ttbn,

".....I'm giving Abbott the flick because his is a wild man. We never know what he will do next."

Yep....he's a worry - and that is precisely the reason many conservatives feel uncomfortable about him. He's a loose canon with no real policy direction (now that the IPA agenda has been jettisoned after the first budget failure) All Abbott has got is his incessant fear-mongering. You know, don't you that when a govt is reduced to such blatant rhetoric, that you're in the hands of very dangerous people.

In fact, under these circumstances, we shouldn't be at all surprised that Abbott and a "few" cohorts are now attempting to undermine the rule of law.

i did read Amanda Vanstone's article - and there are plenty of other Conservative commentators who have attacked this outrageous proposal.

I mean it when I say I could live with a responsible Coalition leader/government.

My complaint is that this govt appears daft and desperate - and even then, some of members of cabinet are choking at the thought of jettisoning the rule of law.

Slippery slope, you know....

Thanks, Foxy,

Sounds interesting.

Obviously Abbott is reasonably intelligent. Marr's description of him as "a big brain but no intellect, a bluff guy ..." sums it up well.

However, I believe Abbott himself summed it up best recently while he was referring to tactics undertaken to "stop the boats"

His comments are equally fitting to describe his own style in public life:

"Whatever it takes."

"By hook or by crook."

Dear Poirot,

John Burnheim, associate professor of philosophy at
the University of Sydney and the author of -
"Is Democracy Possible?" once wrote in an article
that:

"You can only vote for what is on offer. At present
in all level of government we have to accept one
or other of very big packages, much of which we do
not want, put together by a defective process of
decision. We compensate to some extent by agitating
against the winners on specific points. Until we evolve
a better decision-making process, the prospects for a
healthy political climate are very dim. You cannot have
democracy without an appreciation of what makes for
good decisions."

My assessment of Tony Abbott is
That he is a leader, in the sense that he is his own man
in a lot of ways.

He has shown more leadership in standing his ground with Putin
and Indonesia than the Labour Party showed in their whole time
in government.

Indonesian officals in high places have been on the take from the
lucrative people smuggling trade for years. Taking bribes
to keep Indonesian patrol boats away from the waters traversed
by the smugglers between Australia and Indonesia. Now they
cry corruption when the Australian government beats them at their
own game by paying the people smugglers to go back.

I like Abbott, which is an opinion I only came too after a
fair while of coming to an assessment of him, my family and friends, die-hard labour party supporters, are
shocked when I say this, and I think I could nearly be off their
Christmas Card mailing list.
I think Abbott is underestimated and the Australian people are
becoming more aware of this as time goes on.

"There was one reason Marr hated Abbott and that was because he won."

Greg Sheridan Foreign Editor of The Australian who has known Tony Abbott all of his life and was reported as saying that the Tony Abbott that Marr has described in the quarterly essay is not the Tony Abbott he has always known.
[related by George Megalogenis]

http://www.wheelercentre.com/broadcasts/quarterly-essay-political-animal-the-making-of-tony-abbott-david-marr

otb,

Yep, Sheridan and Abbott are pretty chummy.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/30/tony-abbott-offered-journalist-and-friend-greg-sheridan-diplomatic-post

"Tony Abbott considered appointing his close friend, News Corp Australia journalist Greg Sheridan, to a diplomatic post, it has been revealed.

The pair, who have been friends since their time together at Sydney University, discussed the role of high commissioner to Singapore before the 2013 election.

It was formally considered after Abbott became prime minister in September 2013, but the senior journalist with The Australian knocked back the offer after discussing it with editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell.

Mitchell confirmed to AAP it was considered to be a serious job offer, but he had talked his foreign editor out of leaving."

"Previously he has described Abbott as his “best friend” at university and has defended the prime minister’s reputation on many occasions.

However he was scathing of the prime minister’s decision to award Prince Philip a knighthood, describing it as a “very dumb decision” and “bizarre”."

Dumb and bizarre being an excellent summation of govt under Abbott.

Also the govt has a green paper out on education (Gonski unity ticket - Lol!)

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbotts-school-reform-paper-proposes-cutting-federal-funding-20150621-ghtkkz.html

"The green paper, which has been circulated to state and territory governments for consideration, presents four reform options:

* giving the states and territories full responsibility for all schools;
* making states and territories fully responsible for funding public schools while the federal government funds non-government schools;
* reducing Commonwealth involvement in schools, but without significant structural change; or
* making the federal government the dominant funder of all schools.

Under the fourth option, the federal government would provide funding for all students "adjusted for student need and the ability of families to make a contribution"."