Foxy,

It is said that the cow with the dirtiest tail bellows the loudest, and the longest too it would seem.

What you haven't refuted is that you do cherry-pick your quotes. You are a partisan, in denial as usual but still prejudiced nonetheless.

Most people don't mind if a person has leanings one way or the other, but in your case you never concede that any 'team' but your own, Labor, has any claims to the government benches at all.

I am non-aligned and yes, I do get some amusement from the Party soldiers who uncritically repeat anything and everything their 'team' puts out. Honestly, as if it matters on this site (or any other). It is not as though you will be influencing the result of the next election.

You do get rather bent out of shape wherever anyone questions your opinions and disagrees with you though.

'afternoon to you POIROT...

As I said to FOXY, I'm a real novice when it comes to the workings of politics, therefore any attempt I may make to defend either political party would at best, be feeble, at worst...well you've seen my worst attempts ad nauseam. I guess I could try to argue with bombast and arrogance, but that would fool nobody, so I should desist from entering into anything to do with politics and retreat back to 'basket weaving' or some other solo pursuit.

In closing, the one irrefutable fact that cannot be rebutted; ALL politicians lie. The real question is, for what purpose do they lie ?

o sung wu,

"....so I should desist from entering into anything to do with politics and retreat back to 'basket weaving' or some other solo pursuit."

Why?

We're having a discussion...I put my side and you put yours - as in debate.

"In closing, the one irrefutable fact that cannot be rebutted; ALL politicians lie. The real question is, for what purpose do they lie ?"

All politicians don't dupe the electorate wholesale.

There is almost no resemblance between the Abbott govt's real agenda, unveiled very soon after the election, and the conniving mendacious spiel they spun in the lead up to it.

I'm a fiscal conservative. Rudd.

There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead. Gillard.

Poirot: 'It takes special kind of integrity-free personality to do that and not feel a pang of guilt'. That's the best line in this whole thread. I'm going to steal it I'm afraid and use it. I'll vaguely attribute the quote to you though.....

Foxy, I don't know how you remain so polite and how you resist miroring some of the language back. Whenever I've posted something with a barb I feel a tad guilty and think "Foxy wouldn't have said it that way".

And on this forum there are a few trolls. I'm working on my determination not to respond to them as they actually do not add anything. Can't even articulate a contrary view and why that might be better.

Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull are the only liberals on the front bench with any level of competence and honesty. As much as honesty seems to be possible to get to a certain level. Having worked outside of politics seems to help. Like Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, who also had careers outside of politics. Rudd, unfortunately has major communication problems, which does not work in politics. Politics in a democracy is all about negotiation.

I voted for Howard, way back when, but when I saw his determination to hang on at any cost and his decision to support Bush in invading Iraq, rather than seek other avenues, he lost it for me. I put the blame squarely at Howard's feet for the lack of talent in the Liberal party and the loss of articulate voices.

History will show that Julia Gillard might not have had the charisma some expect, she was able to pass lot of legislation working with a hung parliament. She was able to negotiate. Abbott has got a majority and total disarray rules. He is not able to negotiate

Dear Yvonne,

Thanks for your kind words.

I stand by my posting record. It speaks
for itself. Let those who criticise me -
stand by their posting records, and let
them speak for them. I'll match mine
with theirs any day.

As for otb's cow tail references -
Reminds me of the following joke:

A man staggers into the emergency room of a
hospital with a concussion, multiple buises, and
a five iron golf stick wrapped around his neck.

Naturally the doctor asks him what happened.

"Well it was like this," the man replies.
"I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife
when at a difficult hole we both sliced our balls
into a pasture of cows. We went to look for the
balls and while I was scrounging around I noticed
that one of the cows had something stuck in its
rear end."

"I walked over and lifted up the tail and sure
enough there was a golf ball with my wife's
monograph on it stuck right in the middle of the
cow's butt. That's when I made my mistake."

"What did you do?" asked the doctor.

"Well, I lifted the tail, pointed and yelled to my
wife, - 'Hey, this looks like yours!"