Here's a Sunday Profile interview with Mr Abbott from 2005.

I found it reasonably enlightening - far more than anything that's emanating from his direction of late.

Worth a read.

http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/s1389511.htm

Poirot,

Of course you win. Abbott could never hold a candle to Saint Kevin from Nambour in any religious joust.

<"Kevin Rudd's politics of piety put on parade"
.....
In his own eyes he's the nation's number one church-goer, the politician who brands himself with St John's heritage-listed chapel in the Canberra suburb of Reid in the background in much the same way John Howard made his mark in an Aussie tracksuit walking his way around the world.

Rudd's faith is a given for most Australians, although Abbott, a Catholic whose own faith was such that he considered the priesthood, sometimes throws out muffled hints that it might not be as genuine as it appears.

After the 2004 election loss Rudd's mission to become Labor leader went into hyper-drive and faith was one of the cards he played, appearing on the ABC's religious program Compass to discuss why parties of the Left should engage with the Christian community.

He told host Geraldine Doogue that he worried colleagues might see him as a "slightly besotted God botherer".

Rudd didn't need to worry too much.

He already had a reputation as something of a God botherer, a persona he coloured in himself when he worked for Wayne Goss in Brisbane.

And, being the details-obsessed politician that he is, Rudd was running a multi-tracked strategy at the time which included appealing to the blokey constituency in the Labor Caucus by swearing a lot and telling bawdy tales.

Soon after Rudd became Prime Minister he introduced the Sunday morning doorstop outside the Reid church. Nothing speaks solid, respectable and trustworthy leadership more than this almost weekly image.

Howard, who was a man of sincere faith, never did this.

Perhaps the most shameless example of the politics of piety was when Rudd wrapped himself in the looming sainthood of the late Mary MacKillop.>
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/kevin-rudds-politics-of-piety-put-on-parade/story-e6frerff-1225813655079

A win to Kevin, most definitely. The sun rises with him. God is on his side and he does come from God's Own Country. LOL

onthebeach,

I posted an interview with Tony Abbott.

I was interested to read what he had to say.

Why don't you toddle off and grow up a bit.

Poirot>> If you imagine that Australia is keeping on top of its infrastructure needs you really haven't had a look around the State capitals for at least 10 years. There is a desperate need for new infrastructure<<

I believe you are right P.

Labor governments ruled the states for the last decade....hence no infrastucture....but we have the debt.

Can't take the credit for that, sonofgloin.

I believe it was onthebeach.

Poirot, interesting interview. Not too dissimilar from some of the other stuff I've hear from him. For me nothing particularly alarming in his reponses. Did you get a different impression from it?

R0bert