Not to mention his hyperbole in suggesting an open tender might result in a Putin or Kim Jong-il fleet!

Abbott's assumption that what is good for Tony is what is good for Australia in defending against the spill by inducements to SA members (and who knows what else to other members) doesn't seem to weigh on his party's conscience.

He has divided and conquered his party in the name of solidarity (!). The whole party is corrupted by what happened on Monday, due to his self-serving. A spill motion should be allowed to proceed without the kind of skulduggery that puts an individual ahead of a nation. A precedent has been set for others who may eye the leadership, that no limits apply to inducements, that the nation comes second.

Out, damn'd spot! Out, I say!

PS. Go Tony, go,go,go!

Tony Abbott needs to stop acting as if any Australian, besides Gina Rinehart or Clive Palmer, cares about the removal of the mining tax. By his own admission, it didn't raise any revenue. And since its abolition, iron ore prices have tumbled.

Unemployment has surged to 6.4 per cent, with 12,200 jobs estimated to have been lost in January.

The Bureau of Statistics estimates that the jobless rate jumped from 6.1 per cent in December to 6.4 per cent in January
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the Australian Human Rights Commission ought to be "ashamed of itself" over its children in detention inquiry, which he says is a blatant attack on his government.

The commission report - tabled by the government on Wednesday - called for a royal commission after finding there were 233 recorded assaults involving children and 33 incidents of reported sexual assault. It also reported there were 207 incidents of "actual self harm" and 436 incidents of 436 threatened self harm.
In an interview on 3AW radio, Mr Abbott slammed the commission, questioning the timing of the report.

Hi there PAUL1405...

Thank you for your clear summation of the debt position we face here in OZ. I'm a political illiterate and understand little of the machinations of government. Probably my political stance was not due to my own careful dissection of party politics, or the ideological stance of each of the major parties, rather it's a 'learnt' belief coming as it were, from my parents and grandparents ? All our family have been conservatives, since time in memorial, therefore it must follow, so was I.

I notice some discussion on the relative merits of Tony ABBOTT'S academic background, though impressive hardly a necessity for stunning leadership I would've thought ? I can't begin to enumerate the number of academic idiots I've encountered in my time ? And still I had to (try) do my job, in spite of their obtrusion and meddling.

I think it was John CURTIN who received, just a basic education, came from a working class family, who generally was never identified as being an academic. Yet he became one of Australia's greatest Prime Ministers during the turbulent period, of WW II. It's my understanding he was renowned for his immense honesty of purpose and his strength of character. Apparently he had marvellous oratory skills together with shrewd political acumen, in fact he was a most inspiring leader from all I've read of him.

I don't know PAUL1405, successful political leadership, shouldn't it be predicated on their ability to 'connect with the electorate' ? Otherwise however are they going to be instrumental in selling unpopular policies, if they can't even convince voters to go on the journey with them ?

Oh in case your even remotely interested, my academic skills if measurably, would equate to roughly zero. I successfully attained the NSW Intermediate Certificate in 1956, with passes in all six mandatory subjects. 'So there' ! All of my many detractors ! A complete dunce, I'm not ?

579, "Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the Australian Human Rights Commission ought to be "ashamed of itself" over its children in detention inquiry, which he says is a blatant attack on his government"

What you are silent about is that there were 2,000 children in detention under the previous Labor/Greens government and 1,400 children in detention at the time of the federal election that swept Labor from power.

As Tony Abbott argues, his government has saved many from drowning at sea by putting the people smuggling gangs out of business and at the same time there are fewer children in camps. It is not Abbott or Australia who is responsible for putting those children at risk in the first place.

Tony Abbott also asked quite rightly what the Human Rights Commission was doing during the watch of the previous Labor/Greens government when hundreds were drowning at sea and there were far higher numbers of children in detention.

It does seem that the Human Rights Commission needs to come up with some good explanations and fast.

Frankly, along with what I suspect are many other people I cannot see any solid justification for keeping the Commission on the taxpayer payroll.

Getting back to Go Tony go....

Today brought us further embarrassing gaffes from an increasingly hysterical PM.

It's as if he's redoubled his efforts to make a fool of himself. He spent most of his questions in Question Time shouting, apologising for his remarks and also utilising details that could prejudice an upcoming trial - for political mileage.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-12/pm-had-afp-consent-to-reveal-details-about-alleged-terror-attack/6087256

His behaviour appears to have deteriorated since he pledged "good government" just last Monday.

Niki Savva on Abbott

"Down periscope: Abbott torpedoes himself"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/down-periscope-abbott-torpedoes-himself/story-fnahw9xv-1227216468664

Unfortunately, he's a buffoon.