"Interestingly Abbott is a qualified economist?."

And a failed journalist, a failed priest, an unethical man of demonstrated amoral standards, a proven liar, an inept and inherently dishonest politician and a hypocrite of the highest order. A man with no vision but only a lust for personal power at any cost. A man who has been bought by - and is controlled by - a religious extremist faction within his own party. A man who surrounds himself with lickspittle reich-wing acolytes who he refuses to allow a conscience vote on non-partisan social issues.

I guess that qualifies him.

a lust for personal power at any cost.
wobbles,
you just described the bulk of Labor to a Tee & openly displayed your utter lack of judging another's character. Being a perfect cronie for the left I suppose is what you lot excel at.
I just would like you to answer this question please. Do you people really believe you care about others ?

wobbles mate, I see you are letting your self be insulted yet again.
While backing down is not an option just read the junk aimed at you.
Like swimming in an open septic tank.
You will find it hard to believe, but I am 100% labor
But see no gains in ignoring our faults or dreaming others will.
Yet you take on fixed position posters who never would change, and allowe them to charge you with?
The very biases they hold too.
That post under yours is par for that posters course, do you think you can cut through that bigotry?
IMPOSABLE! nothing can open a closed mind, teach a rock anything.
Look at this days papers, see the truth about past LABOR CRIMINALS.
look harder try to see current and recent past HIDDEN ACTS of the other side.
Review the NSW government, its 120 million gift to Packer.
Know truth only is heard about Labor.
Know too such as your detractors sponsor the grubby crimes we hear little about, by seeing only one side.

It will be an interesting lead up to the next election, as labor, thanks to thier incompetence and missmanagement of our funds, have nothing to offer in the way of 'pork barreling' in a desperate attempt to win votes.

Un,ess of cause they take funds from elsewhere, but they have flogged this option to death thanks to Mr Swans quest for a surplus at any cost.

In fact, he's even taken out an IOU from the big end of town, by way of making them pay tax earlier.

It will most likely be a negative campaign from both sides, the difference being that while labor will be predicting the negatives that the libs may do, the libs will be highlighting the negatives THAT LABOR HAVE ALREADY DONE.

If this is the case, labor will start to slide the minute the campaign begins, as there is a huge difference between a 'prediction' of poor performance and a 'track record' of poor performance.

579. Mate, do yourself a favour and take your head out of the sand and take a good hard look around.

579 it is clear, every thing you say is wrong.
As rechtub /runner/or individual, they know.
Only pulling your leg.
But gee they have a hide!

My guess is that they will time the next federal election to coincide with a huge number of school leavers i.e. first time voters to count on.
To rehctub's challenge I have conducted my own survey over the past few days among contractors & their employees & public servants.
The blue collar brigade shot Labor down in flames & even went through the trouble of (verbally) burying them. As could be expected the majority of public service employees ran down Labor but still vote for them because they spend more than the conservatives.
My conclusion is that people are simply exploiting the incompetence of Labor & dislike the idea of Liberal on account of perhaps having to actually perform i.e. have their employment based on merit. And they're forced to vote !
Sad, sad society indeed.