Judging from what's been happening in the media
recently - from Gough Whitlam's Memorial Service
where Mr Abbott was booed, to the general commentary
both on television and in the papers,
and judging from the recent polls, our Prime Minister's
popularity has taken a dive. Whereas Malcolm Turnbull's and
Julie Bishop's popularity is on the rise.

I thought it may be interesting to see what people on
this forum think about the chances of Mr Abbott getting
replaced as leader of the Liberal Party prior to the
next election. And if that does not happen, what are
his chances of getting re-elected?

This discussion is not meant as an attack on Mr Abbott.
That would be an utterly shallow approach.

You thoughts please.

The changes to the way political parties are registered are going to have an effect upon the makeup of the next senate but I don't see much changing in the reps and I don't think Bill Shorten can win an election because he's just a beta male orbiting a core of Feminists and washed up old Maoists.
Julie Bishop is in the news a lot at the moment but so is Tanya Plibersek, she seems a better bet for a move on Shorten in late 2015 than a Bishop or Turnbull led spill in the coalition.

Dear Jay,

Thanks for that.

People I speak to seem to be concerned about the current
state of politics at the moment. They feel that there are
so many contraditions between what this government claims
to stand for and what it does. As one journalist pointed
out in a recent article -

" Our federal government seems to be encouraging people
to turn against their neighbours with increasingly
hysterical rhetoric. But Tony Abbott buddying up to the
big boys as some kind of anti-terrorist hall monitor is
a distraction. It's a distraction from people dying in
detention centres, from a budget that punishes the
poorest, from the contraditions between what this
government claims to stand for and what it does."

"We have a government that doesn't hesitate to spend $500
million a year to send Super Hornets to drop bombs on
Iraq, but awards the contract to supply boots for our
troops to an Indonesian company, ahead of the
Australian firm that has kitted them out since World War II,
to save a few dollars."

"Noisily repatriating bodies from the wreck of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 17 and chest-thumping in the direction of
Russian President Vladimir Putin might win approval at
home, but won't stop the world from noticing Australia's
refusal to help fight ebola or how we push boatloads of
refugees back into poorer countries' water."

The author asks, "Why have we become so small and mean?"

Even if Abbott and the LNP make a complete hash of things, Shorten and Co are unelectable while they persist with Labors current policy on the illegal boat people.

Failure to recognize that the LNP policy has worked and that Labor should follow suit simply garantees they will remain in opposition.

Also do not forget the massive debt incurred by Labor, last time around.

The LNP are laughing

It think it's too difficult to call.

This is a government that won purely by virtue of not being Labor. So they're not going to want to appear to be like Labor by chopping and changing leaders.

Ironically, however, if they do change leaders, then I think they'll win the next election - largely based on the fact that the public just aren't ready to give Labor another go yet. If the Coalition don't change leaders, though, then I think we could be looking at another hung parliament - judging by the consistently close polling in recent months.

Gaffs aside, Abbott is just too out-of-touch and conservative for the general public. One wouldn't think so, reading the comments on OLO, but he is. OLO is filled with retirees and captains of industry that can afford to take the time out whenever they want to post during the day - those more inclined to vote conservative - so it's not very representative, despite some making out as if it were.

Tony is a bigger man for showing respect for a past National leader than the dis-respecting booing Labor Party stalwarts that attended Gough's funeral.