Pipi I have not seen a statesman or stateswoman in Australian politics for a while now. Abbott may be a dribbler, but I will wait until he governs before I bring down my final judgment.

Away from personalities, which is all the Australian political debate has centered on in the past 4 years, I will vote on policies not ideologies or how inept and uninspiring Abbott or Gillard (or her replacement)appears ….that means a goose step to the right for me next year. It will slay me to cast my vote to a party that Joe Hockey and a few others not fit to mention belongs to, but for the good of the nation I will.

Sad that the old DLP is not around and unfortunately their spot cannot be filled by the greens. Yes, there is no “keeping the bastards” honest with the greens… but there is “keeping the bastards medieval”.

Where are the greens on CSG…besides a blog on their web site…pollution of our aquifers not green enough for them? Or perhaps they have been told to take a stand, but don’t act on it by the money that owns the movement?

Houllie

I think you should run for Parliament.

Houellie,

Actually, I think you're right - it just bounced out of his mouth (shortly before his foot bounced in : )

But wait...there's more!

Knowing how unassuming the carbon tax has turned out to be, he decided to give it a bit a nudge. Holding up one Hetty Verolme's lecky bill, he maintained that it was subject to an $800 increase compared to the bill prior - and what's more - 70 percent of that increase was down to the diabolical carbon tax!

Unfortunately for Mr Abbott, Labor challenged him to table the "bill", which displayed an electricity consumption graph on the side that showed that most of the increase was due to a dramatic increase in power consumption at Mrs Verolme's home - and that the increase due to the carbon tax was less than the 10 percent forecast...anyway:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-10/abbott-caught-out-on-use-of-pensioners-power-bill/4305908

Why would a man, all but set to take the Lodge, indulge in such a puerile escapade?

I mean this guy was a Rhodes Scholar...must have been a lean year for candidates when he applied.

The only question remaining is by how much Labor will win the next election.

The latest poll shows that Gillard, compared to Abbott, is the preferred Prime Minister BY FAR.

The poll trend has seen Labor consistently and steadily rise and rise and rise over the past few months.

On a 2 party preferred basis (the one that counts) Labor and the Coalition are now 50/50.

Abbott is absolutely loathed by the general public, with the exception of the far right wing supporters of the Coalition.

Abbott's consistent and daily lies about the effects of the carbon price, have finally become common knowledge amongst the general public. Why, even in Parliament yesterday, under Abbott's authority, it was claimed a pensioner had aprox. an 80% electricity bill increase due "in full" to the pricing of carbon. Guess what? The bill was tabled, under pressure from Labor, and ............... the carbon price element of the bill was 9.1%. Labor has ALWAYS said the increases will be around 10%, AND covered by compensation. So, Abbot LIED yet again in Question Time.

Abbott lies and lies and lies every day to the general public on the effects and costs of pricing carbon.

The general public is now onto the Abbott lies.

DP! dreams do not win elections.
Labor can not just wait for anti Abbott folk to deliver them a gift.
It must see the anti Gillard side is every bit as strong.
Two lost leaders, two wrong leaders make us all the victims.
Abbott is now the Temporary leader of the opposition, we must face Turnbull, armed with?
Gillards Gigglers.

Belly, you're letting your loathing of Gillard cloud your judgement.

Gillard is one strong, resilient and gutsy PM. The general public is coming to realise this. Compared to her, Abbott is just weak and abusive, and Turnbull lacks the ticker to rock the Liberal boat. In my estimation, Turnbull is a weaker individual than Gillard.

If Abbott had formed a minority government, he would have crumbled within a year. He's immature, stuck in his 50s ideology and can't even get basic facts correct during question time. He's been proven to LIE, LIE and LIE time and time and time again. He gets demolished by Labor in the Parliament, day after day after day.

Abbott is getting away with his LIES no more.

Abbott started the fight between him and Gillard. He was the first to routinely and personally abuse her. This worked for a long time as Gillard didn't reply in kind.

Over the past months Gillard HAS replied in kind, and Abbott has withered on the vine. He can dish it out, but is MUCH too weak to take it. Abbott's now wailing "WA WA WA, Gillard's so mean to me". Abbott's got no guts. Gillard is as gutsy as they come ..... AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC NOW KNOWS IT.

In Parliament yesterday, we had that idiotic drama queen Christopher Pyne, jump up in hysterics and take a point of order complaining that .... wait for it .... a member of the government had called a male member of the opposition a "BLOKE". Oh, the poor little, sensitive wuss. Pyne dishes out the personal and abusive dirt on a daily basis with constant, meaningless and disruptive points of order, but he finds the word "bloke" offensive. WHAT A WUSS. And we elect these idiots.