Belly, very amusing description of the Baptist PM, I like it.

I don;t agree she came from the far left though.

Like most in factions she just selected one from which to position herself for a career. Theer is no 'left' ideology in the ALP, just a bit of hankering for tariffs and medicare and that's about it these days.

Carr got the gig eh? He'll be insuffereable from now on (not that he hasn't been for ever anyway).

Hassie, have to agree about NSW but I wonder if it's just the fact that organised crime runs the state not politicians that did him down?

I must say that it's literally a mess in Sydney but how much that is a state government issue or a local council one is for locals to work out not me.

I suspect though that the best move would be to ditch all those group-hug councils and get a real one, like Brisbane has, and that way it could badger the state government better.

I think Slipper was promised the Howard cottage in Kent if Howard didn't want it, and maybe the Cinque Ports job too.

I think Slipper looks grand and he should require all Senators to dress in Jacobean garb, complete with swords, every day.

Let us get our taxes worth, I say.

Belly, there are factions in the Greens too.

There's enviros, crystal gazers, dopeheads, ex-ALPers, and youf.

Sometimes, as with all factions, the boundaries merge a bit and its hard to tell a crystal gazing youf dopehead who cares about the environment, from an ex-ALPer who is a dopehead, cares for the environment and is still young.

TBC afraid the ALP has its left, and as far left as you can find today.
Rather than 1950,s when Labor members came to the house feeling undressed without the bib and brace over alls, many now come in suits.
Strangely more ALP members come with university degrees than Liberals, while Nations bring names much like cattle and little else.
Angus Brangus you know the deal, the smell of sale yards also aids in identifying a national.
Yes left, well the factions in the Greens are different.
Chips from the same block hence the often quoted *they are off their blocks*
Interesting day our Julia found the pogo stick had a mind of its own and hard to control, so back to Carr, and quite strange a great choice, only one to equal my Kevin.
Ms Gillard looked the part, during the announcement she, unlike in Caucus took control regimenting the presses questions, and the order they could ask them.
Well we shall see my thoughts remain she is as likely to be in that role next year as me.
The left, true left, will forever want to defame the ALP for? its success while the left waits for passing dogs to water its tree before the last leaf falls and it dies,even the dogs are reluctant to assist,

Blue you amaze me. Suggesting we should trust that bunch of ratbags with weapons. A bit much mate.

Still I suppose, if the way their tongues works is any indication, none of them would be dextrose enough to wield a sword anyway.

But just a minute, if Abbott is a volunteer fire fighter & life saver, his limbs may be more dexterous than his tongue, they would need to be. Perhaps he could acquit himself better than most.

Of course Julia could impale anyone on her cold stare, or her viper's tongue, provided she was behind them at the time.

My my how easy some find reason to slander my party .
I too do on occasions,but then I try to have a reasoned look.
It is charming, truly it is, that only the ALP is targeted or the increasingly isolated Greens.
One faction in the fiction know as Liberals,but in reality Conservatives.
Wants welfare for the high income earners, to bred more Conservatives?.
Another, getting close to Liberalism folks! be warned Tony will have none of that.
Want to spend it on disability scheme such as Labors.
Some want to cut health[Abbott does that well]others education.
A minority unlikely to have any impact, secretly known as the Liberal party wants an increase in both.
The once Cow cockys united faction, some within still claim party status, wants to pretend it is no slave to Conservative leadership.
Abbott in his own faction, the say anything slogan mob, wants workers to vote for him so he can betray them too,as he has in almost every thing he once said he supported.
Factions are universal.

Belly, stop the paranoia about The Greens. We are the progressive party today that your mob should be. Your party was great in 1897 and in 1930, it was still great in 1941 and again in 1972. I thank the Labor Party for Jack Lang, John Curtain, Ben Chifley,Goug Whitlam, and many others. In the past the Labor Party, more than any other worked tirelessly for the ordinary bloke like you and me. I applaud the Australian Labor Party, of which I was once a proud member, for the contribution it has made to Australian society.
However, some time ago the party changed, it craved power for powers sake, and it got it with Hawke, Keating Rudd and Gillard. The party become pragmatic with no real philosophy, no longer committed to the under dog, but rather it become a pale imitation of the Bob Menzies Liberal Party a 'new' conservative party. The party was no longer socialist, not even reformist, it just wanted power for powers sake. I knew that for sure, the day Gillard took office after the last election, she knew no good could be done for Australia the way things had panned out, she should have handed 'power' to Abbott, like her he too was desperate for power, craved it, demanded it, wanted it. An Abbott led government would not have lasted five minutes. Then Australia could have got the government it needed and deserved. So don't hate The Greens, if you must hate, then hate those within who are destroying your party for the sake of power. ps Agrub went the other day, a small start.

Paul 1405 by any chance are you fair dinkum?
You are aware as a kid I was a lost lefty, it became hard to continue for several reasons.
The invasion of Hungary, Murders of British held POW s on being forcible returned to Russia.
By age 15 I was getting too big for my childhood toys, and we lost our meeting places as the red phone boxes went.
Dare I mention your current polling, 6%!
Now while many leftist regimes did take over at the point of a gun it seems unlikely the greens could raise enough to take the local Macas.
Think with me, Country Party/Nationals get more than twice your votes.
Yet the chances of them taking over are nil.
Yes I dislike the greens, yes intensely, do you wish to know why.
Greens are a faction within a faction, all the minority's who can not stand alone join and consider them selves rather smugly in change.
After considered thought Paul, true honest evaluation, I think most Australians, and myself, would be pleased if the floating rubbish junk you protect sank.
Harsh? yes I concede but mate so very true,truth is worth respecting.
No bitterness no fear just contempt for a party that pushes the cast off policy's of all other and claims martership for being so increasingly marginal .