After the 'Wink the Shook the Nation' the Washington Post declared Tony Abbott one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers in the world, which Australian media translated into most hated in the world.

Perhaps the Australian translation is correct. With humble pie smeared all over my face, and as a defender of Tony Abbott before the election I now sit here dazed and confused. I have never seen anyone or any Party self destruct like this before.

Promising to get rid of the carbon tax as first thing on the agenda if elected and after three years of calling Julia Gillard a liar everyday, Tony proceeds to do exactly the same thing and put himself in an even worse position. I hate to say this but it looks like he's got no brains what-so-ever.

My biggest gripe/disappointment is how badly this all reflects on Australian politics. Back to back Party Leaders days out from an election go on National TV specifically to make a promise/s they believe will put them in good stead with the people and then just months after getting into office proceed to do the opposite, without shame. And as for Big Clive... heaven helps us if he gets in.

I am thoroughly disgusted.

What can I say, but Yep.

Only difference is; I absolutely did not support Abbott before the election…. except regarding stopping the boats, which they are well on track to doing.

oh dear
im seeing the latest campain/assassin\attemPt
on as sitting member/getting replaced..to install yet another\banker into power/by a coup

[and joe'was selling/us..out\for other bankers/
ironic..tony..bowing..before big money.[SADLY]..mate that failed

its time/to transaction tax.
go for popularity/OR\..your going to get screwed/2\by a banker

watch/the organization..of the came*pain
your number one..[not the pm/who killed the jews..,
nor the greek banker-pm..who gave-up..his/trusts-treasure...gold[like ukrane/pm..did..no not/them s-cum tony..

*you*
because/you
didnt/stand-up/for the poor
inevitably..the ELITE...SOLD YOU-OUT.

think about it tony
why do they want you/common/pond-scum/likehawker..gone?

cause the/backup..bankers-seat/butt..is/sitting\waiting/in tHE PEW.
[WHO LIKE AL*GORE CLAIMS..HE INVENTED..THE INTERNET/OR\rather/meterd/restriction[enron-pricing]../lol\carbon-taxes[IE ASIO/CIA/FBI/AGENTS..[MANY..ARE..AGENTS..FOR FOREIGN/POWERS..ANYHOW/

/HOW About the pol-pot pm/
killing tutsies/hitsies/angolians/sudeneeze/serbs poles homo/homeless/jews

[were..they better?]

disposssed/hated\despised/and good/ol tony =top ten?
yeah/RIGHT..GOOGLE SEARCH/REVEALS*PAID TREASON..media/complicity..RIGHT?

get real/its..a campain
[google//has been paid..to pUTche'..THIS barrow..now.

think about/how high..this treason[OF BANKSTERS..GLOBALLY]..goes

why does\google/EVEN..ACTING..[lol..not-]POLITICAL
why/''g''..want you tony..specificly..TO BE..the top evil pm?

huh?

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=`MOST+HATED+MINISTERS #News for `MOST HATED MINISTERS[Sky*..[da,,[self-deletion/sky\front-running?..[murder-rock/or..patter/packer.?

of course,is nothing new for Tony Abbott, who's quickly becoming one of the world's most hated prime ministers.” But the article doesn't

around the world:..“This, of course, is nothing new for Tony Abbott, who'squickly becoming one of the world's most hated prime ministers.”.#How Australia's winking Tony Abbott became one of the world's most ...

This, of course, is nothing new for Tony Abbott, who's quickly becoming one ofthe world's most hated prime ministers. He just unveiled a

...#e Washington Post says Tony Abbott is becoming the world's most ...www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1395880‎* CachedA RADIO interview, a wink and a “draconian austerity” budget have earned TonyAbbott the title of “one of the world's most unpopular Prime ...
for easy passage of his signature budget measures.....

Abbott, who's quickly becoming one of the world's most hated prime ministers.#2 February 2012: Judging Australia's worst prime minister - Abcwww.abc.net.au/unleashed/3805180.html‎* Cached* Similar2 Feb 2012 ... SmithW,I could not agree less,Until now Whitlam was the most ..... No, love thePrime Minister or hate her, at least have the temerity to look at ...

The boats are stopping, or do you mean they are under control. Are we ever going to be able to not keep them under control. An ongoing cost for ever.
The boaters will eventually end up in Malaysia, cambodia is in human rights turmoil.
Abbott has wreaked the coalition machine single handedly, without resistance. He still believes he has done no wrong, that is a sure sign they can never go forward. A new leader is in order, and put a responsible budget together, without the false information

Dear sbr108,

I have felt that in every Federal election in the last 30 years the Australian public has pretty well got it right, even if I have occasionally detested their choice. As much as I despised Howard after his first term the opposition never produced anything that could have been regarded as a decent alternative until Rudd.

As in the Howard era I have been prepared to respect the nation's choice and to ride Abbott out with depressingly little confidence of a decent alternative. My only aid has been a browser extension that replaces Abbott's photo with a picture of a kitten. It can be found here http://stoptonymeow.com/ and is remarkably effective in tempering spikes in one's blood pressure.

This is the first time I think they may have got it wrong and given the rabble that was the Labour Party by the end that is a big call. While this is a personal assessment it appears I am not alone.

What I think is being quickly eroded among those who elected him is respect for their individual choice. While the 'hip pocket nerve' is certainly a huge factor in elections I think most people try and do what is right by our nation with their vote. When they see the determined unraveling and privatisations of institutions that they know are vital to this country they rightly become distressed, not only for what is occurring now but because it has caused them to question their own judgement in electing Abbott in the first place.

In that you have my sympathy. I do not condemn your election choice because it was made on the best evidence you had before you. Promises were part of that evidence and I understand your current anger.

Australia was taken for a ride by three word slogans, they were believable, and hard to argue against.
Abbott's array of promises were nothing but deliberate lies.
To take away the lifestyles of Australian people is just not on and Abbott's biggest blunder. The living conditions of Australians were hard fought for and not negotiable.
Australians want that level of comfort, so if the comfort level costs more so be it. The only way is to up the GST and do not touch the living conditions of the people.
This govt; sees the only way is to pull down living standards, is it their job to do that, when there are other options, of course not it's Abbott's untruthful agenda at play, and not in the interests of Australian people.

No one needed to produce anything as an alternative to Rudd. You could find one in any cow paddock, or garbage bin.

Abbott is the one to tell spoilt kids they can't keep racking up debt on the credit card. The usual spit the dummy crowd just can't let go of their 'entitlement' mentality. Amazing how the 'regressives' are the champion of hate while venting 'moral ' outrage.

The Abbott government is facing an early budget shortfall because it has no hope of passing many of its key measures through the existing Senate and members of the new Senate, starting on July 1, have said they will not support retrospective or backdated legislation.
Tony is in a pickle, joe can see his career slipping away. The rich ladies parental scheme has little to no support.
A budget on the run, straight off the top. Do we get a DD.

Dear runner,

If we're going to talk about "entitlement mentality,"
then lets keep PM's daughters out of scholarships
and take away the perks the current mob are milking
for all they can - tightening belts seems not to apply
to them. No wonder voters are not buying any of it.

It just proves one thing & that is Lefties have no integrity & are loaded to the brim with spite.
Responsibility is not in their vocabulary & neither is sense.

The polling by the market research company UMR of 1000 voters shows three quarters of respondents (76 per cent) disapprove of federal cuts to public hospitals and six in 10 voters disapprove or strongly disapprove of four other contentious areas: higher costs for prescriptions (62 per cent), petrol excise indexation (61 per cent) and a delayed pension age to 70 (60 per cent).

Mr Palmer said the scale of broken promises was worse than Julia Gillard's backflip on the carbon price. "I guess what's astounding is that there is a whole raft of things which are repugnant to the Australian people," he said. "The magnitude is wholly different … we're not passing any of them.

Most heated world leader?
Over a wink?
On *radio*?

Can our political discourse get any more pathetic?

Not our political discourse, that what the US thinks of proceedings here. You must admit Abbott has not made many friends by telling porkies as long as a jumbo jet.
Not only are they lies they are being defended to the hilt. Past performances in parliament about people that tell lies is unforgivable.
So Abbott set the stage and fell into his own trap.
The whole election was based on lies. So why would their not be repercussions of the biggest dimensions. libers have to be dumfounded by the actions of this lot.
Arrogance is abounding, and not to be taken likely. Our future relies on govt; and if you cant trust govt; you can have no faith in what they say or do.

Tony Abbott is hated very much by the same noisy handful of Left whinger fruitcakes, just as he was hated before the election, and as Howard and all those that show up the left for the incompetent wind bags they are.

The most loathed PM of all time has to go to Juliar who was so bad that her own colleagues threw her out to replace her with KRudd who had been previously tossed out for incompetence and lunatic behaviour.

Dear Shadow minister,

My sister is a single mother raising a son currently in primary school.

She works in a secretarial job through the week and spends many weekends at her own start up small business in the cleaning industry just to make ends meet. She has worked damn hard since my nephew came on the scene and has managed to buy a modest home in which to raise her son. She was incredibly resentful when Julia Gillard stripped her of some of the government assistance that made a big difference in their lives. Probably a swinging voter, though definitely steering more towards Liberal than Labour, I have little doubt Abbott got her vote in the last election. She was around today and I raised the question of Abbott. Her response? A derisive snort and a terse 'Give me Gillard any day, and that is saying something'.

I would love to see you call her a “Left whinger fruitcake” because I am confident you would be missing limbs as a result. In fact why don't you give her a wink?

Although her primary source of income is now under threat as the business that employs her is in a town with a car industry in its death throes she is one very determined lady whom I sure will survive, but I'm pretty damn sure Abbott will never win her back.

I for one certainly hope there are others in the Liberal Party who are a dismissive and derisive as you are because that is the best way in the world to ensure Abbott is a one term PM.

Funny how these reactionary neo-con throwbacks can dish out the bile and confected outrage from under the skirts of their media masters but can't take it when the public bites back.

Much (but not all) of Gillard's loss of popularity was due to selective and aggressive media manipulation and lies but the blame for Abbott's fall is all his own work.

In context is the fuss about "the wink" somehow worse than the criticism of Gillard's earlobes and wardrobe?
Were the recent public protests deliberately staged by Abbott supporters like those against Gillard were alleged to have been staged by her supporters?

Lies are lies and lying about lying doesn't cancel them out and to continue with that line makes it worse.

The wall-punching idealogue who used to drive around with his mates abusing women and gays during his Uni days is starting to unravel.

I'm a fruit-cake who hated Abbott before the election because I knew him too well. Now, everybody else does too and the polls reflect this.

On the positive side all this makes Shad's ceaseless bleating about carbon pricing seem even more pale and wan, and it's given us a new word for lying. It's called telling a 'tony'.

Tell me another one, Shad.

I too am one of the 'fruitcakes' that despised Abbott's brand of politics before, during and after the election.
I did try to warn people on this forum against voting for him.
Now, I would just like to say ...Nah nah!
I will just sit back and watch him self destruct...

SteeleRedux,

If your sister believed that the measure of government competence was it's handouts and that by voting for the liberals would reverse this then she is indeed logically challenged.

If she voted liberal because Labor had stuffed the budget, lied, broken every promise, and created a illegal boat problem, and believed that the liberals could reverse this then she was right.

Howard's budget in 1996 was far stricter than Abbott's 2014 budget, but he reversed the declining economy and ballooning deficit under Labor and delivered the greatest growth in real income and lowest unemployment for the lowest 25% of the population in any 10 year period in Australian history

The sheer stupidity of the Left is mindboggling. Rather than see Abbott's Government getting Australia out of the hole they rather see Australia remain in the hole. How can anyone's mentality come up with such spite ?
I think Abbott will deliver despite the spite, just like Howard did. Anyone remember how dirty the morons got with Howard ? Their spite knows no bounds. Spite is proof of stupidity.

Abbottphobia at fever pitch. I luv it.

The election was based on lies. Why did they think they could not win an election without lies.
It does nothing to reach back to the dreaming and carry on about ancient history, is any one disputing your ancient historical views.
We are talking about now, the present day. Abbott was in dispute long before the last election, and so should he have been.
It should not have taken an election before the Abbott agenda arises.
Now we have lies on top of lies, and lies to dispute lies.
It takes a certain type of person to not recognise the man has done wrong.
This aspect can not be recognised so nothing can move forward. We are hanging in an environment of lies and indisputable lies.

This thread really define the difference between the left & the right.

Any left here have expressed they despise, hate Abbott for his political style. Of course that he represents a bit of reality doesn't help his cause with these feeley, not thinkey people.

On the other hand we have conservatives who don't give a damn about that, it is only his management style, his logic in assessing what must be done, & his sheer guts in doing at least some of what is needed, that they admire.

SteeleRedux it is great your sister has got off her ass & worked for her own home. More should. However as a country we can't continue to borrow money to give to everybody to help subsidise them into one of their own.

In some ways it is fair. While your sister has to subsidise every useless lay about in Byron Bay, the Daintree or Bankstown with handouts, she perhaps should be compensated, but this is the Labor problem in a nutshell.

They buy the bludger vote with ever more handouts, then have to compensate the decent taxpayer they have ripped off with huge taxes to buy them. They then call this compassion, rather than stupidity. Abbott is trying to make a little start in putting responsibility back where it belongs. This is a much better way, than paying hundreds of thousands of public servants to churn our money around in circles then borrow the rest

Dear Shadow Minister,

“If your sister believed that the measure of government competence was it's handouts and that by voting for the liberals would reverse this then she is indeed logically challenged.”

Please don't be telling anyone what their thoughts are without knowing the facts.

My sister works on a very tight budget and when Gillard changed the single parent rules she immediately lost $100 from that budget. While $100 per week might not be much for you it certainly impacted her. What incensed her most was how little warning she had. When you commit yourself to a mortgage or even activities for your son you do so based on your budget.

There is no way in the world she expected to receive that money back through voting Liberal and she would have been aware that they were going to cut the school kids bonus but she did take Abbott at his word that he was committed to school funding and that there would be no new taxes. For most single parents the idea of sending their child to a private school is out of the question so stripping billions of dollars from the school system and walking away from Gonski is a huge issue.

But on the question of handouts, most of my sister's siblings, get more handed out from the government in the form of negative gearing on rental properties and capital gains relief on shares than she is getting to assist her bringing up a young Australian. I happen to think those are skewed priorities. Don't you?

It does appear that both Mr Abbott and Joe Hockey
are currently copping a massive public backlash.

However, just a reminder - polls fluctuate regularly,
and our previous PM's, Keating, Howard, and Fraser
were all intensely disliked at various times but they
did come back at election time so we shouldn't take
anything for granted.

We're told by some experts that
there may still be time for Mr Abbott to turn public
perceptions around. That all re-elections happen on a rising
economy. But whether Mr Abbott and his team can get the
budget in order, before they can create an election campaign
based on big policies, remains to be seen.

Voters like politicians who give them hope. At present there's
not too much of that being given. And that needs to change.

The disgraceful attacks on Mr Abbott's wife and family that were a feature of the Gillard/Greens government have continued unabated. It is what the self-described 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing' - the political 'Progressives' who took over the Labor Party - do best.

Australians have fought against oppressors in world wars and many of the migrants who were welcomed here fled totalitarian governments. Australians old and new certainly do not wish to be under the Jack Boot of the International Socialism promoted by ambitious, egocentric manipulators like Gillard and now Shorten.

Remember the Class and Gender Wars of Ms Gillard and her crew? Five minutes back in government and the same old nasty stuff from Labor and the Greens would be on again.

If you know there is no case to answer for, let the rest of us know.
Where there is smoke there is fire, it is an amazing coincidence, you must admit.

Beach, <<Australians old and new certainly do not wish to be under the Jack Boot>> a bit rich for a supporter of one, Jim Saleam, and The Australia First Party. << 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing' - the political 'Progressives' who took over the Labor Party>> Oh! your back on, quoting that international conspiracy nonsense, don't forget to mention the Fabians, and how they are out to kidnap the children.
Can I have that link to your Miss Marple character again, the "interview" was so funny, I couldn't stop laugh'n!

There will always be those who will partake in
political infantile finger-pointing and gross
personal attacks - on all sides
of politics. Let us not forget the
personal attacks that were made by the current
government when in opposition - on our previous PM.

This is the sort of behaviour that we as voters should not
be willing to accept from any of our politicians.
Without the attributes of fair play and integrity, our
society is in grave danger. Where malice and
intolerance stalks our society, staking claim to
our minds - it strikes at the heart of democracy.
Winning at someone else's expense is an old paradigm
and an increasingly obsolete model of success.

We should make it quite clear to those who we elect
to represent us in government that we do expect them not
to lie to us. That we do expect them to keep their
core election promises, especially the ones that will
affect our lives. And that we do expect them to be more
civil and co-operative with each other in decisions that
affect the nation. It is no wonder that at present voters
are dissatisfied. They are disappointed with the current
state of our political leadership. Rightly so.

Absolutely correct foxy, you get what you give.
It is incredible how some can only talk in the past, it's the future we are living.
I think better choices could have been taken, to lead us on.
Abbott was a staunch believer in integrity and truth-fullness i can't believe what has happened to his wisdom.
Parliament falling into human disrepair and unruly behavior.
it is hard to see a way forward.
A budget delivered at 180 degree to what was promised before the election, was the pre election promises installed for a reason.
With integrity and truth-fullness thrown out, have we been conned.
How can we make it so we are never fed blatant lies to win an election ever again.
The last election has got to be verging on corruption, and untold agenda's.
With an AU backgrounding since 1848 i can't believe why our parliamentarians have to tell blatant lies to win an election.

Where there is smoke there is fire
579,
Looks to me like your lot are such a pile of you know what & it's the steam coming off it that's clouding your vision not the non existing smoke from a non existing fire.

As one who was totally supportive of the election of a Coalition Government, I must say they have not failed my expectations. In fact,
Abbott and his cronies have exceed my wildest expectations.
An Abbott joke; Why shouldn't Tony Abbott be the Minister for Women?...Why not...AFTER ALL HE OWNS FOUR OF EM'!

Foxy>> We should make it quite clear to those who we elect
to represent us in government that we do expect them not
to lie to us.>>

Foxy dear...I have never met with favour on OLO because I am non partisan, politically....whereas the vast vast majority here have a team...and both groups of acolytes abide by “my team right or wrong.”

Gillard lied when she said “no Carbon tax.” But the Left deluded themselves with the premise that a fixed Carbon tax was always a plank of that policy..... before she lied.

Abbott lied about “no taxes.” But the Right brigade deluded themselves that he found a bigger hole than expected so all bets are off. He lied...

A lie is a lie....simple.

About “hating” Abbott....I don’t hate him yet...he is still way behind Gillard...but he has plenty of time to change that....and he did warn us that if it came from his mouth....don’t count on it...but if he hard copied it around, it will happen.

I knew Abbott would go for the soft targets, but then again Gillard argued against a pension increase .

OTB>>The disgraceful attacks on Mr Abbott's wife and family that were a feature of the Gillard/Greens government have continued unabated.<<

Yeah OTB....where is their misogyny now?

Dear 579 and SOG,

I long for the days when voters will be oriented
towards policies not personalities. When party
loyalties won't matter. And when pollies will take
responsibility for their actions - and not look
to blaming others for what they are currently doing.
And of course transparency and access to
information should be a pre-requisite so that
voters can really make informed choices.

If citizens
or their representatives are denied access to the
information they need to make these choices, or if they
are given false or misleading information, the
entire democratic process becomes a sham. This is what
happened at the last election. I don't buy for a moment
that all pollies lie or that it's allright to do so.
We (voters) deserve better than that. And blaming the other
side of politics (as the current government is doing) may have
worked in getting them elected - but the same tactic won't
work to keep them in office! As for whinging about a politicians's
family or personal life being "off-limits?" For that complaint
to be taken seriously - one's own behaviour in that regard
must be above reproach. If you throw stones at other people's
personal lives - than you can't complain when your own is called
into question. You also can't ask voters to tighten their belts -
when you and your family are doing the opposite and milking the
system for all its worth. Believe will begin to question things.
Quid pro quo!

SM>> Howard's budget in 1996 was far stricter than Abbott's 2014 budget, but he reversed the declining economy and ballooning deficit under Labor and delivered the greatest growth in real income and lowest unemployment for the lowest 25% of the population in any 10 year period in Australian history<<

Behind that well managed economy was Costello, a very able treasurer who got little recognition globally.Then we get Swan...who turns a surplus into hundreds of $ billions of net debt...in six years....he borrowed in his first year as treasurer and the European bean counters named him“ Euromoney Finance Minister of the Year” in 2011.

The European Bankers gave him that award for plunging Australia,that had a GDP growth in almost every year of their tenure, into the deepest debt hole Australia had ever been in. They gave him the award for enslaving generations of Aussies to their Shylock Banks.

It is disgusting that a party of the battler would enslave them to generational debt...but then again the Labor Party sold off most of our State Banks...and our only National bank....Labor for the people....nah Labor for the Banks.

SM....we will see what Hockey can do.....and we will see if Abbott is strong enough, compassionate enough, and smart enough to tax the ones who can afford it...particularly the miners.

Dear SOG,

Just a few facts for you taken from the
Illawarra Mercury newspaper on John Howard's
"golden years" and the "inherited debt" from Labor:

"Much has been written about the Howard government
"inheriting" $96 billion debt from Labor in 1996."

"By 2007 - Australia had net financial assets of
$29 billion. This sounds like a significant turnaround."
However - if we analyse government debt in the last
couple of decades, some interesting facts emrge.

"Half of the debt was in fact Liberal Party debt that
was a hangover from the Fraser era under the Treasury ship
of John Howard."

"Asset sales loom large in analysing government debt. -
"96 billion "Labor debt" comprised $40 billion carried
over from the Fraser government through the Hawke/Keating
period - meaning the true level of Labor debt was $56 billion."

"To pay that off the Howard government sold about 72 billion of
Government assets (Telstra, DASFLEET, etc) meaning that the
move to negative net debt was not really due to any
miraculous and bold fiscal settings but owned everything to
a series of asset sales."

"Peter Costello will be remembered for selling two-thirds
of Australia's gold reserves for the rock-bottom price of
$US306 per ounce( today gold is about $US1590 per ounce)."

"The International Monetary Fund examined 200 years of government
financial records across 55 leading economies. The study found
Australia's most wasteful spending took place under the
Howard-led Coalition rather than under Whitlam, Rudd or Gillard
Labor governments. The IMF identifies two periods of
Australia's "fiscal profligacy" both during John Howard's
term in office - in 2003 at the start of the mining boom
and during his final years between 2005 and 2007."

"According to Tony Abbott these were the "Howard Golden Years,"
Mr Abbott stated, "prudent fiscal management is in the
Coalition's DNA." However as the article points out -
"the facts suggest otherwise."

Ah the gold reserves.....I forgot about that one Foxy....certainly put a dint in our future prospects that one......perhaps an over statement on the brilliance of Costello....but I still go with capable in comparison to Swan. We will see what sort of a double act Hockey and Abbott make.

sbr108,

"Perhaps the Australian translation is correct. With humble pie smeared all over my face, and as a defender of Tony Abbott before the election I now sit here dazed and confused. I have never seen anyone or any Party self destruct like this before."

Yes...sympathies...you were deceived big time by a man and his govt who have taken political deception in this country to a whole new level.

SM,

"Tony Abbott is hated very much by the same noisy handful of Left whinger fruitcakes, just as he was hated before the election, and as Howard and all those that show up the left for the incompetent wind bags they are."

Oh really?

"If you can’t run a Parliament, what hope of running a country?"

http://www.afr.com/p/national/tick_tick_time_bomb_may_be_set_9uUS9cxHDuIdg5XIkdTrTN

I have to admit the Abbott Govt has turned politics in this country into one long circus...why only today, they wasted an hour and a half, and about $100,000 on a farce suspending standing orders to pass a motion against Tony Burke which Biased Bronnie didn't even bother to enact...merely saying she was a "warrior" and leaving it at that.

Joke!

runner,

"Abbottphobia at fever pitch. I luv it."

Oh goody...well you go on enjoying yourself then.
If you can't tell by now that they're dead in the water after coning their way into govt, then I suppose you may as well enjoy the farce .

It does not matter what his(Abbott's}Policies are,its the fact he lied to the voters, and robbed them of their vote by way of deception ! There are always some lies before Elections by all parties, and you accept that (Although you should not} but Abbott's whole pre election campaign was nothing more than lies, not one or two but the whole lot ! That is a total deception about his whole ideology,intent and purpose to gaining power ! He told everyone everything they wanted to hear as though it was cast in concrete, but once he took power it all fell by the wayside ! Now you can not recognize the Abbott and his policies of today from the one that was electioneering only months prior ! That is Deceit Pure Deceit !

trapdiocan,
I think Labor lied more because they promised transparent, responsible Goverment & good economic management yet they delivered neither even after 6 years.. At least the Coalition is already working on solutions after only a year. Most of their work thus far has been repair work to the Labor damage & once most of that is out of the way they can start governing in earnest.

I long for the days when voters will be oriented towards policies not personalities.
Foxy,
So do I, imagine an Australia without an ALP & without Lefties. We can only hope.

Indy this is about policies, the policies that were obviously there but were never told about. in fact we were told the exact opposite.
An election was based on what we were told, so what happened, we were fed a string of blatant lies, unforgivable lies.
To me that makes the election fraud, What is your opinion of what happened.
Any one that can support someone that stood up and told the nation a stack of deliberate lies is beyond me. If this is acceptable we have no hope for future elections.

579,
Labor lied more & didn't deliver. The Coalition is forced to change policy mid-way due to too much adversity & too much debt. Also, the Coalition is beginning to deliver, Labor never did.
So, if you want to carry on about lies then please, please tell me why Labor is not getting your attention when it would be way more deserved to call them liars. Abbott will end up doing what Rudd/Gillard never could do & that's deliver on most promises.
I bet you are a public service bureaucrat who is desperate to drag out the inevitable of being held to account.

Dear Individual,

There is no hope for those who see everything in terms of
a - "Left/Right" divide, and consider everything
in terms of "Them" and "Us," instead of just "Us."
Sad really.

Foxy,
It isn't about that at all. It's about sense vs nonsense. If labor chooses to align itself with the latter than I find it very sad that you don't understand that. Sad indeed.

Indy labor have been rejected if you have't noticed. That is why i do not talk about labor. You say labor told more lies than abbott.
Labor left office at 280 billion debt. It is now 350 billion debt.
So much for Abbott's promises don't you think.
The coalition have got no plan to reduce debt. Don't believe abbott's string of lies . You have been taken for a ride.
They are stacking on 1 million $ / hour.

579,
280 to 350 in a year ? where did that come from & how real are these figures ? How was that increase spent ?

one million $ / hr. they probably spent a fortune on corruption, something they would have already knew about.

So what was done? Hockey introduced a $7 charge on GP visits, tests and scans that will be costly to collect and will get at the corporate over servicers by hitting every patient and will discourage the poor from seeing the doc, whacked up an already high co-payment for pharmaceutical scripts and slashed projected grants to public hospitals.
For good measure, Hockey stopped wasting money on all that preventive medicine stuff. Brilliant. Must have taken a genius to dream all that up.
"It's a payment. You can call it a tax," he said. "It comes out of a pocket. It comes out of someone's pocket. A taxpayer's pocket. You want to call it a tax, you can call it anything you want, you can call it a rabbit."
He also conceded that the rise in the petrol excise was a tax increase.

Mr Hockey said the Coalition had not attempted to sneak into government by keeping its plans secret before the September election. "No, I don't think you have to lie to get elected," he said.

579,
What happened ? Your specific accusations are suddenly vague mumblings of corruption & what Hockey supposedly said whilst leftie reporters were trying to confuse & nail him.
I think you really do not have a clue & you're merely trying to distribute tickets for the scaremongering bandwagon. The $7. aren't yet in force so far as I understand but I'm happy to be corrected. Everything you're on about is about scaremongering without a basis other than what your fellow leftie scaremongers are bleating in parrot fashion. I suggest we all lie low for a while UNTIL a policy is ACTUALLY implemented. Until such time stop interfering & let the decent people get on with supporting the likes of you from cradle to grave.

Indy, are you saying the Liberal Party is not corrupt? Well that puts the NSW ICAC out of business.

Paul1405,
The liberals are less corrupt & less incompetent than the others, so much has been proven.

Indi,

The greens are just as corrupt having the largest single corporate donation in Aus history. The only reason they aren't involved with developers is because asking the greens to help with your development is as stupid as asking Rolf Harris to babysit your daughters.

Abbott reading a scripted speech last night. He was on about the MRT, which i understood to take place of the states pay / ton cut + a little extra. But last night he stated they were to separate items.
That is why the miners were in favor of the MRT.

The projected defecit sounds gigantic can someone explain it to me.

Our biggest export earner is coal abbott said, at 14 $ / ton it would be best left in the ground.

Lol!..SM and indy,

The poor old LNP will have to reinvent itself after the debacle of the Abbott Govt.

What a bunch of shifty, lying incompetents!

http://www.smh.com.au/national/waterfront-baron-and-liberal-party-donor-scored-inside-running-on-freight-hub-tender-20140526-38zob.html#ixzz32rfZr5MF

"The Abbott government cut short a competitive tender process to grant a consortium led by waterfront baron and Liberal Party donor Chris Corrigan the inside running to develop a $1 billion freight hub in western Sydney.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss signed off on awarding Qube Holdings, owned by Mr Corrigan, and its junior partner Aurizon, the national rail group, preferred-bidder status.

The company's shares rose to all-time highs on the news.

The government's own timetable on awarding the right to develop a Defence-owned site at Moorebank into an ''intermodal'' freight terminal with rail links to Port Botany, had set a date of December for a decision on preferred-bidder status."

The same year in Sydney University newspaper Honi Soit, Mr Hockey penned an article that criticised a deregulation measure the current government is recommending, and slammed the then Liberal opposition for proposing it.

"The Liberal Party, which released its education policy two weeks ago, promised to cut back funds to universities and, at the same time, leave the universities to charge whatever fee they wished," Mr Hockey wrote.

"Such a policy is suicidal for student welfare.

"We will have no effective voice in our own fortune."

The federal budget released earlier this month – Mr Hockey's first since his government was elected last year – will introduce reforms deregulating fees and forcing students to pay back loans quicker and with more interest, policies that have sparked outrage.

Mr Hockey told Fairfax times were different back when he protested, and fees had to be paid up front without any loan scheme.

number 5..if you come accross a written transcript
there are some great things..in it..[but you ned to see it in writting/context..please folks put up the script

its revealatory...the words/stunning admissions
if ya missed it..its earth shakking...in its frankness.

EAT
DONT SWEAT ON IT TONY
its not you..[thus it wasnt juliar neither]

Ukraine and EU Integration… of Popular Revolt
is/in reality..against Oligarchs..[them 7000 hiding ammoung the ten percent.]
http://rss.infowars.com/20140528_Wed_Alex.mp3
By: My Catbird Seat
http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2014/05/27/405812-ukraine-and-eu-integration-of-popular-revolt-against-oligarchs/

It’s a sweet irony
...that declared winner of Ukraine’s presidential election, the billionaire «chocolate tycoon» Petro Poroshenko, proclaimed that his electoral victory ...«showed that people have chosen the path of European Union integration»...

Meanwhile, this week the people across the EU..were voting in record numbers against the project of closer European centralization under Brussels...[IE REJECTING THE PLUTOGRATIc divide..]..rejecting the eu[anit eu parties got 25 percent/the vote]

If Poroshenko is correct about Ukraine, which is doubtful, then the people of Ukraine are swimming against the popular tide in the EU where there is mounting disaffection with what is seen as overbearing governance by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels…

What we have in both cases actually is a popular rejection of oligarchy, whether of the Ukrainian or EU variety.

ahhh men...mene/men-eh
no/only 7000/hiding amoung the 144,000

..Some time ago,..[the Government promised]..at the height of the public backlash about the best part of 570..out of 620 MPs being at the trough minus..only their bibs –to draft a Bill designed to allow for open censure of MPs who committed crimes,..or were (like most MPs)..completely useless...But predictably,..time has passed….and the pinched goblins..have been allowed into the process.

The result is that,..yet again,..the idea is for MPs to police themselves oh please,..no more or else at my age I might wet myself.

The Executive wants to put..the power to sack MPs into their colleagues’ hands – not their constituents. .A group of MPs spoke out today saying they didn’t think this was good enough.

They’re backing real ‘recall’ –that is to say, a monitored but electorate-based ability..to sack the MP and elect another one.

If you think this is a bad idea –and pretty much anything the Swinging prdicks at Westminster favour..is a very bad idea indeed – then this is the place for you to go:

http://secure.38degrees.org.uk/recall-2014

Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/breaking-how-a-bill-to-make-mps-more-accountable-has-been-turned-into-a-purging-weapon-for-the-executive/#btMKTpu166Ajr3kb.99

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/

SM said; "is as stupid as asking Rolf Harris to babysit your daughters..., but forgot to add "or asking Tony Abbott to lead your government!

SM Fancy trying to say The Greens are corrupt, talk about pissing in the wind, you take the cake. Next time you vote, remember this, like voting Labor, to vote Liberal is to vote for a party which includes many criminal sleaze bags! I assume your in NSW, then I'll assume you voted Liberal, not realizing you were being duped by a party of not so honest people, in fact according to the ICAC containg criminals, how sad. However, there is a saving grace, next time you could make yourself feel good and vote for honesty and integrity, and VOTE GREEN! try it... it's becoming contagious.

Poirot; looks like the 'Usual Suspects' have gone to ground on LNP corruption, I had SM and the gang gob smacked with my thread about the ICAC expose' of Conservative criminality here in NSW. While the toads are moving south, corruption is moving north, big time, straight into LNP HQ. I'm starting to think Hard Boiled Newman is nothing but a slimy down version of that long departed, fat porker himself, Russ(Minister for Everything) Hinze.
Interesting note, in trying to hide their ill gotten gains Hard Boiled, and what passes for a government in QLD, is rushing through laws to conceal political donations, naturally, those big juicy pay offs from their developer buddies will be well and truly hidden from public view!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-22/lnp-donation-threshold-changes-spark-fiery-debate/5469606

For the 'Usual Suspects' who don't like to hear ABC bad news stories, I've got something lardy dar for your enjoyment, before Tony Baloney gives em' the chop that is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqABuCixPNM

There would be a lot of wound licking going on. And likely to get worse.
No one with any sort of comprehention can say abbott doesn't tell deliberate lies.
Pyne wants to tax the dead, that put him out of leadership qualities, along with Hockey and Abbot.

To vote for the greens is to vote for hypocritical criminal sleaze bags.

It looks like Queensland and Victoria under the Liberals are headed for the first surplus budgets in more than a decade. How incompetent and corrupt was Labor.

The coalition has stopped the boats, corrected the budget, and stopped the waste, three things that Labor and the greens failed miserably at.

Oh for god's sake Shadow minister that's enough of your bollocks for one day.

Of late you really have seemed to be sliding out the arse end of relevancy. Listen mate I have never really minded you being as partisan as you have been but you weren't one to sit there and tell out right porkies.

I am not a Green's supporter but there is no way a coalition supporter such as yourself should be accusing them of being “hypocritical criminal sleaze bags”. Yours is a party who has taken cash for access to unprecedented levels. Deal with it.

And what is this rot?

“Victoria under the Liberals are headed for the first surplus budgets in more than a decade.”

No. Kennett (Liberal) was the last premier to record a budget deficit before Ted Baillieu (Liberal) managed the feat two years ago.

“THE Baillieu government could be forced to unveil Victoria's first budget deficit since the mid-1990s after the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in stamp duty revenue.”

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-budget-deficit-looms-20120425-1xlmm.html#ixzz33OGjM7St

Come on mate. You can do better than that.

For god's sake Steelredux, that's enough of your hypocritical bollocks. Not a peep from you when Paul, 579 and other left whingers spout utter crap, but instantaneous faux outrage when I echo Paul.

Perhaps I should endevour to educate the semi-illiterates from the left:

"Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under cover of law or involves trading in influence."

None of the libs are accused of any of the above, only of bypassing the laws put in place by a desperate Labor trying to deny the libs of funds upon which Labor had relied for so long. No one has been accused of using their political office for personal gain.

Corruption is what Obied, MacDonald, and a plethora of other Labor MPs are accused of, i.e. using their political offices to feather their own nests.

Abbott has again disgraced himself. A speech about D DAY and somehow the Carbon tax and the mining Tax got in there.
He is about to make a fool of himself on the world stage.
Not fit for office of PM, Turnbull will rise to the occasion.

Shock..Horror!

Abbott spoke about more than one topic in a single address. This obviously distressed the left whingers who are incapable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.

Not the right time or place. There must be a gigantic amount of lefty wingers out there.

What he said is premature, as there is no guarantee of this ever happening.

The mining tax has a whole host of other items involved and not as simple as Abbott wants you to believe, remember the mining tax makes no money.
Abbott being Abbott is prone to telling lies so no one will take any notice of what he says.

Dear Shadow Minister,

Defensive rubbish!

You show me where either Paul or 529 have come anywhere close to this from you;

“Victoria under the Liberals are headed for the first surplus budgets in more than a decade.”

And where on earth did you get it from? Or did you just make it up because it sounded right? Has your myopia got you starting to believe your own fairy tales?

Actually I'm interested to see if you are standing by that statement, or apologising for it, or going to ignore it like it never happened.

How about a little 'Okay I stuffed up'? To err is human and I have done it plenty of times, but if my mistake is pointed out to me I attempt to correct the record.

What do you think?

SteeleRedux,

Just about every post of 579's is unadulterated drivel, and Paul's are frequently as bad. If you weren't so partisan you might see it. I suppose "Why shouldn't Tony Abbott be the Minister for Women?...Why not...AFTER ALL HE OWNS FOUR OF EM'!" is reasoned debate?

As for the budgets, perhaps you should read the budget forecasts, here's one for you to try. Just remember that it is not up to me to prove anything, if you wish to refute anything I say, it is up to you.

http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/budget-papers/2013-14/bp2-2013-14.pdf

There is not a labor government that has not left a pile of debt, and the liberal governments seem to be the only ones trying to fix it.

As for you sister, the single parent, if you were really concerned about her welfare, you would pitch in and help rather than expect the rest of the country to shell out their hard earned money to alleviate the problems of her own making.

do presidents count?
or is it just p,s[pm$]
http://rss.infowars.com/20140602_Mon_Alex.mp3
THERES A WAR ON..but who is the most hated..govt?..system?
so many known knowns or rather knowable knowns..then the unknown knowns[that one disowns]/then\[the other known known aS REVEALED BY OUR WORKS OR WORDS DEEDS AND MISSDEEDEDS..where do the lies end/who's promnise remains true..can we really trust anyone..of you?

No such thing from SM there Steele. My unadulterated drivel hits the spot.
He is an Abbott right arm. He is going to make friends with Malcolm i believe.
He was relentless with Juliar, since Abbott has taken the crown he has been quiet.
Our fearless PM is about make a joke of himself on the world stage in more ways than one. Interesting.

579,

At least you admit that the term to address Gillard is Juliar.

Considering the orifice from which your posts emerge, the spot that your unadulterated drivel hits means that it can easily be flushed.

Veteran writer and political commentator Bob Ellis might have just started something big: in a blog post published last night, he predicting the demise of Tony Abbott’s Prime Ministership, with a spill to occur within nine days.

It’s a bold claim, especially as Ellis’ sole evidence is some admittedly astute armchair psychological profiling. As supporting evidence, he cites Abbott’s strained question time performance yesterday: “Tony was very strange indeed, his face calm but his voice arching upwards huskily into polecat soprano”. Ellis also mentions the curiously low profile of several senior frontbenchers, and Tony Abbott’s one weird tic of repeating lies and baseless conjecture in the belief that he can single-handedly bend reality. “His backbenchers’ faces behind him, and the Ministers’ faces beside him, were melancholy-dire,” he continues. “He seemed mad, and it was clear [his frontbenchers] had given up on him, the worst policy-salesman in their history, and were making frantic plans in hugger-mugger to be rid of him.”

Dear Shadow Minister,

You wrote;

“Just remember that it is not up to me to prove anything, if you wish to refute anything I say, it is up to you.”

I just did, rather bloody comprehensively.

You chose not to withdraw but to double down.

With what? With a link to Queensland budget papers showing that that state is not headed for a surplus this year like you claimed but an almighty deficit. Shortly after Newman took office the end of financial year fiscal balance was a deficit of $5.482 billion dollars. By the next budget Newman had blown this out to $8.686 billion and increased borrowings by an insane 30% to $38.864 billion.

The 2013-14 budget is even worse. While he has managed to drop his record deficit by $1 billion he further increased borrowings by another 20% to a staggering $47 billion dollars.

Do you ever read the stuff you post here?

As to my sister you are really a total drop kick sometimes mate. What is her 'problem'? A young Australian child? Millions of Australian families get payments to assist raising their children. Should none of us shell out anything to help them? Time to head you off to the States. I think you would find your attitudes fitting in quite well there.

Now how about addressing the issue of you claiming black is white. How about fessing up son. It will do you good. You were wrong and spouting crap. Time to set the record straight.

Steel,

Don't put words in my mouth. I said they are headed for a surplus, I did not claim nor mean this year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-06/victorian-budget-to-centre-on-big-ticket-infrastructure/5431864

"Treasurer Michael O'Brien will hand down his second budget today with a surplus of $1.3 billion for 2014-2015 and some big-ticket spending items."

As for your sister, I have no problem with her, only your expectation that everyone is entitled to handouts. I also assume from you response that your personal contribution is zero.

I think it is time for you to eat crow.

Shadow, you really are clutching at straws. I thought you had a bit more sense than to try and defend Liberal corruption in NSW with the pathetic claim that;
<<To vote for the Greens is to vote for hypocritical criminal sleaze bags.>> and not to offer the slightest bit of evidence.
Or the use of a convoluted definition to define 'CORRUPTION', and then trying to use what I would term the Ivan Milat defense "Your Honour, why pick on me? Look how bad Martin Bryant was." To "justify" Liberal corruption by pointing to Labor corruption is irrelevant, it is a nonsense.
On the tread I started, and to which I added numerous posts, 'NSW Liberal Party Corruption' at no time did I try and use it to justify Labor corruption, which I find equally abhorrent as Liberal corruption. Unlike you I posted many links to news articles such as this one to support what I said.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/icac-hears-chris-hartcher-corruption-claims-as-liberal-mp-marie-ficarra-steps-aside-20140428-zr0np.html

Paul,

Convoluted definition, rubbish, it is a standard dictionary definition of corruption, as is "Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery:" etc.

Secondly as far as I understand, the 2009 law instituted by Labor is not a criminal law, as in breaking the law does not gain one a criminal record any more than breaking the law against speeding. This would change if anyone could show that a particular developer's project was approved on the basis of a donation, which no has yet done.

Also the $1.6m donation to the Greens by Wotif also breaks the law and the greens own policy which makes them hypocritical criminal sleaze bags against your own standards.

the campain..dear tony..is to get you to change/your mind re the carbon tax[pleaese note folks its not repealed yet/and never will be unless tony survives.
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=16376&page=1

so they set the guy up/sold him on the extreem]proved it was nessisary
after all the dear boy..isnt a rodesscollar in economics
[much like howke was money illiterarte

but the banker..BIds his time
in chess he would be called the doomsday option[note the bankers globally 'stepping direct into power seats]
http://rss.infowars.com/20140603_Tue_Alex.mp3
global folks/the globalists need a believable new gobal money system[one they fully control/in an ever decreasing[thus ever more expensive]..scam..as we pull..our whole basis of society down/i
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=16376&page=1

The assault on the environment has seemed to go unnoticed.

In quietly received announcements, we learned that renewable energy bodies are to fall under the axe. The following actions are part of Abbott’s war plan on our environment.

Scrapping the carbon price and any progress towards an emissions trading scheme.
No mining tax.
ARENA the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is to be abolished. ARENA chairman, Greg Bourne, expressed anger at the decision in the budget to rip $1.3 billion out of the agency and reduce it to "a branch of an agency in the Department of Industry with a ‘token amount’ of funds."
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation CEFC which the coalition has vowed to scrap.
In addition, climate change denier ex Caltex Australia Chairman, Dick Warburton, has been placed in charge of reviewing the renewable energy targets.
Abbott has all but dropped the pretense of Direct Action being a credible answer to climate change with its miserly puny laughable five per cent reduction target.
The CSIRO climate research has also taken cuts in the budget.
Paying polluters to not pollute with no penalties for pollution.
No more than $3.2 million will be spent on Direct Action whether it actually achieves its target or not

579,

Scrapping the mining tax is an assault on the environment?

Scrapping the $11bn carbon tax which was responsible for reducing emissions by 0.1% is the only smart move against a stupid tax that moves jobs and emissions overseas.

As for the rest of Juliar's taxpayer funded cheer squads, good riddance.

Why should the carbon tax eliminate carbon, you can't shut down coal fired generators. The only way to eliminate carbon is to go into renewables. Now that the generators are struggling Abbott wants to shut down the renewables. That is what happens when you have pay for an ear.

Shadow, there was contention within The Greens concerning the private donation by Graeme Wood of $1.6m in 2011. The party does not accept corporate donations and that was made clear to Mr Wood, who freely and openly made his donation as a private citizen, it was no more illegal that the donation I made to the party at the time. The only difference between the Wood donation and mine was the size.
The Liberal corruption is far more sinister, when senior Liberals have tried to circumvent the laws on political donations by developers. They set out to hide those illegal donations through a serious of sham identities. A big difference between the Wood donation, which has never been labeled illegal or corrupt by anyone except you, and the corruption of the Liberal Party, who's senior members have been hauled before the Independent.Commission.Against,CORRUPTION, please note the last word CORRUPTION, they are not investigating hair styles or fashion sense, they are investigating CORRUPTION, not in The Greens, but The Liberal Party.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-01-08/record-greens-donation-no-longer-a-wotif/1898404

By the way, What did you think of Barry's $3,000 Bottle of Booze, a trifle, a small recompense, or a simple act of CORRUPTION, Again where did Barry's downfall occur, in the lavatory at home? No, in the place where they investigate CORRUPTION!

Glad to see Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi have been correctly found to have acted corruptly, once again. With a recommendation of charges be laid against Obeid.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/icac-finds-eddie-obeid-and-joe-tripodi-corrupt-over-circular-quay-leases-20140605-zryap.html

Paul,

Who are you trying to kid. Graeme Wood as sole owner and Wotif are essentially the same. Would it then be OK for an owner of a development business to give a "private" check? Did your lawyers find this loop hole or did you think of it yourselves? I bet you got the donation done in a state that does not limit private donations either. You were just more successful at dressing up the donation.

I can imagine the discussion, a newbie says "We can't take this donation with out compromising our principles and looking like hypocritical sleaze bags" Milne and Rhiannon in chorus "get that idiot out of here."

Shadow, try as you might. There is no way you can deflect CORRUPTION within THE LIBERAL PARTY onto the party of honesty and integrity The Greens. Like a runaway freight train tearing down the tracks at 100 mph, heading straight for Betsy the Cow, waiting oblivious on the level crossing. The CORRUPTION train in the form of the ICAC is heading smack bang for the LIBERAL PARTY. Hopefully, the NSW Liberal Party wont survive the train wreck that will surly engulf it! We live in hope.

Dear Shadow Minister,

You wrote;

“Don't put words in my mouth. I said they are headed for a surplus, I did not claim nor mean this year.”

Utter tosh. You are worse than a Liberal assistant treasurer at an ICAC hearing.

These were your words;

“It looks like Queensland and Victoria under the Liberals are headed for the first surplus budgets in more than a decade. How incompetent and corrupt was Labor.“

The only deficit in the past decade in Victoria was under a Liberal government. You were totally incorrect, probably wilfully so.

“There is not a labor government that has not left a pile of debt, and the liberal governments seem to be the only ones trying to fix it.”

No mate, again the Libs were not left a pile of debt in Victoria. Labour maintained a surplus ever year they were in power since Kennett. It was the Liberals who managed to dive the state into debt and this one is intent screwing over the general public and sending those savings toward big corporations.

Not that it is any of your business but I did employ my sister in one of my own businesses and when I sold it she has continued in that role for many years now. But that is not the point. All families are given assistance from the government. Single parents are given a greater amount in recognition of their circumstance. You seem to be saying all that assistance to all those families are handouts? Rubbish!

Anyway the only reason you keep bringing this up is to deflect from having your pants pulled down. You have come on to this forum and posted utter garbage. After it has been revealed as such you have tried to squirm and slither your way out of it rather than admitting you stuffed up. Is it a sad measure of you as a man or seemingly a typical standard being constantly set by those of your political persuasion? The rare exception being Barry O'Farrell who at least took it on the chin.

Shame Sir Shame!

Post-truth politics has just entered a whole new orbit. I’ve written before about how political debate seems increasingly unhitched from a normal, factual understanding of the concept of truth. But in defending its 2014 budget the Coalition has finally severed the link entirely, with truthfulness and lying becoming just another question of strategy.

The fact that the budget breaks pre-election promises about not raising taxes and not cutting funding for health, education, pensions and the ABC is really beyond dispute in most people’s understanding of truthfulness.

Do politicians lie? Of course they do, including, of course, Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Whether it's the manufacturing of a budget "crisis", or the systematic trashing of election promises, or pretending that taxes are anything-but-taxes, or lying about spying, or lying about lying, Abbott has demonstrated his disdain for the truth.

There is no need to go into detail here since Mike Carlton has already documented much of the fibbing, ably assisted by Annabel Crabb and Laurie Oakes and Bernard Keane and ... well, pretty much every political commentator who isn't a Liberal Party shill.

And Tony Abbott is not alone. The Prime Minister leads a fine cabinet of companion liars, including the Minister for the Destruction of Education, Christopher Pyne. A "unity ticket" on the Gonski education reforms? Nope, just some airbrushing of history and yet another lie.

Malcolm Turnbull is not a team player, which is partly why he's so popular