I hark bark to Howard. I did not like most of his policies and would not vote for him. I know some dyed in the wool labor supporters will howl me down but I absolutely respected him as a leader. He was a strong effective leader. ( overstayed his welcome though).

I was not a great Howard fan either nut but with the benefit of hindsight he looks like a giant compared to the clowns that have followed.

Even his record as Opposition leader, passing the Hawke / Keating economic reforms because he believed it was in the national interest, stands in stark contrast to the default position of opposition for opposition's sake which Abbott perfected and which Shorten is now employing.

Edit: Here's a really good analysis imho http://www.afr.com/p/national/politics/tony_abbott_hires_malcolm_turnbull_GIGYwbJta38agGitLXxSSK

I'd echo the thoughts re Howard. Had his faults but an effective leader and a brilliant politician (that may or may compliment ). Indeed all of Howard, Keating and Hawke make the current mob look pathetic.

Abbott tried to adopt Howard's sticking to his guns and turned it into sheer pig headed arrogance.

This is a great summation of what has led to Abbott's downfall: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/06/tony-abbott-is-in-trouble-because-he-never-let-the-junkyard-dog-go

I'm just sad that Ben Hur and Robbie F aren't here. This video sums up my feelings about this entire imbroglio.

I'm just sad that Ben Hur and Robbie F aren't here. This video sums up my feelings about this entire imbroglio.

http://youtu.be/owzhYNcd4OM

Some of the comments at the Daily Tele of late are just too good. Little by little, the Abbott pom pom wavers have dwindled. A small number are still valiantly trying to defend him, opting for the "leave Tony alone!" approach. The irony of such comments on a Murdoch owned publication isn't lost.

All the claims of "what a relief to have an adult government" seem to have fallen silent, however.

Here are Joe Hockey's extremely convincing arguments to stick with Abbott:

"He's a genuinely good human being. It's a very difficult period to govern anywhere in the world."

No Joe, it's not.

In fact the reverse is true; in footy parlance, Abbott has been kicking with a 10-goal breeze at his back but is still 15 goals down.

As the AFR pointed out: "Gillard had her flaws as leader but she also had it a lot harder than Abbott.

Gillard and her colleagues were savaged daily by the News Corp tabloids and the shock jocks, they were opposed by the powerful lobbies representing business, mining, energy and gambling, and she was being actively undermined by Rudd and his supporters.

Abbott was undermined by nobody and News Corp and the lobby groups were on his side. This is his work."

Nice day for a gloat.

I told you all this guy was a retard,a simpleton,a dumbo ,thick.

Smart enough to pass a church supported Rhodes scholarship but a completely insufficient set of communication skills to be PM.

I also said he will last one term at best.

Dumbo

Edited February 8, 201510 yr by Biffen

Unbelievable...Toxic Tone is still in charge!!

Brilliant work...Now Boot out the Knife Thrower Shorten & give Anthony Albanese the Leaders Position

With the latest polls (heard on radio this morning prior to the spill vote) apparently showing a two party preferred of 57% Labor and 43% Liberal, even allowing for the supposed maximum 3% margin for error, things are looking dire indeed... and the longer the mad monk stays in charge, it's hard to imagine things getting better for them.

Could not have been a worse result for the Rabbotts.

11 more to votes to go for Mal Turnbull ,who will turn on the charm ,something Abbot lacks.

There will be a delayed change of leadership now , leading a "do nothing opposition" strategy which will likely win.

Terrible state of affairs in oz politics.

I see more independents,whackos,greens,freaks and a diluted Senate in the future.

Neither major party has a vision, a plan,a diagram or even a sketch on the back of a napkin of how this country should look like in 10 years time.

I'd echo the thoughts re Howard. Had his faults but an effective leader and a brilliant politician (that may or may compliment ). Indeed all of Howard, Keating and Hawke make the current mob look pathetic.

Abbott tried to adopt Howard's sticking to his guns and turned it into sheer pig headed arrogance.

This is a great summation of what has led to Abbott's downfall: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/06/tony-abbott-is-in-trouble-because-he-never-let-the-junkyard-dog-go

howard was a slow learner, it took him decades to stiffen up, & only after the faceless people got him in the barbers chair to makeover- him, & a speech pathologist to alter his speech patterns & a shrink to alter his thinking, & voila. we have 'little johnny',,, & we had the Iraq war.

Mission accomplished

u.n.c.l.e. tony has 10 years to go to get to howard's level; but in the Mean time, his cabinet can destroy our culture & smash our ways.

- - - - PAY TV down the internet line, is one of their hopes of further fleecing us.

Free to Air tv is in their gun sights,,,, death by 1000 cuts in program availability, as the paytv stations buy the best programs, & FreeTo Air will be encouraged to slowly bleed to death.

.

This will be death by 1000 cuts.

Unbelievable...Toxic Tone is still in charge!!

Brilliant work...Now Boot out the Knife Thrower Shorten & give Anthony Albanese the Leaders Position

all in good time swyl,

the Sherrif of NottinHam will get his apple, all in good time...... George Carlin summed him up with his "OK Sherrif" line.

http://www.lyricsbox.com/george-carlin-lyrics-the-seven-words-you-can-never-say-on-tv-268qwb7.html

This will be death by 1000 cuts.

Abbott will rise as a phoenix from the ashes, reborn now with new purpose and ideas. He will lead us out of the political wilderness with new found hope, developing even-handed social policies and sound economic changes.

I chose to live in this world because the alternative is so much worse.

Enjoy your rage, reality-dwellers! I'm officially off on my unicorn to fantasy land!

Join me, I have cookies.

I lied about the cookies.

Abbott will rise as a phoenix from the ashes, reborn now with new purpose and ideas. He will lead us out of the political wilderness with new found hope, developing even-handed social policies and sound economic changes.

I chose to live in this world because the alternative is so much worse.

Enjoy your rage, reality-dwellers! I'm officially off on my unicorn to fantasy land!

Join me, I have cookies.

Hi, I'm here for the cookies

#freecookies

Abbott will rise as a phoenix from the ashes, reborn now with new purpose and ideas. He will lead us out of the political wilderness with new found hope, developing even-handed social policies and sound economic changes.

I chose to live in this world because the alternative is so much worse.

Enjoy your rage, reality-dwellers! I'm officially off on my unicorn to fantasy land!

Join me, I have cookies.

I lied about the cookies. was this an abbot promise or what?

Hi, I'm here for the cookies

#freecookies

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/us-think-tank-asks-is-tony-abbott-the-most-incompetent-leader-of-any-industrialised-democracy-20150211-13cda6.html.html

hmmm....

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/us-think-tank-asks-is-tony-abbott-the-most-incompetent-leader-of-any-industrialised-democracy-20150211-13cda6.html.html

hmmm....

About CFR

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher. CFR members, including Brian Williams, Fareed Zakaria, Angelina Jolie, Chuck Hagel, and Erin Burnett, explain why the Council on Foreign Relations is an indispensable resource in a complex world.

hmmmm....

About CFR

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher. CFR members, including Brian Williams, Fareed Zakaria, Angelina Jolie, Chuck Hagel, and Erin Burnett, explain why the Council on Foreign Relations is an indispensable resource in a complex world.

hmmmm....

I agree on the whack job that is Angelina Jolie but when you look at some members of many think tanks you shake your head.

Doesn't mean I don't agree with the premise of the article.(To show my bipartisanship, I am not sure that Rudd mark 2 would have fared any better).

Look at this mornings effort of Abbott and Brandis on the report released by the Human Rights Commission. They are not slamming the actual contents of the report - they are slamming the committee for what they consider a Partisan approach because they didn't slam the previous Labor Government as well.

That well may be true, although Gillian Trigg is saying that the report covers both this and the previous Government - but is the issue who is worse or is the issue that human rights abuse shouldn't be allowed to happen under ANY Government.

Abbott is a first class dick and I don't need any report to tell me that.

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/us-think-tank-asks-is-tony-abbott-the-most-incompetent-leader-of-any-industrialised-democracy-20150211-13cda6.html.html

hmmm....

hmmm indeed

About CFR

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher. CFR members, including Brian Williams, Fareed Zakaria, Angelina Jolie, Chuck Hagel, and Erin Burnett, explain why the Council on Foreign Relations is an indispensable resource in a complex world.

hmmmm....

he's lucky GBush jnr has gone, otherwiser u.n.c.l.e. Tony wouldn't have won this accolade... 'phew' for tone, the rhodes scholar.

I agree on the whack job that is Angelina Jolie but when you look at some members of many think tanks you shake your head.

Doesn't mean I don't agree with the premise of the article.(To show my bipartisanship, I am not sure that Rudd mark 2 would have fared any better).

Look at this mornings effort of Abbott and Brandis on the report released by the Human Rights Commission. They are not slamming the actual contents of the report - they are slamming the committee for what they consider a Partisan approach because they didn't slam the previous Labor Government as well.

That well may be true, although Gillian Trigg is saying that the report covers both this and the previous Government - but is the issue who is worse or is the issue that human rights abuse shouldn't be allowed to happen under ANY Government.

Abbott is a first class [censored] and I don't need any report to tell me that.

i think demonland should be redefined as a thinktank, just need to come up with a suitably pompous title

after all they blatantly stole our thread

maybe we could sue them for plagiarism?

dee-luded, could you look into this?

i think demonland should be redefined as a thinktank, just need to come up with a suitably pompous title

after all they blatantly stole our thread

maybe we could sue them for plagiarism?

dee-luded, could you look into this?

IAWJ ?

Institute of assorted whack jobs ?

Demonland Think tank

IAWJ ?

Institute of assorted whack jobs ?

Demonland Think tank

Does this mean we must all change our forum names to include a prefix of Gumby?

H.T. Gumby

N.B. Gumby

D.C. Gumby

D.L Gumby

....

IAWJ ?

Institute of assorted whack jobs ?

Demonland Think tank

Can we make Dee-luded's hankie hat out of tin foil?

i think demonland should be redefined as a thinktank, just need to come up with a suitably pompous title

after all they blatantly stole our thread

maybe we could sue them for plagiarism?

dee-luded, could you look into this?

nah, the Dees have already had that think-tank, it went out, when they were sent to 'Siberia Junction' training facility. last seen at one of those boys clubs, you know the type 'dc' , where its ol' boys only, red rabbot speedo's welcomed, but not essential, 'they say'.