Belly I know Julia has had to amend some pre election promises. She did say after the election and before any govt; was formed, she said all promises are off.
All of the Abbott supporters are concerned with are the before election promises.
The stimulus spending, which was necessary at the time, but memories are short.
Abbott is running an effective campaign of negativity.
I don't see the people of AU as stupid.
Legislation is moving along very well.
I see Julia's ability as leader, very strong, and able to with stand an onslaught of rhetoric and negativity.
The amount of BS that has gone on with Abbott about the Carbon Tax, will not subside until it's introduction.
The posters in favor of Abbott, i am convinced would vote for blue the dog, just because that is their team. The lack of any sort of policy doesn't worry them.
Politicians with allegations against them are doomed.
All i see is the absolute desperation of a man possessed, and willing to go to any length to get power, without success.
Abbott has ruled out a no confidence vote. Why.

Dear Belly,

Labor's policies WILL be reversed, there is no question of "if", but only of "when" and accordingly of how much will it cost the tax-payer, the later it will be, the more expensive.

So "579", if you want to avoid seeing Abbott elected (and do us all a service because frankly, not too many people like his style and arrogance), the only way is to start dismantling those policies yourself, now.

I know that governing based on opinion polls leads to a reactionary and ineffective government, but surely when your approval rating is in the twenties it's time to start asking why. If our current government's policies really ARE what's best for the nation, surely it isn't too hard to demonstrate that? When over 70% of the people disapprove of what you are doing, then either you're doing the wrong thing or you need to lop some heads in your PR department. I'm not asking for more spin or for better spin, either. I'm just suggesting that the government credits the Australian people with sufficient intelligence to understand the information that is given to them.

Of course, the whingers who post in the newspaper forums may be difficult to please. They don't often let a little bit of information get in the way of their opinions. But therein lies the problem: we have a LITTLE bit of information, or so it would seem. After all, saving face by not backflipping on policies surely isn't a good enough motive to push through immensely unpopular and suicidal policies ... is it?

I hope you're wrong Yuyu.

If Labor steps back from its policies on carbon, mining, border protection, the NBN, or from Gillard who is essential to carry through on these, then we're doomed to be lead by two deeply populist parties, the last thing this country and our children need.

If Gillard embodies the hard choice we have to make for our children's future, and is willing to wear the odium of representing that choice, then she deserves the leadership. I don't see her shirking but self-servers in caucus might push again for Rudd because his well demonstrated soft head and ticker is perceived as a furniture saving electoral asset. The best thing that Abbott can hope for is that Gillard will be dumped before him in a race to the populist bottom.

Google their lies, webpages galore dedicated to the litany.
http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2012/02/19/Tony-Abbott-we-are-sick-of-your-lies.aspx
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/andrew-bolt-does-your-leader-lie/story-e6frfhqf-1226271224387
At least Abbott is openly honest about lies and half-truths being a necessary accessory to political armoury. They always have been, but Gillard tries to hide from this fact. Does honesty or dishonesty about lying make one better than the other? If anyone has an answer spare us your humbug.

Shrill crap surrounding Slipper, who Pine and his mate Ashby could have gone after any time, and Thomson who Gillard could have moved on much earlier, is just noise made all the louder by the peculiar political balance of this parliament. Politics is dirty lying business, always was and always will be, and only the disingenuous scream for an early election as if it will ever change the basic fact?

The carbon tax, etc are all bad policies, and I will welcome their reversals. The reason that the carbon tax is so unpopular, is that it was clear in 2010 that after Copenhagen that a carbon tax was bad policy, and Juliar promised not to bring it in. That she then lied sealed her fate. The following litany of blunders and poor judgement only made things worse.

The Labor brand is shot thanks to Juliar's deceit, and will take at least a decade to expunge.

<< If anyone has an answer spare us your humbug. >>

Oh but Luciferase, I can’t resist the opportunity!

Agreed; Gillard changed her tune on the carbon tax. Damn silly mistake to say she’d never bring it in. But was it a lie? No I don’t think so. It was probably a genuine position at the time.

So let’s insert some real humbuggery here: maybe there are deliberate liars and inadvertent liars!?

It would seem that if Abbott considers lying to be part of politics, then he’d most likely be a deliberate liar from time to time, whereas Gillard is much more of an inadvertent liar, which as bad as it is, is not really lying at all...is it?

Yes, Gillard is much more of a principled leader than that soft-headed off-the-planet Rudd character. Abbott? I wouldn’t call him soft-headed, but much more populist than principled.

But hey, Bob Carr would raise principled politics to a whole new level, and in the right direction that this country needs!