cont'd ...

"The fact is, mateship has not always been there
when our nation our people needed it - where was
mateship at Myall Creek, or at Lambing Flat?
Where was mateship when governments and
institutions worked together to take children from
their mothers - because the mother was unmarried,
or black."

What a contrast these expressed views are to our
current PM's pit-bull tactics and so many of
his expressed views on a variety of issues.

Interesting times ahead.

I was recently critical of ABC journalist Virginia Trioli, she can be a bit lazy, just recycling the ABC's PC line.

However the flattery directed at Penny Wong reminds me that of the very best interviews of a politician was when Virginia interviewed the usually very slippery and superficial Penny Wong when she was Finance Minister. Seeing a women on the other side of the table, Ms Wong beamed and launched into her routine of, 'We're Grrls together, so this is going to be a free hit day for me just like on Q&A' (compere Jones and Q&A audiences adore her and always let her off light).

However Virginia Trioli was not to be used and politely, deftly and clinically took Ms Wong to task for her abominably poor performance as Finance Minister and for her repeated fabrications. The should be an Australian site where the very best examples of Australian rhetoric are kept, and the best interviews should be there as well. Regrettably, Virginia Trioli's interview has been removed by the ABC, which is a shame for students and historians.

Penny Wong is nice enough in her own way but she is a stuffed shirt with feet of clay who is a human Xerox putting out the daily script from Labor's spin masters. Nothing to be seen there. Worse, she makes no attempt whatsoever to educate herself on the basics to do perform the roles the taxpayer is paying her for.

Another who rides the victim bandwagon, is full of her own entitlement and has never had an original idea.

Shorten and some of his shadow ministers are living proof of how far Australia has moved from the Westminster System. With their embarrassing personal records and associations it is very difficult to see how they might survive a week in the Parliament of the UK.

Shorten, the kind of leader no one wants.
Thanks to Kevin Rudd, the labor party can't get rid of him (unless70% of members vote him out) Talk about lack of democracy.

Has he given one idea? at all about anything?

While he plays fiddle, waiting for Tony Abbott to say something, he has not come up with one plan to increase employment, reduce debt, help hospitals, build infrastructure or even make a suggestion on the subs in SA.

What a total waste of space, him and Tanya Thickasabrick are.

Surely Labor has some talent? Someone who has a vision for the future?

But, alas, it will be at least 2 elections before someone from Labor breaks the mould and becomes a true leader.

Political corespondent, Mark Kenny tells us
that the flip side to Tony Abbott's poll dive
through 2014 is the phoenix-like rise of an
Opposition from the ashes of political rejection ...

There's no doubt that Bill Shorten has been
propelled to a winning position more by Tony Abbott's
betrayals than by any genius the Labor leader
has demonstrated.

Many people are debating what does Bill Shorten really
stand for. What are his core values and where are
the detailed policies that express them?

People seem to forget that all the current government
gave us prior to their election were slogans, rhetoric,
and spin and heaps of promises. More promises then
they were able to deliver. People forget that the
Opposition is not in government and that hopefully
they will present their policies in due course. Unlike
the current government did.

Therefore we should understand - that Bill Shorten's current
practice of giving as little ground to the government
as possible while keeping his own powder dry is learned
behaviour. It worked for Mr Abbott who, now in government
is having it done back to him. And again it is proving
effective as Mark Kenny points out and tells us to just
look at the government's paralysis in the Senate.

Both leaders know that when there is a perception of chaos
in politics the government of the day is generally blamed.

Things will become clearer for us - with time - when Mr Shorten
explains their policies. In the meantime all we can do is
sit back and watch the circus - that is the current
political scene at the moment.

Interesting Foxy, you blame Tony Abbott for not doing things the
Senate blocks. Hmmm.

slogans, rhetoric,
and spin and heaps of promises. More promises then
they were able to deliver.

etc etc etc.

Careful Foxy you are in danger of wining the Turing Prize.

Dear Bazz,

You need to go back and re-read my posts
and take them in their contexts.

Part of the problem is as Laura Tingle, political
editor of the "Australian Financial Review" points
out:

"Politicians do make promises they know they can't keep.
They are reluctant to say, "Well, the government
can't or shouldn't do something about it,"
and are too prepared to suggest they can fix things
when they can't. For some of these expectations,
politicians have no one but themselves to blame. For
others, the media has to take some responsibility, as
reporters and commentators have become more and more
prone to placing expectations on politicians that they
can't possibly meet".

The point being made is - that we need more honesty
in politics - what we don't need is an overload with
pledges to implement policies that politicians know
thay cannot afford