We have a new Prime Minister and what do any of us
know about him? He told us in his opening speech that
he was "here for us" - whatever that may mean. All
we can do is wait and see what his political agenda
will be now that he leads a "new generation" team.
He's been described as "relentless, ambitious,
and hard-line." He was against the price on carbon,
increasing Aboriginal land rights, same sex marriage.
He was for decreasing funding to the SBS and the ABC.

The following link gives more:

http://abc.net.au/news/2018/08/24/what-kind-of-prime-minister-will-scott-morrison-be/10161666

Will he be able to unite the Liberal Party and win the next
election?

Your thoughts please?

Why not just wait & see?

Foxy it is a good question, you will have seen in other threads I think he will get a bounce in the polls, by his very nature most of that will be because of him, too many take it for granted Labor, my mob, has the next election in the bag,IF Morrisons policies, and they already look much better, are balanced he may make a good Prime Minister, his concern however is can his party, again looking like a cat fight in a potato sack, settle down, NSW has a state by election on today, after the holder was caught out looking for kickbacks, blurs the lines a bit but it has been a Liberal seat for a very long time, 54 percent last election,we may see how voters think today.

Indy,

Of course we'll have to wait and see.

However, the point of this thread was an attempt to
see what impression the man has already made - and
how they view the future under him.

Dear Belly,

It will be interesting to see how voters react in today's
by-election. And also what the agenda will be when Parliament
sits on Monday.

Personally, I think that so far his agenda seems to be to take
it more carefully and slowly. Will he be able to re-unite the
party? I don't know - especially the mischief makers.

If running a dysfunctional government, and caving into the hard right faction every time they evoke their dog-whistling agenda, then Morrison should be "very successful". Well at least until the next election.

Dear Paul,

Well, he did not appoint Tony Abbott or Barnaby Joyce
to the Frontbench though did he. Why do you think that
was? At least an attempt at something new?

In my view Foxy had he rewarded those two he would have lost the country,we can not know what faces him, but for sure the conservative right will continue to try to take over the party and its policies, that would be a death sentence for them.

Dear Belly,

I guess time will tell. However, I suspect that you're
right. Still, with politics - you can sometimes get
a few surprises. Predicting things is a bit risky at
the best of times.

Hi Foxy,

Morrison was smart enough to know that Abbott and Joyce are so toxic with the electorate that to promote them to the front bench would have spelt political death for the government. What did Morrison do, he threw the pair a meaningless political sop in an attempt to placate them along with their hard right supporters.

Morrison has two choices; he can roll over and give in to the demands of the extreme, or like Turnbull he can try and play the lion tamer, and like Turnbull get his political head bitten off. He faces very difficult times ahead, from without, and sadly also from within.

I have no idea what sort of Prime Minister Mr Scott MORRISON will become, neither will anyone else herein know either. But he deserves a chance, some clean air as it's said. One thing is for sure, he'll not be Prime Minster after the next federal election. It'll be a labour government in power, unless Mr Wm. SHORTIN make a terrible mistake in the interim?

Dear Paul,

I really don't get it.

Can't the Party have a vote - and simply expel trouble
makers who are so toxic and are causing so much damage
from the party? Especially when the chances are that they
won't stop doing it?

at this stage Morrison is miles ahead of Turnbull as far as I am concerned. The bar wasn't set to high.

Foxy the party is, like Labor often has been,like that bag full of cats, both side want control, in the middle are the true Liberals, who are no longer in control, Paul,s comment about just how hard it will be for Morrison to run the party his way is true,some of his recent back downs are forced on him, by that internal fight, at such times both parties seem to over look the need voters much more than internal bickering kit seems Labor has a head start because more every day are showing concerns Morrisons back step on power and renewables is seen as unwanted by swinging voters

Will Scott Morrison follow Donald Trump and take Australians into a World War 3, if rebels plant chemicals in Syria to attract fire to remove Bashar al-Assad?

Will Scott Morrison use integrity to consider if Assad would use chemical weapons when he (Assad) knows full well Saddam Hussein was hanged for using them?

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-weighing-military-options-if-syria-uses-chemical-weapons-in-idlib

Dear Belly,

I think that so far what Morrison is doing is the right
thing. He's gone to Indonesia. He's visited the drought
affected areas. Setting money aside to help farmers.
He's made it clear that he wants the party to unite
behind him. These are all signs that the man is trying
to present a different and more caring "new" image.
Whether it will work and more importantly - whether it
will be allowed to work by the stirrers within the party
I guess we shall have to wait and see.

At least it appears that the right moves are being attempted
by a leader determined to garner support for his party
once again.

At this stage I can only go by the quotes I hear/read from him (can't believe the media) I think he's got what it takes to become a very popular PM. He appears to be from a normal background (sensible & pragmatic) & his top advisor being a nurse are a good sign of a man with logic.
I think once Dutton has either been put in his place or put out there aren't anymore troublemakers & Scomo can fully concentrate on being a very effective PM.
All the very best wishes Prime Minister.

Indy,

Thanks for the very positive comments and
vibe. We certainly could use more of it
on this forum.

I see improvement in him but not sure he will be around long enough, yesterday his NSW branch lost a seat it had held for 60 years, last result was 54 percent Liberal, no one is sure yet if Labor or a independent known to be linked to Nationals Has won, back him,and other issues play a roll there too, has Morrison got the time to put his stamp on this government? has he the power to do it? he will need to watch the super conservatives every day

Hi Foxy and Belly,

Morrison is doing what he needs to do, paper over the party cracks, scrap off the policy barnacles, and make feel good statements and visits. He only needs to keep up the charade for about six months, call an election, and hope like hell the voters have bought the deceit. If it works he'll be back in the lodge for another three years.

Well I thought Turnbull was a 'Smiling Assassin'
I still think Shorten is a 'Slimy Weasel'

As for Scott Morrison;

I think well get:
"Well-meaning Christian douchebag, with his head up his butt."
(my apologies to Christian forum members)

- But I have to say that this on face value seems more appealing then aforementioned 'Slimy weasel' and his parties progressive policies, not that the LNP is in itself a whole lot better.

I agree that from all appearances it does seem that
Scott Morrison is trying to rally the troops around
him and unite the party. And who knows - there's still
enough time to possibly change the direction in which
the party was heading. We need strong leadership in this
country. And perhaps Morrison may be just the man to do it.

We'll have to wait and see I guess.

After his success at the next election, we will then see just what a PM he'll be.

See we are commenting based on our biases not our understanding still, did any one before me here say Morrison would lift his party,s polling? did any in print share my view he was the best possible out come for his party and its followers?
Scott Morrison is looking like your average Aussie, but has his party changed? if beaten, and in my view he will be, he may emerge as the next John Howard, having an ability to bring blue collar workers to him,our next federal government may not be a two term one, world wide recession is on the cards.

In the past few days Morrison and his new team have scrapped the NEG, said that getting power prices down is more important than living up to the Paris 'deal', said it wasn't the government's job to provide certainty (ie guaranteed profits)to the energy sector and is now talking about reducing immigrant numbers and the make-up of those numbers.

Seems Morrison is trying to tread the line between adopting almost all Abbott's policies while not looking like he's adopting all Abbott's policies. Adopt 90% and try to get kudos for rejecting the unimportant 10%.

That could work. Its not the first time a politician has been able to appear moderate by being a little less radical than those to his left and/or right.

This is why Abbott is now so important to the Libs. He can articulate the correct policies for the nation and get them implemented by those who pretend to be not doing his bidding.

It might be too late for adopting Abbott's policies to provide a win for the government, but at least its a win for the country.

"Will Scott Morrison follow Donald Trump and take Australians into a World War 3"

Unlike his lauded predecessor, Trump hasn't yet started any wars, let alone WW3. Indeed so far he's made enormous progress in stopping a number of actual or potential conflicts around the world.

But why let the facts get in the way of what we've told to believe?

I've been reading readers comments in the various newspapers.
A reader writing in The Age (2018/08/27)
made the observation that -
"...there has been a change of leadership but the cause of
turmoil remains embedded. The fact that one man, Tony Abbott,
can year after year paralyse government exposes a serious
flaw in Australian democracy. Cartoons wryly depicting Abbott
as a wrecking ball were all too accurate.. It was not sufficient
for a moderate leader, Malcolm Turnbull to relegate this bitter
agent of destruction to the backbench. The person was allowed
to spread with massive costs to industry through time
wasted. There must be built into our democratic system a trigger
that allows mid-term dismissal free of party influence."

"The electorate must be able to say "enough" and then promote a
genuine representative who puts people ahead of perverse,
abhorrent ambition."

Nick Greiner made it quite clear recently that Mr Abbott
should use his abilities to fight the Opposition rather than
engage in internal wars.

The question was raised - "Should Abbott leave Parliament?"
Can the Liberal Party have their focus 100 per cent on
having the Coalition in the best position to win next year?
That is something that the new party leader and PM
needs to consider.

Nick Greiner said he was supportive of Labor-like reforms that
would give party members a say in choosing the Parliamentary
Leader. He said, "Certainly I think it's something that
should be on the agenda."

Foxy,
Turnbull was a dud with socialistic leanings. He was an embarrassment in relation to the 'utegate' issue and his attempts to save the world by changing household light bulbs. Prior to that he led the republicans. some people think he was a Labor plant anyway. It was a surprise that he was elected leader the first time and lucky for us Abbott saved us from having a carbon tax. Further surprise when he was elected again as leader. If the party did not want Abbott as leader surely they could find somebody other than Turnbull out of 80 plus. Again he has shown he wanted a carbon tax. He is thick as a brick.

Morrison did a good job as immigration Minister and was responsible for stopping the boats, which many said could not be done. He handled the critisism well. Now he needs to ditch the Paris agreement, having scrapped the NEG. The wheels fell off the global warming sham ages ago. Mother nature determines climate, not us punny humans,

Dear Banjo,

Quite frankly I am excited about what's coming up
next. I'm just going to sit back and watch what
develops. Hopefully, it will be for the good of the
country. At least these past recent events just may
be a lesson to our politicians not to take voters
for granted.

Anyway, I am looking forward to the months ahead and
waiting to see what develops next. Fingers-crossed that
it will be good not bad.

Wagga by election was at least in part powered by yet another Liberal forced to leave mid term after he was unmasked in this states ICAC,not unusual in the NSW Libs, however the swing against that party was close to thirty percent the NSW Premier has placed the blame on her federal party,s recent actions, we will see.

Dear Belly,

It could be a combination of factors.

The State Premier stopped a National candidate from
having a go - she chose the Liberal candidate instead.
And I gather many voters were upset at the corruption
charges levied against the previous Liberal candidate
who vacated the seat. So I think these factors may
have played a part as well. Trust was lost. And then
they go and dump a PM.

Morrison is looking better as time goes on.

He does appear to be getting away from the worst Turnbull/Shorten policies, & moving slowly to more sensible areas. He does need to get a move on, as there is not much time, & any appearance that he believes in any of the Turnbull socialist garbage will be his death.

There are a huge number of conservatives who will only vote for the coalition, if he has obviously moved far far away from the Turnbull mental illness, & into sensible management.

It appears that he is going to give lip service to Parris, then ignore it the same way all of Europe is doing. He is going to need to make this quite clear if he wants to win the coming election.

Dear Hassie,

I think that Scott Morrison knows exactly what he's
got to do to try to win.

Question Time in Parliament tomorrow should be very
interesting.

Hi Foxy and Belly,

Will there be a question time in parliament? The Coalition might vote to suspend it.

Morrison is attempting to create an atmosphere of 'Populism', with himself at the centre, portrayed as "I'm one of you, a knock about bloke who loves his footy!" The problem is credibility, is Morrison as he claims the champion of "the people" about to go to war with the "elite". This is the same guy who opposed a Royal Commission into the banks, the same guy who wanted to give big tax cuts to the top end of town. Where has all that gone? Out the window in the name of political expediency. The thing in his favour is he only has to keep up the charade for a short time. Following an election win, then the good folk will see the real Scott Morrison. The bloke is as phoney as a three dollar bill, and hopefully the voters will see through him.

Morning Paul last night my NRL team came back from the dead, not seeing this government doing that, Morrison got the lift I predicted still not peaked yet,but his government would louse 30 seats on the figures in this mornings Murdock propaganda sheet. so Scott is human but is his party? glued to the question time to day

Well one thing is certain, he'll either be a giant douche or turd sandwich.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVwh8PW6r88

Although as a weirdo Pentecostal fruit loop, I'd say he's probably both, and a clanging cymbal to boot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVZWgWjVRo

1 Corinthians 13 (NIV)
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

It's going to be an interesting day in Parliament today.
Well worth watching the various sitting from the Senate
to Question Time in the afternoon - and see in which
direction they're going to go. And if anyone has learned
anything.

Last two hours, it is now 12 past midday, have been interesting Dutton addressed the house, did not convince me he has clean hands and Labor move a no confidence motion, Morrison not yet seen

The saboteurs are already frantically searching for tactics to stop the new PM from effectively governing.
Must be a preety miserable life not to have any integrity.

Indy,

It's not a question of integrity.

It's called politics - and unfortunately that's the way
the game seems to be played in Canberra. Lets not forget
the people supposedly with "integrity" have just kicked
a PM out of office - and bullied and intimidated their
party members to do it.

Integrity? More like Schitegrity!

Lets not forget the people supposedly with "integrity" have just kicked
a PM out of office
lexi,
he got the boot because people with integrity saw that he didn't have the right kind of loyalty to his own people.
I'd say that is integrity on full display but lots more is needed now.

Hi Foxy, just passing by and noticed you are valiantly still holding the fort as the voice of reason on this forum! Good on you. Interesting times in Canberra alright, with question time in Parliament seeing many ask the question of the Coalition “ Can you tell us why Turnbull was thrown out of office?” None gave a sensible answer as far as I could see.

All are just feathering their own nests as far as I can see, just like all Politicians do.
Morrison is no different. He is putting himself out there as the ‘common working man’, trying to appeal to the working voters. However, the average Australian voter is not stupid.
I have no doubt that if Morrison were to win the big job in the next election, his true ‘far-right’ colors would shine through, and before you know it, we would have a nearly more dangerous conservative (happy clappy heal thy self fellow no less!) than poor old bitter washed up Abbott.

I would worry for our country if Morrison became our next elected PM, but Bill Shorten frightens me too. I honestly don’t know how I will vote at the next election.....

Hi Suse,

Are you back, are you here to stay? Your incisive opinions have been sorely missed by some. The friendly banter we all engage in on OLO has been missing a little of the whimsical input of late. There has been some imbalanced and erroneous comment on a number of topics by the regular wackos of the right, this must be addressed!
The 'Usual Suspect' will no doubt appreciate, being once more shown the "error of their ways!", as I know you can in your own inimitable style.

HOW ABOUT IT, COME ON BACK!

I suppose the changing of the PM could be looked at in practical terms in comparison to a car.
If you have a flat tyre the car is still a good car but it won't really go all that well. So, what does the pragmatist do ? Well, he changes the tyre, whereas the academic will throw resources at a fact-finding mission to establish the cause of the flat ture & get a hire car.
Give Morrison a few weeks to get his policies sorted, jumping the gun could get get you shot.

Hope susi online has come back to stay, well over night some truths came out, the bag of cats fighting we know as government has more leaks than a toilet block on grand final day still, Morrison mark my words hasn't peaked yet he will however because of his party, Dutton? truly disturbing stuff to be seen today in the house just maybe he is more of a negative than even Abbott.
Shorten, well not sure why he concerns people not sure why the brilliant man I knew is not seen,but the CFMEU slurs?
That union took on mine when Bill was its head, we had to fight them in court, would be truly concerned if he ever sided with them, but confident it is just anti union crap,,, much like the CFMEU is, crap

Dutton appears to be a heartless character who, if kept in his place could perform well.
He should be minister for prisons. I fear that Morrison will be the lone ranger for some time until he sorts out the deadwood & hangers-on.
I suppose it's because I am personally rather negatively affected by Centrelink that I strongly urge those with the decision making power to overhaul that outfit asap along with the immoral taxation bracketing & assets tests. Instead of stifling the economy why don't they just stimulate it ? I mean cutting old age pensioners back to near nothing they should encourage them to spend. A $15,000/year income tax bottom line is just reeking of of no idea of economic managing. Make personal aquisitions an asset only when they get sold not while they're being used as daily facilities.

Dear Suse,

WELCOME BACK!

A great big Welcome Back - you've been sorely missed.
And Thanks for your kind words. Gee Whiz - what a
mess in Canberra. I'm still watching and waiting to
see what's going to happen next. As for who to vote for
at the next election? To me - there's few problems that
I can see. I was considering voting for an Independent
in my area - however - one never knows where their support
will life in Parliament. Voting for the Liberal Party -
it at present doesn't look like much change will happen
from what we've had in the past - not while the Conservative
element is still dictating. As for Labor? whether you like
them or not - the whole point would be to have a change of
Government - and give them a chance to make things better.
And in the meantime - let us hope that the Liberals will
get their act together.

It's difficult to clean out the house when you're working
full time in Government being in Opposition will give the
Liberal Party more time to clean out the house - which they
urgently need to do.

indy you seem to be asking the impossible, government with a heart and brain is out of fashion at this time, stand by some good news coming

Belly,
well, yeah, but I haven't heard anything from your side's policies on the points I raised. Is there anything on the immediate planning board ?
What's Labor's stance on the old age pension assets test & the pension cuts if the spouse is still working ?

Thanks to Belly, Foxy and Paul for their fine welcome backs! I will check out the forum from time to time, and see how I go. Certainly, politics has become more interesting again lately, but I am sure Morrison won’t be in the top job for long. I guess he threw his hat in the ring to at least go down in the history books as having been the PM, even if just for a short time ....

great news please stay! now Morrison, he has morphed in to a more likeable leader than most thought, his victory gave me hope, not at his rise but at Duttons fall, man can not even count to 43! however the right of reality, already has made some things go the way they wanted, Morrison will, for a while, be rising in the polls, even his party, for a time mill benefit from his persona.
Labor will win an election, not by a landslide but an earth quake at least.
Interest is in the chook pen [senate]no more minor or single issue party,s, one nation will still be there but vote greatly reduced as Liberals win back the very right.

Has ScottMo given up on policy, and is now relying on the power of prayer. The boy might be calling for divine intervention come next election.

My wife's Mothers 50th anniversary of her death today, (they never forget) so I'll put up her favorite song, her Pakeha, given name was "Judy" and since I don't have a song for the topic this sounds good. Edu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or-J_nf1Riw

Dear Suse,

I'm so glad that you're going to keep on posting.
The forum needs you as do we.
Politics has been a shocker. It's now
disappointing that Scott Morrison
who promised an investigation into the charges
of bullying and intimidation - is now in denial that
it took place and seems
to be wanting to maintain a shroud of silence over
it. I'm not sure that this move will give him and his
party the credibility that they so desperately need at
this time or that Labor will let them get away with it.
It's not a good look - and seems more of a cover-up.
Transparency would have been better.

Dear Paul,

Please pass on my heartfelt wishes to your wife concerning
her mother's 50th anniversary.

My mum passed this year, 8 months ago - and I miss her very
much. Mothers are such a big part of our lives - and when we
lose them - a huge gap remains.

What's Labor's stance on the old age pension assets test & the pension cuts if the spouse is still working
Belly,
have you had a chance to find out the Labor policies on the above ? I'm still trying to get answers from the Coalition as well. Probably too un-sexy for them to care ?

indy Laboris unlikely to change the base rule of welfare, total household income will be a basic still.
It is my hope they if given the chance, will reform that whole area, knocking true welfare fraud on the head and using some of the savings for real rises in welfare, across the board,

A couple of big time welfare fraudsters were uncovered recently blowing millions of $$$ of taxpayer money. 'Centrestink' knows their names, and the houso joints where they live. The whole family have been on generational welfare for yonks, mum, dad, granny, the old bloke, all of em', havn't done a days work since the year dot. They've been seen driving around in flash cars, and taking expensive OS hols. If you know any of this mob, report em' to 'Centrestink' so they can send em' the bill. and stop the rip off!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqt45yt28dg

I was a bit concerned the other day when a reporter asked ScottMo, what he was going to do about electricity prices. The reply was "Come brother, come sister...let us pray."
Then the reporter asked what he was going to do about the drought? Came the reply; "Come brother, come sister...let us pray." ScottMo then said; "If there are no more questions, then come brother, come sister...let us pray."

then come brother, come sister...let us pray."

Well, at least he suggested & did what he said he'd do unlike others who just make empty promises !

Paul very pleased to see your view on welfare , in truth such a generational family lives not far away and refused jobs I got for them while at work, because of lifestyle issues!
Turnbull, hurting like hell, it has been revealed is telling his supporters to see Dutton is sent to the high court.
Lets be honest it is my view he is guilty, should be forced out of politics, but this is the Liberal party, not guilty sir and let's hide him under the rug are standard words from them it will never happen

ALP/LNP etc. are all the of the same mould, they only differ in their tactics to exploit the public for as much as possible.
Ask yourself this, if one of the them was really so much better than the other then why do they keep losing elections ?
Welfare cheating is due to these party politicians & bureaucrats. if they were to have better policies there wouldn't be welfare cheating & ALL able people would be employed. It's due to the lack in economic management that so many require welfare.

One thing is certain - the toxic nature of Parliament
as a work place needs to be addressed. And, the
improvement in the political culture has to be
addressed by the leaders of the large parties - especially
the current Prime Minister. There were all sorts of
accusations and comments made about bullying and
intimidation after the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull.
Quite a few people seemed to have a great deal to say.

Yet after spending some time talking - in the PM's office
Liberal Senator from South Australia - Lucy Gichuhi has
suddenly backed down from her threats to name and
shame the bullies
in her party after speaking with PM Scott Mossison.
She's left the PM "to deal with the issue."

He's told Perth radio 6PR that he did not believe that
any complaints had been lodged.

So much for transparency and a "new generation" in Parliament.
Looks like the same old same old tactics of lies, deceits,
and cover-ups as before.

To day IF Labor calls for Dutton to be sent to the high court every chance exist Julie Bishop will cross the floor and vote with them, question time 2pm may be worth a look, if for nothing more than to see how childlike both sides conduct them selves

Dear Belly,

Thanks for that. I shall be watching Question Time
today.

Hi Foxy and Susi.

Conservatism, by its philosophical nature sees women in clearly defined (subservient to men) rolls, which does not include leadership and/or decision making to any great extent. What are politicians, leaders and decision makers. Just read the general comments posted on the forum regarding women's perceived position in society by our hearty band of conservative 'Usual Suspects', they are most patronize towards women.

ScoMo is the Archbishop Wilson of the parliamentary Liberal party on this issue. His job is clearly to keep a lid on things.

//Yet after spending some time talking - in the PM's office
Liberal Senator from South Australia - Lucy Gichuhi has
suddenly backed down from her threats to name and
shame the bullies
in her party after speaking with PM Scott Mossison.
She's left the PM "to deal with the issue."//

In the PM's office, there's a clue.

ScoMo, would first play the authority card!
Then its the disloyalty card!
Followed by the reassurance card!
The three card trick.

A pat on the head, and a kiss on the cheek, and Lucy's on her way.

I did manage to watch Question Time today (13/09/2018).
In the Lower House (House of Reps). And the longer I
watched my blood pressure went up. If this is the
"New Generation," of Parliament - I want no part of it.

Not one question was answered by the current PM. He
evaded every single question. Is it because they don't
want to disclose the answers or they just don't know
the answers? Plain common courtesy would expect answers
to be provided. If they play games like that - how can
they, in reality, be expected to govern?

When voters watch Question Time - they can't help but
wonder - Why are these people in these jobs? Why are
we paying them such high salaries to simple warm the seats
and ask each other - "Dorothy Dix," type of questions where
the respondents just keep telling us how good they are. And
when asked to produce evidence on what they're saying - they
claim that it's from "secret" documents - which can't be
tabled.

This sort of performance would not be allowed to function in
our Court Systems - and Corporate Business Organisations.
Why is it accepted in our Parliament?

In conclusion - Disgusting!

strangely enough Paul it is the regressives who have supported marxism/feminisn who are among the worst offenders when it comes to rape, violence bullying etc. Just look at Hillary's friends (and husband). The haters of the natural family are among the highest abusers. No surprise. Just experts in virtue signalling as you often demonstrate. How's that 'hot' wife of the Greens coping.

Actually - the Liberal Party has had one major fly in
the ointment. Mr Tony Abbott - who's stuck around and
sniped, and wrecked, and plotted, and schemed and
Peter Dutton was poised to exact Abbott's revenge and
pave the former PM's way for a return to the front
bench. Thank Goodness it did not happen.

However, Dutton's eligibility for office needs to be
referred to the High Court - no more stalling!

And Morrison needs to name and shame - the bullies and
stop denying it ever happened.

Still talking unadulterated nonsense runner. Should I hit back and ask if you still believe pedophilia in your Christian churches is ancient history, and should be ignored as you once claimed. Obviously you don't consider these Christian deviants as "the worst offenders when it comes to rape, violence and bullying". What do you consider them to be? Saints!

Oh Paul good to see you as a Green even acknowledge child abuse as wrong. Some of the deviants in your party think bestiality is ok. Glad some have somewhat not totally seared their conscience. Funny enough much of ther Catholic church here in Australia have had strong links with the Labour party. Mind you facts mean little to you.

Paul remember, so the question was not asked please tell this silly old man if Dutton has nothing to hide why he will not put his case before the high court and shut us up?
Online cartoon rather tells the story it is a dunny with about one hundred toilet rolls on the walls
Caption is *Dutton,s private loo*

One question - while watching the fiasco of
Question Time ... It occurred to me -

With all the chaos in the Liberal Party -
why wasn't the Governor-General brought in to
resolve the problems?

Somebody in the Government (or the Opposition) should
have raised the issue with the Governor-General.
After all it was the image of our nation on the world
stage that needed protection - as well as our Prime
Minister's position at home.

Perhaps we do need some sort of trigger to ensure that
this doesn't continue to happen again - no matter who's
in Government.

Why didn't the Governor-General step in - and do his job?

Foxy,
You are so naive at times I can't believe it! The leadership of the Liberal party, or Labor, has nothing to do with the GG. It is an internal matter for the party concerned. The GG simply appoints the governments elected leader as PM.

It was only a drama for the Libs who simply had a leadership contest. There was not a crisis in government. Labor had a similar thing a few years back. Remember the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd episode.

If the present government losses its majority then the GG may become involved if government cannot be formed, but until that occurs it is business as usual.

Dear Banjo,

Thanks for explaining. I thought that the Governor-General
could interfere because the situation was becoming
critical with people threatening to leave Parliament and
the threat of by-elections on the horizon. Malcolm Turnbull's
resigning from Parliament would lose the Liberals the
ability to govern - especially if Ms Banks and Julie Bishop
left as well I thought that the Governor-General could step
in - because of a "no confidence" motion on the government's
ability to govern.

If the Libs lose Wentworth - what happens next?

So many thoughts running through my mind.

Anyway - perhaps if the Members of Parliament had brought in
their wives - they probably could have solved the entire
chaos very quickly. (joke). You know how good women are
at organising things. (smile).

Hi Belly, its obvious that Dud Dutton has much to be concerned about if he is forced to front the High Court. His eligibility to sit in the parliament is highly questionable. Simply having him insisting he doesn't have a case to answer is not good enough. Did Dutton receive a financial benefit from the Commonwealth through his wife's kiddy business? Possibly, probably, and the only place that can be definitively answered is in the High Court. TUrnbull is right, send him to the HC for a clear and unequivocal determination. What is ScoMo's problem?

Two story's in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning offer insight in the the bag of fighting cats Morrison heads
Wentworth went against his wishes, after both Turnbull and Howard endorsed a different person, male not female.
In a story written by Turnbull while over seas He warns if Dutton is not referred to the high court it may be damaging,, even more so he warns some on Morrison team want Dutton refered.
Worth the read
A PS Morrison,s team, it surely was not him,used a foul mouthed ranter in the rap world , why must they insist on spelling crap that way? to try to put a modern face on the party he leads
Mr Morrison, is it worth the damage? if Dutton has nothing to hide get it done if he has would you rather face a loss of trust when others refer him?

Even Julie Bishop says that Peter Dutton should refer
himself to the High Court. If he's eligible to sit as
he claims - whats the problem? And why isn't Scott
Morrison applying the pressure for Dutton to turn
himself in? I suspect the Libs don't want to take the
risk of losing Dutton's seat - one less for them in
Parliament. - And they're out. They're barely hanging on
for dear life as it is. If the shoe was on the other foot -
and this was a Labor candidate in Dutton's position - the
Liberal Party would be baying for blood.

Such is our political system.

Morrison can pull a big win out of the fire, by sending Dutton to the high court.
In doing so he would head off Labor doing it, will the help of some in his party.
IF it is done by my side of politics he will look bad, for not doing it.
Just maybe he too thinks Dutton has a case to answer

Dear Belly,

It appears that Morrison is doing everything he can
to paper over the party's chaos. The latest bit of news
has Scott Morrison offering Julia Banks a secondment to
the UN, in a move seen as a bid to get her away from
Parliament.

She has refused the offer because she wants to attend
Parliament sittings in the next weeks. The UN position runs
for 3 months and it would have meant for her missing
Parliament for the rest of the year.

Several weeks ago Julia Banks announced she would quit
Parliament at the next election citing "bullying and
intimidation" from her colleagues in the Liberal Party.

She delivered a speech to the House while many of the
nation's politicians were busy at the annual Mid-Winter
Ball, arguing in favour of a gender quota for the party.

Julie Bishop has also stood by her own previous comments
about bullying in politics. As she's pointed out - we've
only to see the behaviour in Question Time to see the
constant "name calling and shouting" across the chamber.
Would that be tolerated in any workplace?

Yes my predicted good polls for Scott will not last much longer than his new white shirt will stay clean.
Never the less only if HE refers Dutton, if he must tell us Dutton did it him self, can he avoid the cat fight starting again, word has it his deputy wants the job

Hi Foxy,

You ask, "whats the problem (in relation to Dutton)?" The answer is simple, a ONE SEAT majority. If ScuMo had a 47 seat majority Dud Dutton would be off to the High Court quicker than you can say Perry Mason.
Interesting that Turnballs is doing an Abbott from afar. Obviously he has no love for Dud Dutton, just as he would have liked to have made the Mad Monk the Ambassador to Mongolia, if he'd had the chance, Turnballs would love to see Dutton in the dock. For no other reason than pay back, Bishop is of the same mind.
At the moment we have three blokes in the parliament, four if you count Electricity Bill, but who's counting Bill, who think rightfully they should be Prime Minister, the mad Monk, who thinks he was knifed unfairly by Money Bags Turnballs, Dud Dutton who thinks he was stooged by ScuMo. and then there's ScuMo who got the poison chalice, and don't know what to do with it.

What's this about ScuMo 'tweeting" a video of his parliamentary mob, with a disgusting background rap song about trawling for sex!

Morrison HAS called on Turnbull to stop under mining the Government!
Good luck with that!
if there is nothing to hide refer him to the high court

October 20th has been set as the date for the
Wentworth by-election. It will be crucial for
Scott Morrison - to have the Liberal candidate-
David Sharma win that seat. However, if Kerryn
Phelps (Independent) decides to run - and the
indications are that she will. She could well
win the protest vote against the dumping of Malcolm
Turnbull. She's also very well known and very popular
in the electorate. This will set the tone for Scott
Morrison. He may not be PM for long.

Foxy another impact will be the news about Tony Abbott his FEC Federal Election Committee, not sure the libs call it that, sat to pick its candidate for his seat, *30 out of 90 voted against him*
Insults flowed and after he won he said he would work for all of them
If that 30 percent turns out to be a swing against him?

If voters have the sense to support future stability then they'll realise that the recent uphieval was necessary to get back on track for stability.
As circus-like as all leadership spills are, the outcome will justify all especially when giving a minute's thought to the alternative.
Morrison can be the kind of PM to prevent further degredation of this nation but he can't achive that single-handed. Unfortunately, the whole of the public service is supporting the other team so for the new PM to make them work with him is a massive challenge. To overcome the inevitable obvious sabotage by the opponents some drastic policy change is needed. Voters need to keep in mind that the sabotage of oppositions goes directly against the hopes & wishes of the voters but blame will be laid on Govt.
All voters please think of Australia's future not just your present bank accounts.

Well SMH this morning tells us Abbott may have had a vote of 55 percent.
In his own party, by the peak body in his electorate
Morrison's rise in the polls will not last in to November, he seems more of the same and if he sends Dutton to the head masters office it may [his better polls] last longer if not, he is not a leader of substance

//If voters have the sense to support future stability then they'll realise that the recent uphieval was necessary to get back on track for stability.//

AND; hitting the iceberg was necessary to test the flotation of the 'Titanic'.

Indy do you write your own rubbish?

Get one thing clear; There is no STABILITY in the Liberal party, it is as divided today as it was under both Abbott and Turnbull. Morrison is trying to use smoke and mirrors while playing the three card trick with voters.

Foxys pick is to stand in Wentworth very much harder for this government to win
Watch and wait Dutton is going to get every bit as damaging as Abbott only because very real doubt exists he should be in parliament

Dear Belly,

My pick for a Wentworth win now is - Dr Kerryn Phelps.
I wasn't sure earlier that she was definitely going to
run. However, she's not announced that she is.
If I lived in Wentworth - she'd be my pick!

As she stated, "For too long we've seen politicians who we
know were voting against their own conscience and their own
beliefs because of the party line."

We need more like her in Parliament.

OOOOps,

Correction - the sentence should have read -

"She's NOW announced she'll run."

My apologies.

'My pick for a Wentworth win now is - Dr Kerryn Phelps.
I wasn't sure earlier that she was definitely going to
run. However, she's not announced that she is.
If I lived in Wentworth - she'd be my pick!'

I will give you one thing Foxy, and that is you are the most predictable member of olo.

runner,

There you go.

We do have something in common after all.

Who'd have guessed.

yes that is what I highlighted Foxy good woman and great chance.
Morrison has hit a home run, very very pleased to see his inquiry in to old age care, shame he is not as concerned about child care and Dutton

Dear Belly,

Aged care should be of a concern to all parties.
And let's hope that in Morrison's case - actions
will speak louder than words.

All that is needed is for Labor/Greens to do a straight out preference swap with the independent Kerryn Phelps, and a strong "put the Liberals last" message to voters. I have nothing more to do there, except the HTV's for our bloke on the day. Watch for a string of "independents" 'Smokies' as we used to call them. When I was an ALP member we used 'Smokies' many times, people who run as "independent" but their preference goes to the big party who are backing them, in this case the Liberal party.
Belly you know what I mean, and who foots the bill. A "generous donor" of course. Its not illegal.

As I said to one of my fundamentalist Christian in-laws there was a snowball's chance in hell I would have supported one of their breed to be the PM in this country. I had no problem with them having representation through Morrison as an MP, even as a stretch a cabinet minister, but never as the leader of Australia.

It was Dutton who turned me. I felt it was so important that he be kept from the reins of power that a speaker of tongues was instead my preference.

I'm now not so sure. Morrison is already banging on about people having the freedom to discriminate and will not catagorically state he is against gay conversion.

He may well be just as big a blight on this country as Dutton would have been just with a smiling face instead of a permanent scowl.

Dear Steele,

It bothers me a great deal that Morrison is not
referring Dutton to the High Court, and that he's
against quotas for having women in his party.
And that the bullying allegations are not being
investigated - but brushed aside. Nor has he answered
as to why Malcolm Turnbull had to be replaced. No
straight answers from him.

Too many unanswered questions.

//When I was an ALP member we used 'Smokies' many times, people who run as "independent" but their preference goes to the big party who are backing them//

That's a risky tactic, Paul, as it relies on the punters not being bright enough to figure out how to number the ballot sheet for themselves. If I voted in Wentworth I'd be voting 1 for the Science Party:

http://www.scienceparty.org.au/candidates

But I'd choose my own preferences because I don't believe in how to vote cards, and realistically those preferences would end up flowing to Labor even if the Science Party wanted me to preference the Libs higher.

Tony Lavis we still do, preference? well in the state you do not need to if that was the case federally I would not give one but in truth if the greens preference us they get mine, that was not the case last federal one, so as I work in the next state and federal, will watch before voting

Not a whisper about the ALP for some time now. Are they doing anything at all or are they just sitting back & hoping the gullible young first time voters will make up the numbers as per usual ?
Haven't heard a single quip about policy if they get in.
What's old Billy & Tanya up to ? i'd have thought she'd be out by now ?
Is the ALP planning any changes to any of the encumbent Govt reforms ?
They're just simply way too quiet about their policies.
Belly, you're an old insider, what's happening ?

Indy,

Morrison is worried about the upcoming elections
and he's making all kinds of promises that won't
amount to anything if elected. Shorten on the other
hand - knows that he doesn't have to do very much,
he's leaving it to the Liberal party to lose the
election. Whereas Labor's policies have been presented
over the past few years - and discussed in the media.
Those that are interested can Google the information.

//That's a risky tactic, Paul, as it relies on the punters not being bright enough to figure out how to number the ballot sheet for themselves. If I voted in Wentworth I'd be voting 1 for the Science Party:// Many Voters follow a HTV card, at least 90% from my experience.
Not a all Toni, if it only wins you an extra 2% it could be enough. I see KP when she announced she was running already had 'coreflutes' at the ready, they take usually 3 days minimum to get done. I would not be surprised if there is not at least 8 candidates run in Wentworth. Some even claim people like the Christian Demo's only run in elections to direct preference to the Liberals.

Well indy you asked but first is your hearing aid on?
Last weekend the state country conference was on, 30 klm away, I did not go.
It was however one that confirmed all candidates state and federal are now in place.
Storm brewing in the cat fight party, and at such times it is best not to take the spotlight off them.
BELIEVE some women and one man may move to send Dutton to the high court/naughty boys sin bin
And they are from your side.
Even this very day could see it take place pain and suffering has not stopped in the cat bag and Labor is sitting back enjoying the ride

//Many Voters follow a HTV card, at least 90% from my experience.//

Wow, really?

We need to get rid of how to vote cards post haste... they make a mockery of preferential voting.

Tony handed them out for half a century and in truth only some do not know who they want to vote for without them my state one you need not preference in my view one vote one value is needed

Belly,
Don't do a Foxy on me please. Hell, even just one little hint on Labor's policy on tax reform would be ok. That is if there is one. If they don't have tax reform then what's the point of changing Govt ?

Indy,

Grow up.

Full policies as always are announced prior
to the election - not before. You don't want
your competitors to know what you're going to
offer the voters ahead of time - nobody wants
to give away their advantages to their
competition. Anyway - what difference does it
make to you. You're not going to vote for Labor
anyway - you're just stirring the pot.

Do you know the policies on tax reform of the Coalition?
What's the latest spin from them - they keep changing
their minds all the time.

if they told me I would be 40 years younger and running for a seat, however no secrete changing negative gearing is tax reform they have told us they, as any government must, will change some thing around tax on large pensioner income, have already pulled back on the thorny bits tax reform will be on the agenda of any Labor government, after this bag of fighting cats falls we will all find out

nobody wants
to give away their advantages to their
competition
Foxy,
that just goes to show the lack of concern for the electorate. If they had good policies they would have no trouble selling it to us, hell, they could even win with a no confidence motion, alas !

Over night ABC reporter Proven, it was reveled Murdock and Stokes wanted Turnbull gone *please now Murdock landed directly in Canberra a week before*
The it is said even if it meant installing Shorten wanted him gone
Is it ok for media barons to buy influence in Australian politics government? Murdock has had influence in both sides when in government here and in England.
Tell me why some of you hate unions
In the end is one of those reasons they support the party unions and workers gave birth to.
How is that as bad as big money owning a political party?
For our country's sake we need the voters right now, to get a chance to say who governs us

For our country's sake we need the voters right now, to get a chance to say who governs us
Belly,
I agree, before they can buy young votes by promising to bring back penalty rates & increase welfare for those who don't want to work.

Dear Belly,

Murdoch actually flew to Australia to ensure that Turnbull
would be ousted. I think it is simply wrong for a foreigner
to be allowed to have a monopoly on our media and influence
who he wants to be in or out.

Something needs to be done about giving so much control to
one person - and allowing him to have such an empire in this
country.

I beginning to wonder if it was good to give women the vote. Maybe Islam has got an ounce of truth. Surely no one is that gullible.

Margaret Thatcher once said -

"If you want something said, ask a
man; if you want something done,
ask a woman."

It seems that some men prefer words to action.

Foxy yes true every word what is stunning is that any one can say you are wrong,
Proving some biases are fed on lies Murdock owns Conservatives

Margaret Thatcher also said "the problem with socialism is that eventually they run out of other peoples' money".
Also some truth.

Indy,

We were discussing women not socialism.

Here's another quote from the lady -
on that subject:

"It may be the cock who crows, but its
the hen that lays the eggs."

Dear individual,

And Marx paraphrased 'the problem with capitalism is that eventually they run out of other peoples' money'.

Also some truth.

“Top 1% of Australians own more wealth than bottom 70% combined”
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/22/top-1-per-cent-of-australians-own-more-wealth-than-bottom-70-per-cent-combined

So while wages stagnate or go backwards the billionaire class continues to grow. When should we start to get concerned? When they own more wealth than 80%? What about 90%? 95? 99? At what point do you say we have a problem?

Shock and horror even Menzies House can not cry lie!
Take an interesting journey read the policy's on foundation of the party he built, to days governing Liberal party.
In today's Trump fueled insult the left,, *he was a Socialist*
Condemn me but read it first.
The very left, right or wrong, claim Labor left its roots and is now what Menzies was, in fact brand us the new Liberals.
Wrong in fact,, at long last Labor started a new and then weird path for us,, we followed the voters!
Look with an open mind and see how the Liberal right, [ Trump would hate them without knowing they live in his tent] are running away from voters as fast as they can