Strange noises indeed. Inaction. Turn the boats around, stop the boats, tow back, buy back, All Abbott's words, a con job. Blame anyone but Abbott. Why not blame the GG.

Hate to break it to you SM seems the boats are leaking.
Abbott wants to buy and stockpile the boats.
Because he knows a full term of him will see Aussies wanting refugee status in Asia.

Dear Shadow Minister,

It's so easy when you don't have the answers or the
solutions and things are going wrong due to the
inexperience and incompetence of the current PM
to blame Labor. And of course not giving
out information or answering questions is another
tactic that helps the situation.

However, this is all beginning to wear a bit thin
as the drop in polls indicates.

Foxy

'Dear runner,

You're beginning to give us the impression that
you're threatened by women being in power.
Was your mum a strong disciplinarian and not
very loving? That would explain things. And are
you hen-pecked by your wife? '

Wrong on both acounts. My mother growing up was in an orphanage for 10 years and was and is a wonderful woman. My wife is my best friend, very intelligent and beautiful to whom I have been happily married to for 30 years. Like to try again?

Dear runner,

No. Not at all, and I am happy for you.
Both your mum and your wife sound wonderful.
I was merely being curious as to why you seem
so anti-women in some of your posts is all.
Because your anti-women references are always
draped in vague and sweeping concepts. I thought
perhaps this was as a result of a family environment
which may have been cold, aloof and disciplinarian.
But, I'm glad I was wrong. Although I would like to
still know why you keep referring to the "sisterhood"
and other terms in a derogatory fashion. Most women
I know are wives, mothers, and grandmothers - who
simply get on with raising families, working, and
living their lives as best as they can.

As predicted, Abbott has performed superbly in the crisis. He has followed all the protocols, and achieved the right result without resorting to the megaphone as Labor did, and without compromising security.

Labor's behaviour however was s disgrace. The opposition in the event of such a crisis is expected to show bipartisan support, that Labor failed to do so is a blight on their character.

"TONY Abbott's letter to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been successful. That judgment is inescapable and incontestable.

The President, in his formal statement responding to the Prime Minister's letter, has spoken warmly of the relationship with Australia. He has also spoken warmly of Abbott, whom he describes as "my good friend". The President has committed to a process of consultation and negotiation with Australia to come up with a set of agreed protocols to cover intelligence sharing, among other things.

There are complications and troubles aplenty ahead. But so far, Abbott has handled one of the most complex international relations crises you could imagine extremely well. He has been calm throughout. He has stressed the key national interest that Australia has in its relationship with Indonesia. He has been warm and gracious towards the President.

He has also safeguarded Australia's key interests in maintaining its intelligence capabilities. He has stayed away from the obvious political points he could have made against Labor. He has responded to the President quickly, but with serious, indeed intense, deliberation at every stage.

There may still be very challenging days in this relationship to come, but whatever happens, this has been a solid performance by the Abbott government. It should give our allies, and the Australian people, a good deal of reassurance that this is a competent, sensible government fully conscious of the grave responsibilities it must shoulder in national security."