The media cannot have it both ways. Kim Beazley and Simon Crean were supposed to have no policies and be too similar to John Howard. There wasn't enough difference between the leaders and the parties. Beazley was too careful and cautious. Ironically, Latham was presented as too impetuous and erratic. He took too many chances and fell into the PM's traps too easily. He took radical positions such as the forests policy which were not vote winners. Presumably they want Kevin Rudd to commit political suicide.

Now even Howard is joining the tweedledee/tweedledum critics. On the one hand, he rants that we face the apocalypse with "madness" and "chaos" ahead of us if Labor's Industrial Relations policies are implemented. On the other we will have a Rudd government which will not change the fundamentals of the Australian consensus. Is Howard arguing that Rudd is just as sneaky as him? It is a dangerous game as Howard could add to the perception that Rudd is a safe alternative.

My plog post "It's Overtime for a change" at http://laborview.blogspot.com/ argued that the ALP has clear policies which not only differentiate it, but are the reasons why many of us do not want to stuff up this chance to elect a Labor government:

* The Iraq war
* Industrial Relations
* Global Warming
* Health
* Education
* Indigenous Affairs

This election is not about who can take the most tumbles or forget the most names.

Kevin Rennie
Broome

get tweedledee to tell the world why the alp took citizen initiative off the policy. too much democracy for the plebs?

get tweedledee to explain that he really knows the difference betwen civil liberties and a police state, he's just backing der fueher coz he's an old man with a weak heart.

explain to a disbelieving world how it's ok to log old growth forests,as long as the libs do.

get tweedle (for short) to explain why he can stick his head up bush's arse just as easily as howard, since he wants to be on america's side when they are carving up world trade.

in short, yes there are differences- it's the similarities that are going to put a smile on saint bob the brown's face.

DEMOS THANKS! you give me great joy mate, you are so wrong!
Do you understand the green vote is not as strong across the board now? that it is most unlikely it will improve in this election?
Labor will with ease win, the very reason you dislike so much is the reason Rudd has it under control.
Howard has had the ALP firmly on his side! yes that is what I intended to say, for ten long painful years.
Wrong leaders wrong policy's that turned true believers into new conservatives.
Blind idiotic internal fighting, that lead to the wast of Crean and Latham, wast!
Now a true leader is in place matching Howard move for move.
Australia can now afford to remember they do not like the man.
And they can for the first time in years see a man they trust on my side.
DEMOS your dream world will never exist but 2 years into Rudd's leadership of this country you may see a good leader well liked and his name is Rudd.

belly, i'm almost happy for you, entering heaven beside saint kevin. well, not beside, more behind, well behind. enjoy, mate.

For goodness sake, there is absolutely stuff-all difference between them. It would be really nice if there was a tweedledee, but there ain’t, only tweedledumbarse and tweedleeversoslightlydumberarse. Now, which one is which, I don’t know….or care!! !!

It doesn’t matter. Both of them are going to continue to take us rapidly away from a safe and secure sustainable future, and that’s what counts above all else.

Neither of ‘em deserve my vote, nor do they deserve anyone’s vote. So yet another election will come where I won’t be able to exercise my democratic right to vote, because no candidate or party deserves it.

[Demos, please see http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=831#14545]

Ludwig.. there is a HUGE difference mate.

That difference is this:

"Which consultants will now benefit from all the government initiatives"

If Labor wins, they will be in the labor camp, if the coalition wins, they will continue in that camp.

As for the issues from Kevin Rennie

* The Iraq war
* Industrial Relations
* Global Warming
* Health
* Education
* Indigenous Affairs

Simply meaningless sound bites.

IRAQ. "leave now, chaos ensues, stay a while, consolidate,=friendly country"

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Oh yes.. we need more 'union' power and the likes of Dean Mighell like another hole in the head.

GLOBAL WARMING.... yep..Kev Rudd and Labor can fix this, it will take him at least 10 minutes.

HEALTH. Ah..on this one they can make a difference, DENTAL scheme back please.

EDUCATION. No thanx.. I've had enough of lefty socialist, anti God 'education'

INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS. Newsflash.."no" they are not political footballs,(for either side) Labor only helped entrench clanish cronyism, now the Coalition has dismantled that, and is replacing it with overt paternalism. Both are wrong