Dear ttbn,

What do you think of Chris Bowen and his political
chances for the future?

I don't know that much about him except that from
what I've observed he always answers questions
and gives coherent answers. He seems to know what
he's talking about.

Hi Foxy,

Sadly, I don't see any of the current crop being any good in the future. Bowen? Well he hasn't had the chance to do much. I suppose he is a reasonable shadow treasurer, but he doesn't have to work too hard to combat Morrison who, while a topnotch immigration Minister has disappointed as Treasurer. Treated like a mushroom by Turnbull, I suspect. Ideally, we need new leader who will whip the ordinary politicians into shape. And,the professional politician model is not working. We need a successful non politician from outside to take a few years away from the private sector,get things working properly, then go back to his 'day job', unreliant on the taxpayer. I don't think such a beast exists in Australia at the moment.

Dear ttbn,

Let's hope that the future will surprise us all
for the better.

Hear, hear, Foxy. If it does come,it will probably more of a 'shock' than a 'surprise'.

Dear ttbn,

Peter Coleman writing in the Preface to Peter Costello's
Memoirs tells us that most politicians are predictable.
that "whatever they may say, most of them do not go into
Parliament to bring about particular reforms; they go
in because they find the life irresistible. They want to be
in it all their lives. They enjoy its exhilarating highs
and take its miserable (and tedious) lows in their stride.
They face long years in the wilderness with equanimity.
They take for granted the slander of fools. They also
believe that the voters will get it right in the end.
Their day will come. They are politicians in the way others
are poets. They can't help themselves."

What we need are politicians who are not like that.
We need pollies who want to make a difference. Pollies
to whom all that stuff that Coleman mentions is the
excuse of the seat-warmer, the hack, the careerist,
or as Coleman states - the adventurer. We need pollies
who have the capacity of leadership and who go into
Parliament to make changes like Peter Costello who
wanted to liberalise the economy, especially the
system of taxation. I am very hopefully that we have
people like that waiting in the wings - somewhere.

Who would want a full time job anyway, you are required to work certain hours, some not favourable, you get taxed and you have to present yourself well for jobs, (particularly women) you have to have reliable transport, and in many cases pay for parking, or rely on expensive unreliable public transport.

On the dole you don't need a car, you don't need to present well, you can usually find the odd cash job and in many cases you are better off, especially if you have been paid to have kids.

With the current toothless tigers overseeing the debacle, it does not surprise me at all that full time jobs are in decline because after all, where is the incentive to work.