Watching politician Albanese being interviewed on The Bolt Report yesterday, I said to my wife, "Now there's a man who could wipe the grin off Turnbull's face"

Despite his political colours, I have always had a grudging respect for Albo. That he had the grit, unlike his leader, to face Bolt, who leaves it to poor old Bruce Hawker (another nice bloke) to attempt to explain Labor's failures and ineptitude.

I'm begining to think that Albo is a neoconservative, even though he probably doesn't know it, and might not care to admit it because of the 'nastiness' the description raises in the minds of the ignorant, who use it as term of abuse. We need more neoconservatives on both sides of politics; liberal-minded people who are sickened by socialism (which is no way liberal) and by conservatives, who don't have the will or the courage to defend their values
or their country. If Labor want's to do Turnbull, who thinks his job is just public relations, then Albo is their man.

Well Ttbn, the last thing one wants to do is to vote for a prime-minister.

Even if you like the wo/man, you actually bring in a whole party and as the last years' experience shows, it's unlikely that they will remain in power anyway.

I always only vote for the policies on the party's agenda, not the persons.

(and BTW, I think that Labor has a good chance next time, should they oppose the GST-increase while the Liberals push for it)

He can't be any worse than Shorten. But Yuyutsu is right; and in our system we don't get to vote for party leaders (unless we live in their seat, which most voters don't). You're better off focusing on policies rather than personalities. The person selling a policy might be erudite, charming and witty, but the policy they're trying to sell might still be awful.

Turnbull could sell ice to eskimos but the policies he has to sell are determined by the whole party room and thus likely to be crap, as Liberal policy usually is. Shorten, on the other hand, would struggle to sell eskimos central heating at below cost price, which is a shame because the Labor party typically have a better platform then the Liberals. So I still vote Labor even though Shorten is a dud because a) I'm not voting for Shorten, he doesn't run in my electorate and b) I want Labor to win the seat because they have a better platform.

Thanks for your responses.

I am fully aware that we do not vote for party leaders, as you both should know. I can still comment on individual politicians (most of whom I can't stand).

I am merely expressing MY opinion of a certain person. If the Labor Party wants to stick with the totally inept Shorten, that's up to them. I don't want them back in power, anyway. Nor do I want Turnbull as PM and, of course, I can't do anything about him, either. All I hope Is, at the next election there will be enough choice that I can put the major parties on the bottom, but just above the Greens. The stupid quasi socialists in the Coaition have to be taught that they cannot morph into another Labor Party. They have effectively an arrogantly deprived voters of choice.

After thought: perhaps we should be electing the leaders; they all act like presidents these days. Turnbull's first lie was his 'return to cabinet goverment. His leading rat Bishop put a stop to that.

A wise friend said to me about a year ago "The first Party to change their leader will win the next election". I think they were right.

If Albanese had been elected to lead the Party - and he was only frustrated by the union block-vote - we would have the makings of a credible opposition. As it is, we have a popularity contest in which there is at present only one winner.

And the idea that we "always only vote for the policies on the party's agenda, not the persons" is misguided in the extreme. One of the hopes that created Turnbull's accession was that he would be an entirely different "person" to Abbott, and that his less confrontational mental approach to politics would effect a change in policies over a period of time.

Whether he is able to live up to that hope remains to be seen, of course. But I for one find his presence, as exemplified by his sessions with other world leaders, to be far less excruciatingly embarrassing that his predecessor's.

Contrary to Toni Lavis opinion, I think verbal diarrhoea Turnbull is Labors greatest hope.

The fool will continue running off at the mouth progressively alienating more of those who might vote for him, winning only those who would never vote Liberal, like Tony. Thus they give Labor a real chance, even with the dropkicks they continually chose as leaders.

It seems at present the parties are having a competition to see who can elect the worst possible leader.

Agendas/policies can change as soon as they get in, and they are all liars anyway. Turnbull things his job is public relations. I think the PM sbould shoot from the hip when referring to our enemies, as Abbott did. Turnbull is a PC ponce. The grin says it all.

The Australian, "Newspoll: Bill Shorten now Mr 15pc with voters".

Shorten is a damp squib, a dead man walking. The Grrls, the Emily's Listers, would have his coffin ready.

Last chance: is there another woman L'il Willie could fly to, to boost his failing career?

No consolation prizes, the ALP are quite capable of looking after their own affairs, so don’t worry about Bill. It’s only Abbott worshippers that are worried about Bill. ALP voters put Turnbull in place for a very good reason. We not only saved the dignity of Australia we secured the long term viability of a govt which had lost its way in more ways than one. Or is that govt; never had a direction in the first place.

We are progressing very well indeed, you could say the ship has been righted and again progress is in motion.
There are leaders and there are like to be leaders. Some click and some fail miserably, So much is put on promises made and policies announced, maybe its time we put more into the real agendas of some politicians.

Political parties should scrutinize their candidates more carefully to abort any would be infiltrators into their ranks. Not only a leader to be elected by the party, they should also have a say in who holds portfolio’s. This would save front-bench stacking as Abbott did, and alienated the backbench to near extinction.

The once great Liberal party failed in its role of commitment to the populace, with infiltration of Conservatist’s in its ranks. There is a valuable lesson to be adhered to there, so that kind of extremism never happens again. Conservatist’s should be known and separated and advised to form their own political party.

Turnbull is considered less confrontational than Abbott which is code for far more gutless. The abc luv Turnbull as they did Gillard. Says it all.

Runner
Why should you have to be confrontational, I do not see the need , then again I never was a fan of Abbott. His brand of politics and policies was anti family and anti worker as we seen his first priority was to create unemployment.
The ABC has gone off the radar since his demise, that shows you where all of the rhetoric was coming from. He could not handle an interviewer so he blamed the whole ABC. It was to confrontational for him.
Turnbull takes it up to the interviewer, it’s all about conversation skills. Turnbull dictates the interview and won’t be interrupted. He has real ability to communicate.

Turnbull’s mistake is the second rate NBN, which is a disaster, rather than a monument of design. It will be an ongoing upgrade for the next three or four decades to rectify, and cost a fortune.
Politics has gone quiet the masses are happy, and doing the best they can with what they have. So we are much more stable and shipshape along with an interesting outlook.

I suppose Grinner is silly enough to be encouraged by his good polliing, but people who are not as silly as the man who did the dirty on Abbott realise that the people who like him most are the socialists who know he is going to be dragging the Coalition to the Left. So of course they 'like' him, ie, until they can get Labor back in. His ABC type admirers will never vote anything but Labor or Green, and its the next election that matters, not polls. On top of that there are many people who normally vote for the Coalition, but will not be doing so next year because they loathe Turnbull and don't at all appreciate his foul act against Abbott.

Abbott was the one that done the knifing on Turnbull and Turnbull returned the favor. Abbott only win by one vote, Turnbull win by about thirty. Everybody is encouraged by good polling . Abbott only had one fault he wasn’t a Liberal.
Australia always had a good socialist popularity vote. It is the only way Australia progresses, Liberal get in and create unemployment, they can not tolerate full employment it goes against big business.
There are a few infiltrators in the liberal ranks that will get the short shift at the next poll. They are idiots to themselves allowing that to happen. They would never win in their own right so they infiltrate and cause disruption to an otherwise good political party.
Wouldn’t you rather have a socialistic govt; rather than a govt; that divides the community from business. Everybody is better off when we are all working together. Abbott’s true colours came out the day after the last election when it became apparent that we were fed a heap of lies instead of progressive policy. By rights there should have been another election, because what’s to stop that happening again.

We are bound to believe what they tell us, we are not supposed to be railroaded by untruths. Those that were privy to Abbott’s intentions must be outed at the next election. If there any of them left by then. The slime bag Brough need to be eliminated as soon as possible. For his part in Abbott’s agenda. They are a shabby lot when you size them up, loyalty comes and loyalty goes, it’s a matter of what suites the situation at the time.