by comparison is far too straight and got the customary knock on the door.

Perhaps it's just one step closer to the return of Rud.

At least now if rud comes back and wilki gets the cold shoulder, his threat to withdraw his support won't matter as much.

If wilki does not get his reforms, that would be a good thing, as punishing everyone because of a few is not the right way to go.

579, SM is just a bitter and twisted person, who has a selective memory.

None of us should tolerate crime, or unethical behaviour, or even encourage 'letting the side down' in these areas of political and public life but when it does happen, it's foolish, even churlish, to start pointing the bone.

Someone mentioned the ex furniture making unionist Joh elevated and destroyed a convention in doing so, but I'd wager that SM thought that was OK cos it saw the end of Whitlam.

Bloodymindedness works all ways SM.

Best not to be distracted by the sideshows of life, as this event is, and concentrate on the main game, which Abbott seems incapable of doing.

Gillard, bless her little Baptist roots, is at least attempting to do 'something', whereas Abbott is actually doing 'nothing'.

Who knows, Slippers might yet do a good job with both these mobs, since he will never get back in and owes neither anything at all.

Whatever the means by which he got there, which do appear to be legal at least, let's all give him a go in the job.

His position is worth us all upholding, even if he might not be liked by some, or trusted by others.