I feel quite balanced in all this really. I did a political compass and ended up close to Ghandi. I'm slightly more to the centre and more libertarian. Actually looking again I'm very marginally to the left of Mandella, exactly the same as The Dalia Lama, but much more libertarian than both.

I look funny on the American presidential candidates graph seeing as though they're all bunched up on the Authoritarian Right corner

I think it would be good to do these tests each 5 years to keep track of how one changes with age.

Anyway, I see this as being more populated by religious fundy type articles more lately, but I still prefer it to the feminist sites that just refuse to publish anything I dare to disagree with. I'm actually very polite because I know how touchy they are but I gave up. Those chicks really don't want any dissenting views on their site.

So I think Graham does very well, because I reckon he's a christian fundy boring old conservative Abbott lover, and he lets us have a say.

There's still a critical mass of Chardonnay socialists, we have pelican, Poirot, well Poirot's more of a basket weaver actually, and we have a union boss in Belly, and we have squeers and, Kipp and WmTrev, actually, I think it would be fun to list all the commie bastards we can think of. Anyone else? What about the new DiamanPete and 579 sideshow alley of stupidity, with more Gillard worshipping and one-eyed naive Abbott hating than Foxy. How can you guys say we're overrun when we have elements of the truly loony left here!

I think all our problems would be solved if Col Rouge returned. I miss the stories about Margaret.

While all you lefties are having a group hug and decrying the "great Satan" Shadow minister, I thought I would trawl through the thread.

What I saw was that there were several personal attacks from various of you before I made even one oblique comment, and there were several attacks on me for every one of my responses culminating in the direct abuse which was deleted and BM suspended for a few days. BM's first post on returning was not to recognise that he had done anything wrong, but to attack me and GY. Pardon me if his histrionics did not fill me with remorse. Belly's sole purpose appears to be to rubbish me, as he appears to add nothing to the debate. He claims that I am unwilling to see the truth, yet does not contest a single fact. Etc etc. (if you want me to change my mind I need more than your belief)

The hypocrisy here is rank.

Fortunately this being a blog I don't give a continental for how others view me. I would prefer rational discourse where opinions are based on information, and the validity and interpretation of these are discussed. These discussions are rare, but I have had a few that inspired me to look deeply into the issues and review my opinions, and I would like this again. It does however, require, a tad more than superficial treatment.

'Fortunately this being a blog I don't give a continental for how others view me'

And yet you were motivated enough to search through this entire thread of gibberish monkey talk.

I'm with you though. I may be left leaning in my politics, but I hate your stereotypical leftie. The main reason being is the victim positioning you have highlighted.

This Tony is the Devil and everything is his fault, given that the guy is in opposition, is the biggest government cop-out known to man.

OOh ooh we have government, but the mean and nasty opposition keeps arguing against us. If Labor intended Abbott to govern by default they should have handed him government so he could get on with it.

Rather than 'It's the economy stupid', they should have signs up that say, 'Hey, we're actually the government here'.

It seems the lefties on here are the same, more interested in making the earth shattering point that SM is slightly right of centre and tiresomely predictable, than actually arguing their case.

It's not like you, Houellebecq to make errors of ascription… was it my admission of 12 September?

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=14102#243763

What else would you like to hold against me? You cheeky devil of a mother! I might even be persuaded to say yes – without money changing hands (ie. from you to me. But these days, I'm less describable as value-for-money as to now be called cheap).

I don't even like Chardonnay – though I like the pretty pictures on some of the boxes it comes in. And of course, being essentially misanthropic I'm positively antisocialist.

For the record, my policy is to scale all politicians and politics between loathing and detestation. It saves subsequent disappointment.

As for problem-solving… Why did you overlook Formersnag?

('scuse the interrupt SM)

Houellie,

It's interesting the mental pics we construct of fellow posters - I'm confident you'd walk past me in crowd and not pick me as the "basket weaver" - but because I have chooks, grow vegies and tend to reject a harried existence, you assume I'm the basket weaving type - when the reality is that my choice to eschew the rat-race came from the (belated) realisation that in fact I didn't have to ride the conveyor belt.

SM,

There are plenty of oblique references from you at the outset of this thread, along the lines of: "....any wordsmith knows that you can convey much more venom by inference than direct attack."
However, I noted for the most part that the debate was adhering to the issue. I usually avoid political debates (especially with you), but for the most part I was reacting to your raucous tooting regarding Thomson. In the main, however, I'm not enamoured of either side of politics, so I expect I won't bother to seek out your threads for confrontation in future. After all, it's as predictable as daybreak as to how they'll unfold.

H Wm Trevor you two are an assett to this place stay forever.
Now do not tell any one, I am not talking to SM and I am not a lefty, but EVERY ONE IS left of him.
Abbott is gone,Turnbull will flog the ALP Dillard will be the only thing the day after the election to celebrate, she will be gone.
We are faceless people in all probability nothing like we see each other.
H never ever a union boss, all ways one of the blokes ,that was my wish and my best helper.
I as a ham radio nut can tell you we know enough about each other to make a judgment.