P-man

Wash your mouth out, RR. So many detestable characters in this English lineup, but he's the worst. Tremendous knock by Midge down the order, pretty much made a game of it once more. Hopefully he can back it up with the ball. Still have little confidence in this batting lineup as a whole. Sloggers do not a test team make. I wouldn't mind seeing Hughes recalled.

Can not agree with the OP. I don't think Grimes was necessarily a bad choice, but Trenners is pretty much indefensible. Appointing the youngest captain in the game's history during such a crucial period, was just plainly stupid, both for the team but equally as importantly for his own development. He is a big part of the club's future. If you want to talk alternaitve options, take your pick. Grimes on his own, or co-captain options of Jones, Garland, Frawley.. I think the vast majority on here are well and truly over the Neeld bashing though, and I say that as one of his biggest critics.

Oh dear.

Only if you have a comprehension iissue when reading my original post. Again, all I was saying was that for the government to increase the debt cap to that amount in one hit, some justification is needed. But hey, if you want to chalk up a win mate, go right ahead. We're Dees fans. We don't get many. As an aside, I like that when Treasury says something that appears to favour your argument, it is gospel. The rest of the time, can't trust a word the buggers say. That's not an attack on you per se, just a general attitude I've come across.

Sorry Rob, I thought you'd abandoned this thread after it was deemed a waste of your time. Toys are all back in the pram are they mate? If the Treasury Secretary is saying that at Estimates, of course it has to be listened to. My point was that if you're going to ask for an increase of that significance, asking for a budget outlook to support it isn't exactly an unreasonable request. . Oh, and good to see you're citing articles from The Age now. I'm glad the corrupt lefty scum occasionally produce an article you can support.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-to-stop-phone-tapping-indonesians-says-jakarta-security-chief-20131120-2xumb.html Looks like some form of reason will win the day and they will opt for the Obama-Merkel approach. Grandstanding or not, the relationship is both too fragile and too important to leave it unresolved.

Lennon gets my vote. Speed, excellent foot skills, wins hIs own ball, and knows how to kick a goal. Aside from the lack of time in the midfield compared to others in the top ten, I don't see a lot I don't like. He can be moulded. I don't think focussing on another inside grunt type player is the way to go. We need to add some class and versatility. and frankly I'm wary of players where the only mark against is their disposal, which seems to be the case with a few of them. In saying that, there doesn't seem to be much splitting them.

No idea why you've aimed that towards me. I was responding to yet another juvenile "too dumb" "too thick" etc Benny post. I'd say good luck getting Ben to leave out the personal insults. Take that away and he's got very little going for him. But I take your point.

haha. Am I? That's nice. You're to be pitied more than despised champ. I sense a very lonely person behind that keyboard. Your enormous powers of perception may have picked up that I haven't disputed that possibility. That doesn't change the fact that Indonesia want to save face and likely won't be satisfied until that happens.

So you would opt for the wait until it blows over approach? I'm getting the impression that isn't going to fly. It's going to be interesting seeing how it pans out. Graincorp is Hockey's first real test. This is Abbott's. Agreed on second point. I have no time for those who praise Snowden.

SBY has requested an apology. Abbott has today refused to give one. I make no apologies for seeing that as a problem. Just give the apology and move on. The longer this goes on, the more it festers.

Little Richard. Failing him, 28 Days. I'm gonna say Strauss for the third year running. Carn Straussy, fire up son!

To make yourself feel better, when you sit back and analyse it, was it more a case of wanting to believe? A premiership midfield coach with a hard edge, what's not to like? I was guilty of it. I saw the approach and along with most people thought "this is what we need, a proper shake up, kick em up the arse Neeldy!" Evidently not. I feel a well founded confidence now that I haven't felt in quite a while. PJ especially could not have been more impressive in action and word. But, the job has just begun.

Not to the extent of the last two elections. At least not in my time. The giant [censored] vs turd sandwich analogy has never been more apt.

Rob, I don't know which questions you refer to. I thought I had answered all of them, you just maybe didn't like the answers. Except for the one about the debt level being both manageable and stupid, but I never said it was stupid, so don't know what you mean. I have no interest in antagonising you, and I get that you have a deep hatred for everything Labor, but I'm still going to express my views and try to justify my position, no matter how opposed it might be to yours or others.

Rob, will you be watching part 2 of the Keating interviews tonight? Of course you will. We can compare notes... The Labor Party has long been its own worst enemy, but I think it's been while since it was merely the party of the workers and trade unions. I could see myself voting Liberal again if I believed in the leader's vision. Emphasis on the word "leader".

Well said. Rob, I have only ever said I'm not a member of any party. Of the major parties, I would be more closely aligned to Labor, obviously, but I don't classify myself as that because I don't abide by necessarily being one or the other, I think that's dated and stupid. I don't hate Abbott, I hate his approach to policy, and yes I'm passionate about it. To prove to you that I don't disagree with everything Abbott does, I agreed with his repealing of the racial discrimination laws, because I think free speech is of paramount importance. I thought the circumstances were dodgy with him doing it for his mate Bolt, but I agreed with the overall outcome.

I was really hoping this thread wouldn't last this long. He's yet to play a single senior game.

lol..keeping their election promises. Like becoming more transparent, right? Give me a spell. The stimulus package was praised worldwide. If a manageable level of debt (and it was and is considered very manageable), is the result of keeping the country afloat, I can cop that.

And Rob, you spoke of my credibility first, so don't start that. Two massive reasons Labor were swept out of government was their own internal squabbling and public disunity, and the Coalition's election campaign that frankly appealed to the lowest common denominator. Their relentless attack on every move the government made was like nothing I've seen in politics before. The actual job the government was doing almost became a side issue in the end. Abbot has received criticism for things HE and HIS government has done. I haven't made a big deal of everything he's done either. I don't think I've even made mention of the one female in his Cabinet for instance, which received alot of public backlash.

If it gets anywhere near 500 billion dollars, there is absolutely no excuse for it. If the Coalition are plainly moronic enough to do things like repeal the carbon tax but keep the compensation measures, or pay out squillions in maternity leave to high income earners who simply do not need need it, they can lie in their own bed and they can be held rightly responsible.

I think the phrase is "born to rule". I agree with your impressions.

Australian society still has a deeply conservative element to it and I don't see that changing any time soon. I don't like being labelled a lefty because that to me is pretty much being a Greens voter, which I am not and never will be.

I only say that because almost every post of yours in a discussion about the current government attempts to turn the focus on either Labor, who I reiterate are now in Opposition, or the media that you think has a vendetta against Abbott. If you want to talk about "credibility" (which doesn't bother me tbh), yours isn't helped by that.The blame? Blame for what? This is common practice under all governments, surely you acknowledge that. So what blame, exactly? The blame for the leak is Snowden and to an extent the ABC for choosing to making it all very public. We know the state of the economy when Labor lost government. All that has been asked for is some sort of justification for raising the debt cap to 500 billion, when debt was only estimated to reach 360 billion by 2016. Hockey is refusing, and spinning the line about "this is Labor's mess". How gullible/understanding does he expect people to be? Don't you want a transparent government? Remember this is after a campaign about cutting the waste and REDUCING the debt.

I use emotive language, sometimes to a fault, but it doesn't mean I'm outraged. When I'm outraged I'll say so. But you need to understand Rob that your mob is now in government. You're a bit like Hockey in taking a while to adjust to that. They are the ones that are now to be held to account.