579, mate, please do not ever look for under standing from every one polled.
And unlike some who vote as you and I do, know my side at any cost leads to defeat.
I would not swim in the pool after Abbott or Gillard.
Before? yes leaving a little present.
Most Aussies would gladly pee in that pool.
But , hung Parliament, Greens power, Abbott's negativity, drive discontent on both sides.
Look at every post there, some are pure straw hat bib and brace overalls gum boot wearing redneck offers.
But look too at Labors great/good/bad/awful members,who are blind to this truth.
Australians, including ALP voters, would take Kermit the frog instead of Gillard.
Only in the ALP caucus has she the numbers.
Like two drunks out side a pub late at night Abbott and Gillard prop each other up.
One falls the other must.

Belly, there is a fine line between negativity and honesty and, we wouldnt be in this mess had madam PM simply accepted the fact that she was not popular.

Surely this can't go on for much longer.

I'm looking forward to the day when we have an opposition that's supportive of government policies, that never seeks to emphasise the negatives of the other sides policy, that only ever uses question time for questions about the welfare of the country and never as a tool to attack the incumbant's.

Clearly the coalition can't do that, Labor could not manage it in the past but some of their supporters seem to think they can and will do so now so the sooner the parties swap roles the better for the country.

Then we can have an opposition that not so negative about the government.

- or could it be that the all the complaints, attacks etc will be Ok when it's Labor doing it and only bad when it's the coalition?

R0bert

RObert/Rechtub, lets re visit that stolen bike.
I think, honestly, Gillard, and those still supporting her, far too many, are wrong.
But that Honestly, much of LABORS policy's are the best.
We, like Liberals, are loaded down with fools.
Take the loony left leader in my party, please take him.
Both Bishops and Pyne best serve our country by going away too.
Here in my view is the heart of this, Gillard won SOME support out side Parliament.
From the under informed, those who judge on personality.
Within? hatred of Rudd as much as anything drove the knife men.
They , EGO is a dirty word, are bound and determined not to admit they got it wrong.
That act of GUTLESS betrayal of the ALP and its supporters/members
Keeps a woman with poll number much worse the Rudd in power.
In my first post, after her knifing Rudd, I warned she too would go, the same way.
Politics is numbers she could not win a raffle, ever.
Will the ALP sink as in NSW? it will without doubt, unless it unloads her.
She, in my view lied today.
If the challenger was other than Rudd, unless she has made threats about by elections she would be rolled today.
Shorten is the one but Rudd comes, for the time being, with a fan club.

Belly agreed that there are some on both sides who do a lot of harm.

It appears that those working for Julia have some run's on the board for making some politically significant decisions without her approval
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3429873.htm

Really obvious that the question was not answered, the closest seems to be "JULIA GILLARD: Well I didn't direct it. And this was a tense few days for me and the Government. So I can't specifically say to you when I came to know about the speech. It could have been on the Wednesday night, it could have been before."

Even that could be a dodge in terms of wording, she does not quite say she does not know when she came to know about the speech, rather that she can't specifically say but does not actually tell us why she can't say?

The whole culture of politics has got so embedded in spin and distortion that responses like that don't seem to far out of the ordinary.

Shouldn't it be possible to say, "I don't recall when I became aware of it but I do know that I played no part in requesting it be written" as seems to be implied in the answers (but not said)?

R0bert

Robert,

"I'm looking forward to the day when we have an opposition that's supportive of government policies, that never seeks to emphasise the negatives of the other sides policy, that only ever uses question time for questions about the welfare of the country and never as a tool to attack the incumbant's. "

Hasn't happened yet, probably never will. The opposition are called that for a reason.