Dear SM,

Frankly I'm getting sick and tired of all this
rhetoric about "my party is better than ..."
As far as I'm concerned today's
politicians are a motley lot and I'm slowly becoming
dishearted by the entire bunch. The election is still
a fair way away - I'll have to wait and see what
surprises are ahead of us. In politics, as you
know - nothing's a certainty.

SM,

I'm coming to think that if Abbott said 'G'day' to someone, many people would be enraged, interpreting it as a backhanded and sarcastic insult at someone who - Abbott is insinuating - is not really Australian. This would fit in with his 'Turn Back the Boats' policy and racist opposition to multiculturalism.

On the other hand, if Abbott said nothing to someone in the street who had said 'G'day' to him, many people would be enraged, that in his subservience to Big Banks and Big Business, he ignores ordinary people, the battlers, and shows his true neo-conservative colours.

Either way, he's obviously in the wrong.

There must be a term for this sort of fallacy in logic. Pericles would know.

Cheers,

Joe

"In the last 12 months, Abbott has kept his head down and controlled his mouth, and is looking stronger every day."

Look out the window ... that's a squadron of pigs taking off. LOL

The tone of most of the posts confirms that Australia is still a society in transition. Many years and much more experience is needed before we settle down to be a fully formed nation. The squabbles in Parliament; the apparent similarity in what the leading parties pass off as 'policy'; problems with disaffected ethnic groups; short-term prosperity (mining) with little preparation for leaner days ahead; a politically lazy population and the concomitant perceived need for compulsory voting - all these spell continuing domestic strife. Better education would help, of course, but maybe what we need is a war big enough to scare the pants off us (and give our youth purpose in life) in order to reach the sunlit uplands of serene maturity. Perhaps China, having transformed our iron ore into guns and bombers, will oblige.

prialprang,

It would seem that you have faith that humans - (Australian or otherwise) - could perceive, learn and alter their behaviour as part of an ongoing trajectory toward wisdom... as oppose to displaying the same frailties and reactionary behaviour as they always have.

If mr abbott gets a chance, he will transform AU into a haven for the mega rich, and hand them tax breaks. Their type of politics only governs for the rich side of town. Labor wants to take the rich and famous out of the medical subsidy equation, but mr Abbott is not keen on the idea. As usual he is protecting the interests of the the well to do people. This noalition is the worst ever. I suppose when he was apprenticed to mr Howard he picked up a few tricks. And of cause he still likes work-choices.