Poirot,

He may be mediocre, most of us are, are we not? But at least he is not a bs artist, promising the world and delivering little.

To be honest, I have never been interested much in any focus on which leader wins or loses.

I have always been interested in the policy mix that evolves from societal interaction and from the political and policy competitions of the day. I hope we get a sensible mix in future years

Chris,

"He may be mediocre, most of us are, are we not?....."

Most of us aren't attempting to present ourselves as the alternative Prime Minister.

Dear Poirot,

Thank you for highlighting this.

In my discussions with others re Tony Abbott I have generally been at pains to acknowledge his work on his own time volunteering in Aboriginal communities. I have usually expressed the opinion that the insights he must invariably gather during these couple of weeks each year could well stand him in good stead if he becomes PM, possibly giving him the tools to formulate effective and empathetic policy.

Yet I had always assumed this volunteering was done on his own time and at his own expense. To find he has been billing the rest of us for the privilege was disappointing to say the least. Not only that we seem to be shelling out for him to compete in various bike and swimming races as well. It is not as though he is short of a quid either.

But the most egregious would be forking out for his book tour then having him lie about it. Margo Kingston should be applauded for her efforts in exposing the his hypocrisy particularly after the Slipper attacks, and his continuing refusal to answer questions about it.
http://nofibs.com.au/2013/07/09/abbotts-battlerort-lines-collapse-under-bkjabour-questioning/

Not a good look Mr Abbott.

Poirot.

May the best man win. I cant stand Rudd for a whole lot of reasons, but share a lot of interest in Labor' policy platform. If Rudd can actually do something about the issues of interest to me, then good on him. If Abbott can, then same sentiment from me.

I think they both have strengths and weaknesses, as do the parties they represent, so in the end I am not that worried or interested in who wins. If the dudd wins, then I hope the Labor Caucus keeps in his place and tempers his flawed ability and ego.

My prime faith is what society forces on the policy agenda to make all those political elites listen.

What I love is Abbott's audacity to simply run away or deflect the issue onto Rudd as playing dirty politics and the media, including the ABC, picking up almost solely on this erroneous aspect.

Imagine how cowering the media will become under Abbott as PM.

Phony Tony, hypocrite, desperado, certified liar. If I hear him impugn the "character" of others once more I'll throw a shoe at my TV. His humbuggery is breath-taking.

Please LNP, give us a choice and let Malcolm take charge.

Yes, csteele,

The interesting aspect is the battle to drag MSM kicking and screaming into the conversation.

They don't appear to want to know much about Abbott's $9,400 - compared to the coverage they gave to Slipper's $900.