Thinker, I suppose that you could call the Slippery Thomson affairs 'storms in teacups' if you take into account that we have a blatant liar for PM and stupid lackeys who publicly support what she will say before she's even said it. The whole labour government is a disgrace - is that what you were leading to?
As for your Abbottphobia, it's typically labourite to paint him as Mr. Negative because he wants to reverse all the stupid, destructive policies introduced by this government. Labour is acting like Hitler, as he saw all was lost, he decided to take the country with him. Gotterdammerung Aussie stlye.

579, isn't it great that you think Abbott has 'Foot in mouth disease, Verbal diarrhea'? So, no-one in Labour suffers from these afflictions?
'Gillard is the most productive leader ever'? I nearly wet myself when I read that. 579, you just don't add up.
By productive, do you include Building the Education Revolution - The school halls fiasco, Home Insulation Plan (Pink Batts) - Dumped after several deaths and no accountability, Digital set-top boxes - Cheaper at Harvey Norman, $900 Stimulus cheques - Sent to dead people and overseas residents - to name but the tip of the iceberg.

@ individual,

you stated that : The # factor that Labor can not govern competently is because it is so heavily academic.

I think you confuse academia with intellectual rigor. The total absence of an intellectual picture is what I see, Gillard is unable to portray wisdom in policy let alone an intellectually sound explanation of how policy is formulated and rolled out. Instead, we get declarations about "policy intentions" fixing things (working families, NBN, climate change) along with some convenient reference to Labor party platforms. Gillard attempts to tap into the 'mood' of the nation are often clunky,limp and superficial. I once believed that it was the selective bias of the Murdoch press that unfairly portrayed her as such. But after personally meeting and listening to her speak, it became apparent that she is not a conviction politician but rather a very good reader of preordained policy lines,scripts and spin. How ironic that we have one of the best economies in the world at the same time as having an increasingly gutted national sense of our democracy. Democracy means government by the uneducated, while aristocracy means government by the badly educated. We have the latter.

The fed govt is not a BDM.
Your fiascoes don't add up.
Your bers are propaganda. There was no b difference in house fires before the BIRs.
300 parliamentary bills passed, which is an all-time high.
Julia's ability to get legislation through is a remarkable achievement.
Voters will see through B/S.
The public are not stupid.
The desperado has not won a round.

300 bills of what? name at least 10 significant and original pieces please? And repealing/ reforming Howard era bills is not progess.
This is about quality of govenment, not a contest on passing bills.

Abbott has been challenged to move a no confidence motion, but has declined.
That goes to show you this man is full of sh??
The only bill backed out was work choices. Howards only mistake.
Tony says this govt ; is really terrible. The record will stand for itself.
The legislative assembly, is moving along nicely. Something Tony won't mention.
He is convinced the public are stupid. There is more to govt; than rhetoric

Dear runner,

What sisterhood? I am an only girl in my family.

As for claiming anything over Mr Abbott?
He's the one who wants to be Prime Minister not me -
and as a voter - I am fully entitled to judge the
man by his actions or lack of appropriate ones, and words.

As for his being a Rhodes Scholar? So was Bob Hawke
Kim Beazley, Malcolm Turnbull and many others. It's
on what merit the scholarship was granted that needs
to be looked at - and of course - how it was used -
and what was accomplished that matters.