Gillard's underhanded attempt to shore up its numbers by luring the avaricious Slipper to abandon his party with $100 000s of perks and increased salary blew up in her face. Gillard was left trying to defend a tirade of the most awful texts from the man she chose to fill one of the most highly respected positions in parliament.

After Gillard failed to show judgement in keeping this weasel in parliament even after his position became untenable Slipper took the only decent action possible and resigned.

This and other deceits is what this Labor government will be remembered for.

SM I agree that the choice of Slipper was a poor one especially given his track record. Also the poor standard displayed about the legal process in attacking Ashby who was allegedley a victim. Whether he was or not is a matter for the Courts not the AG or PM to make public judgements. I couldn't see PM or AG making similar statements had Ashby been a woman.

However to correct you, the PM did not defend the Slipper text messages and went further by condemning them. There is certainly a double standard at play in pushing to keep Slipper in the role of Speaker, it is not difficult to imagine the government calling for the resignation of members of the Opposition should they have been caught in a similar act.

SM

Labor could not be seen to influence the judicial system or indeed the judge in a matter before the court. This would have occurred if Slipper was removed. Slipper did the right thing to resign.

The Australian Parliament was debased yet again by Abbott playing the cards in his usual way.

Hold on SM, the strategy of enticing a member of the opposition to become speaker and abandon his party was pretty damn good in the circumstances. You can hardly blame Labor for doing that.

What then transpired cannot be retrospected to make the original decision look underhanded or sleazy.

I am sure that in the same circumstances if the tables were turned, the Libs would be looking to do a very similar sort of thing if they could.

SM,

Here's an article on yesterday's political stoush...and your hero, Mr Abbotts, inane, ill-conceived, stupid retaliatory use of Jones's phrase.

"First he distances himself from Jones. Then he pinches his vile phrase."

Abbott not only misjudges (again), but he's not even original.

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-wins-a-verbal-stoush-and-maybe-an-election-too/

Pelican, BM,

The position of speaker carries a lot of responsibility in governing debates in the house, and as with a judge, the expectations of personal and professional integrity is far higher than others in the house, and is expected to be beyond repute. Given the release of hundreds of abhorrent texts, the sexual harassment suit and the cabcharge fraud accusations (that have not been dismissed) the motion for his dismissal was inevitable, and in fact should have come from the PM.

While the PM might have condemned the texts, her robust defence of Slipper and her re endorsement of him as speaker meant that she dismissed these texts as "not that bad". Juliar's faux offence at Abbott standing near someone with an rude poster is a joke.

As for Slipper's harassment case, Nicola Roxon's partisan treatment of Slipper and settlement with Ashby is a tacit admission that an incident occurred, and goes far further to cook Slipper's goose.