I think the coalition will win the next election, but not the 2019
election because they are promising growth growth and more growth to
reduce the deficit and the debt.

They will fail and the electorate will put Labour into power because
they will be again be promising growth growth and more growth to
reduce the deficit and the debt.

It is going to take a long time for the message to get from the few
economists, who do understand what is going on, to the Treasury
economists and then to the politicians.
It will probably take about four election cycles before they get the message.

However it all might be short circuited if the expected financial
crash happens during that four election cycle and then all bets will be off.
Some are making noises that the crash could happen in 2016.
No one really knows.

Shadow, there is no shame in admitting you were overcome with grief and sadness following the downfall of Fearless Leader, even real men cry, many of the forums most noted conservatives, you included, had misplaced their faith and trust in Tax Em' Tony, only to see your hopes for a truly divided Australia, with you and the other elitists Have's on the one side, subjugating the masses of Have Not's on the other, a kind of ultra conservative utopia. Sorry that your dreams of a class ridden society with the Mad Monk at the helm did not last, and fizzed out just like Tony!
Now, what do you think of new man Malcolm? Seems to stand for everything you despise, a liberal progressive no less.

The greatest leader Australia has ever had was Tony Abbott.
I have just returned from Europe and when Europeans from Britain,Italy or Germany realised I was an Australian.The first thing they would say was, they wished they had a tough leader like Tony Abbott.
The issue in every European mind is when will they stop immigration.

You talk a bit silly Paul. It is one thing to make jokes about the Mad Monk
and the like but it does not go anywhere.
One thing I suspect from a few unguarded remarks that Joe Hockey made
indicated to me that he understood about the end of growth.
I suspect that he had not partially or completely convinced Tony Abbott
that we are facing that problem. I think Abbott was trying to have a
bet each way on the growth problem.
All politicians will flail around until it hits them clean between the eyes.
They are just too afraid to even consider the possibility.
They just want the idea to go away, or they actually believe they can
manage their way past it and get something for nothing.

Paul,

There is no shame in overcoming the grief that still festers in your heart at the knifing of brown eyed Bob and Christine Minge.

But I am glad that you support a Liberal over that idiot Dinner Tally, and wholeheartedly support his direct action plan, his rationalized NBN etc. Perhaps you are ready to join the Have Brains and leave the have nots, perhaps you will turn your back on the green socialist utopias such as Cuba and North Korea and join the real world.

Bazz, put simply Abbott was not up to the task of leadership and failed the test when it come to making the necessary decisions that the majority of Australians would be willing to support. We all make mistakes but in Abbott's case his parliamentary colleagues, with some prodding from outside, along with a degree of self interest, realised Abbott was not going to improve and simply dumped him and went with the alternative in Turnbull. Hockey was too close to Abbott, and his way of thinking, in the end he had gambled his whole political career on the success of for want of a better word Abbottism, and came crashing down. Hockey still had enough clout to have been a real thorn in Turnbull's side, but was bought off with the ambassadorship to the US. How much can Turnbull count on the loyalty of the likes of Morrison, Bishop and Pyne etc as much as Abbott could, its all tied to political success.
I think there is a real deep seated animosity between Turnbull and Abbott, they simply don't like each other, which goes a long way back, Turnbull is not willing to buy Abbott off with anything at this stage.

As for having a joke at Abbott's expense, all politicians are fair game, and what is posted on a forum such as this is of little consequence to others.

On the question of growth, it would be a courageous politician who went to the electorate with a policy of declining growth, therefore a decline in living standard as the population grows. All populists politicians are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to growth, they have to deliver growth to accommodate the expectation of an ever increasing population, and maintain their own position of power. Keating was a competent treasurer and is credited with a number of achievements in the economic sphere, but is still remembers for his "recession we had to have" remark. people don't like economic pain and whatever Hockey realised, its of little consequence when it come to the political reality.