Great post Belly. I do sometimes wonder, what if Beasley had not been rolled. That back stabbing shows Rudd as no better than Gillard. Beasley could have been the man you needed when in power.

Yes Howard always had the guts to take very unpopular policies to the electorate, think GST, & went too far with work choices.

He was right of course. We pay ourselves too much, & pay too much welfare. This will have to reduce, or we are on our way to a Greek future. Howard tried to go too far too quickly, & I don't know if anyone could pull off the cut in lifestyle we have to have, even Keating. He was wrong going too far too quickly, & paid the price.

Of course if the Dollar comes down enough that will do the job for us. Most won't notice if all imports go up a great deal, other than petrol prices, provided they go up smoothly & slowly enough. A good government should be able to survive a spike in fuel prices, & get our housing & living costs back to parity with the rest of the western world.

We have to get the reserve bank off this inflation thing. Inflation is the best way to bring our wages & welfare down to a manageable level, with least pain.

Unfortunately most of this is impossible with unions in control, with out a Keating to play ringmaster. Sorry your man Rudd could never do it, in fact I don't think there is much he could get right, he's never shown any tendency to do so in the past.

Good afternoon to you BELLY ol' son, HASBEEN and Joe (LOUDMOUTH)...

Again, thank you so much for you very kind sentiments JOE, I do appreciate them immensely. AS well as yours too HASBEEN and BELLY.
I appreciate that you've had this horrible little black canine pursue you too BELLY, so as you can imagine, I just wish he'd leave me in peace. There're some terrific people on this Forum and OLO, and it's only when things begin to 'crack' do you realise just how good they really are ! Thank you, every one of you !

BELLY, old mate. You're old enough to realise politics and politicians are really just cyclic. Today, it would seem that Tony ABBOTT is on top, and set for an election win ? Like John Howard, and the LNP after their electoral defeat, LABOR will need to quietly withdraw, in order to lick their wounds, and consolidate the party, in order they may present a strong, united opposition for when Parliament later returns.

Any party recriminations, post their electoral defeat, should be short and swift without staging a protracted period of public 'blood letting'. Nothing is served by engaging in a (public) factional brawl, of a kind that is usually perpetrated by those in Sussex Street ? We can all distinctly remember, the appalling damage occasioned by factional squabbles ?

To this end, it demonstrates to the electorate as a whole. Labor, despite their recent defeat, is up and ready, stronger than ever before, to once more take the good fight up to the Coalition !

BELLY old chap, though our politics is clearly divergent, if ever I were to vote Labor, it would be for a candidate with precisely, the exact same qualities and principles, that you (BELLY) possess !

Take care my friend, and go quietly.

First time I ever questioned GY,s actions, I happen to think he is a great bloke but not keen, election approaching, this thread should be here out of sight.
Unsure too it is actually a thread about the election.
Hasbeen you would be surprised how much you and I would agree.
Just days ago I would have backed a Rudd return.
Now? 6 to 4 against him returning.
Big Kim was a bloke you could trust, he however could not pull the voters.
To see him walk around a meeting made me proud, he lost leadership was not rolled.
But much can be said about the behind the scenes moves in the ALP caucus.
Right now my words, while I believe are true say nothing to that shelter for the aimless.
They must find a skill lacking, the voice of the people.
The ranting that Rudd is being a traitor speaks louder than words, these internal white ants can not see out side the caucus room victory.s ,that feed our coming discontent.
Abbott will win that is certain.
Labors loss will drive reforms and change,that too is assured.
But the reforms include freedom to cross the floor,without being sacked by party,such would have unmasked the Terrigals headed by pure filth in NSW.
Labor too must review our right wing, given the task of marginalizing the very left,they became as much of a threat as those they trumped.
Far from the party,s best interests they now take a single policy in to opposition.
Wait for Abbott,s wrongs to return voters to us.
How mad is that? how treacherous? by just undoing the betrayal of my party replacing Gillard, even with a green frog, would greatly cut our loss.
Kevin will leave months after Abbott,s landslide a better man than his detractors lost to politics forever.

That last 'thread' of yours BELLY old chap, was indeed from the heart ! A more loyal, more pragmatic, true Labor believer that you are my friend !

Big Kim, another who won the award for Mr Popularity, NOT!

I will best remember him for the cartoon in the paper, it was Big Kim, wearing a pair of boxers and a singlet, with a pork chop hanging around his neck.

The caption was, he said to his wife, " on the OFF CHANCE I am wanted on the phone, il be down the back yard playing with the dog".

But in all seriousness, he did seam like a nice guy, just lived at home for too long for my likings and needed to man up a tad.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/with-regret-gillard-must-go-for-nations-sake-20130621-2onnn.html
My eff0rts to waken the sleeping and foolish heart of those ruining my party has not been easy.
Do not however look to Rechtub for answers.
A deep not well informed and getting worse display comes from my mate.
This link supports my past 3 years of pain, due largley to a deep understanding, of my party,s wrongs.
We must not let our country become, by our actions a single party one.
And, even more important, if not fully understood by some, become a fractured jar of multiple small party,s who gain influence only by *black mail* and over rideing majority wishes, greens Katter,And Mr Millions.