Maybe they should combine and form the Green Tea party.

"TONY Abbott and Joe Hockey have flipped the politics of debt as they frame Labor MPs as extremist "Tea Party" zealots, prepared to gridlock the economy US-style and shut down the government."

With all the fearful symmetry of the fiscal cliff in the US and the spectre of shutting government services, it is now Labor who are the Tea Party economic vandals and I wonder if they are "so heroic to go down the path of starting to close down government services".

What a load of poppycock from Eleventy Joe and Dodgy Tones.

First Hockey acknowledges that we're in good shape and that the AAA credit rating is what matters.

Then he gives the RBA nearly $9 billion that it didn't request and doesn't need.

Then in order to pay back debt he maxes out the credit card to way over requirements.

Then he tries to pull a stunt based on the US GOP's economy-damaging behaviour.

Good one, Sloppy Joe - where did you get your Treasurer credentials - a Cornflake pack?

Here's a Tea Partier who just got the boot in Virginia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mr-cuccinelli-has-himself-to-blame-for-loss/2013/11/07/d8b8cc54-47da-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html

Let's have a look at his traits and see who he more closely resembles:

"It was mainly about bashing homosexuals, harassing illegal immigrants, crusading against abortion, denying climate change, flirting with birthers and opposing gun control. A hero to the tea party and a culture warrior of the first rank, Mr. Cuccinelli lost because he was among the most polarizing and provocative figures in Richmond for a decade. That made him the wrong candidate for Virginia."

Again:

"It was mainly about bashing homosexuals, harassing illegal immigrants, crusading against abortion, denying climate change..."

Sounds far more like the LNP to me, SM

Cheers.

Yes, I think SM is really grasping at straws now, trying to rev up his beloved Libs.
They won the election SM, isn't that enough?

Saying that Labor are more like the mad 'Tea Party' crowd than the holier than thou Liberal party is like saying the mad monk is actually a closet atheist !

Look again at Poirot's credible list of Tony's well known beliefs SM.
It's like reading the sacred vows of the Tea Party nutters....

Well before the election, the issue was raised of the closeness of the debt ceiling, but Labor lacked the backbone to raise the ceiling then. Now with Labor's spending programs likely to cause the gross debt to reach the $300bn ceiling by early December, and the ceiling recommended by Treasury of $500bn rejected by the Green Tea party (labor greens alliance), there is a strong likelihood that a partial shut down will have to be implemented.

I see a few scenarios:

A) The coalition backs down and accepts the green tea parties $400bn or more likely,

B) The debt ceiling is reached and Joe Hockey is forced to immediately cut government spending to a deficit neutral position. Being a cynic, I see the targeted cuts being most of Labor's pet projects and hand outs that would require months of fighting in parliament to reverse.

The cherry on top is that Green Tea Party would get the blame.

Why do we feed this gentleman, years of observation shows he is intent on ignoring the truth.
Find me a single word he used to tell of problems in his party.
Show me a day he did not insult/miss quote Labor.
And here in this thread he try,s to put a case other than the truth, Labor has offered Abbott the cash he needs, just tell us why it is needed.
Here too on open display *is the lie many of them,used to gain government*
Constantly demanding Labor stop things this grubby mob of frauds now claim as their own!
Shadow Minister! Sir! at last I understand your sign in name.
You are a man of no substance, *a shadow of a man*

SM, why wont you be honest on this. Labor for all their faults, and they were many, left government with the Australian economy in very good shape. The continual rhetoric from the Coalition about how they have to clean up the economic mess left behind by Labor just does not ring true. None of these rating agencies are going say "You are an economic basket case but we give you a AAA rating." if they did that, then they would have no credibility.
Do you need reminding Labor are not in government. In opposition the Coalition was thumping its chest about how on winning government it would be such a responsible manager of the public purse etc, cutting Labor waste, sacking public servants, cutting taxes, loading up middle class welfare, looking after big business, most likely committing to a war or two, just joking on that one, Tories would never do that. This must have been such sweet music to your conservative ears. Unfortunate, in government, the reality is now setting in for this shonky bunch of Tories as they realise they can't deliver all that they had promised to the faithful without creating an economic nightmare, and plunging Australia into some economic cellar with a ZZZ rating. The simple answer is for a responsible parliament to say no to any $500b and tell the shonks to dig themselves out of their own economic hole or hand the reigns of government back, to those who can.
Belly, before the election I said to you many times I wanted Abbott in government, it would be the "best" thing that could happen for our side of politics, at the moment I fell all warm and fuzz as I watch these clunkers trying to run the country, they are not letting me down.