from the ABC

"My view is that what the Prime Minister has said was both necessary and appropriate," she said.

She says Mr Rudd is indicating to people that he understands there has been disappointment with the Government's performance.

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Gus: and, in regard to Tony's claim of government ineptitude, let me say this: the Rudd government has done far better for Australia than he and his little master John Howard ever did... The list of Howard's grand failures is long but these cockups have been cleverly masked by the Liberal hubris and an illusionary period of "growth", internationally and domestically. Johnny's war in Iraq was a fraud of the greatest proportion ever — a con, a double-cross, imposed on the Australian public... and little Tonypants was part of that con, too. Sure we cannot dwell on the past, but that's where Tonysmart wants to take you, especially without you knowing it. "Shoo Tony, shoo... "

And switching Rudd with Gillard would pull Tony's short pants down to expose his budgies...

Whatever other influences helped shape Kevin Rudd, his time as a diplomat clearly had a major influence.

Kevin can talk. I wouldn't say he mastered use of the English language, rather he mastered the art of talking and saying nothing, which is a basic tool of diplomacy. He learnt the art of gift giving and use of the media to gain maximum impact and as a representative of a middle ranking power, the art of spin.

He mastered the complexities of creating castles in the air with a match box in his pocket. He learnt the dangers of delegation to self promotion and the need to appear busy. He learnt that management by crisis kept criticism at bay. But above all he learnt that appearance and presentation enhanced success. As difficult as it was initially he learnt how to become a member of an elite and he has not forgotten.

It was drummed into him to keep every door open, to never discard an option or close an opening; matters of fact and substance to be avoided unless advantage is sought from rival or opponent.

Conservative and risk averse, the department of foreign affairs impressed upon him the need for distance; objectivity can only be achieved through dispassionate appraisal of a problem or handling of difficult issues.

He threw that advice to the wind when he apologised to the Stolen Generation, but it was only a temporary aberration. He is firmly back on track and as evidence we need look no further than his treatment of asylum seekers.

Rudd's desire to get some quick (and easy) kudos from his aid program to the Australian people in the form of ceiling insulation has badly backfired, damaging his government, himself and the minister notionally responsible.

The episode demonstrates how lacking in common sense and the practical arts is this government. Why did no one in cabinet ask the basic questions concerning delivery of the program? Rudd wants to be hands on without knowing how to drive.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10101&page=0

Opposition for the sole purpose of opposition.

That is the mantra of the "Mad Monk" and his remnants of Howard's "New Order".  I have been very annoyed at the prrevious abuse of the Howard Senate majority and now at the multi-leaders of the Liberal and Nationalist coalition.

IF the purpose of the original constitution was to ensure that the "State elected" Senate had equal votes so that the smaller states could not be disadvantaged - why do we allow people like Barnaby Joyce, or that dope Fielding to decide the future of our legislation? And our nation?

Not only do I believe that this is virtually a "criminal" interpretation of the State Senate representation but, I believe that the current accepted "bottle neck" - by both parties - is the antithesis of sound government.

I can't do anything about it so - why do I complain?

It seems to me that when Rudd was "top of the wassa" he could have called a double dissolution on issues which were important to the stature of our nation and to the future of our society.  He didn't and yet, he is called an opportunist.  Fair dinkum.

I come back to the old story of.. "one vote one person"?  Why do the people in Queensland impose their opinions on me with Barnaby Joyce when I have no democratic right to vote against him?

Why does the infamous Tasmanian Senator Abetz have such an influence on my government when he has been exposed for his dishonesty?  Would I vote for him - of course I wouldn't.

IF the Senators of my State are chosen by the process of the Party that they represent, then we are being forced to vote for a person "sanctified" by a faceless group of manipulators.

The House of Representatives is a reasonabley true example of domestic democracy. 

Why aren't they allowed to govern?

God Bless Australia.  NE OUBLIE.

There were grave fears for Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott after he went missing in a remote part of Central Australia yesterday.

As part of Mr Abbott's four-day tour of the Northern Territory, he has already spent time in Alice Springs and met with locals at some of the town camps.

Yesterday he was visiting Kings Creek Station, west of Alice Springs, when he set off on a quad bike tour.

He was with a group of traditional owners, the owner of the Kings Creek Station and the Northern Territory Opposition Leader.

They left on quad bikes at 11:00am for a tour of local sacred sites.

They were due back at 5:00pm. But staff waiting for their return at the station started worrying when they were not back by 9:00pm.

Finally, after 12 hours, Mr Abbott and the party returned to the station at 11:00pm.

They were tired, hungry and covered in red dirt after having mechanical problems with their quad bikes.

Punctures and fuel shortages forced them to abandon two quad bikes in the bush.

At one stage members of the party drafted a text message. It read ominously: "Lost. Fossil Creek."

Despite the drama, Mr Abbott was confident they would not have to spend all night lost in the bush.

"I wasn't about to become a desert version of Harold Holt," he said.

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Gus: I do not wish Tony Abbott any harm but I still think he's an idiot... No-one in their right mind would go into the Australian outback the way he did, on quad-bikes, for a political stunt... I've been on quad-bikes recently and I can tell you they're no pleasure crafts, even for 500 metres...

For those who've never been there, the Aussie outback, one has to consider that it's dangerous for newcomers and locals alike. No water. There is no refuelling station for yonks... possibly 300 miles in "populated" area and about 1000 miles in the desert. I exagerate, of course, so take the figure above and divide by two. Having done some crossing of the Gibson Desert, I can tell you there is no refuelling station for more than 700 kilometres. Nothing, nada, zero. You run out of petrol: you die. And roads are more like stone or sand beds on top of a corrugated iron roof. At some petrol stations, one has to buy a "barrel" — a 44-gallon drum. Whatever is not used is still to be paid for at three times the price of ordinary city fuel...

So our Tony might genuinely care about the Aboriginal conditions... And strangely I think he does in his catholic heart, but his political mind is far more cynical about it...

So why is this idiot contesting the new school curriculum that inserts a black perpective into the white invasion of their space? Why did he not do ANY THING about the Aboriginal situation when he was working (does he work?) for his master — now the new honcho for worldwide cricket — John Howard?. Why did he support (or did he) the "intervention" that stripped Aboriginal people of their last remnant of dignity in the name of improving their conditions? Is he two faced, quadruple-faced? Dodecagon-faced?...

May he not be able to turn this stupid stunt into a political advantage... May the press dismiss him as a phony till he vaporises to the backbench where he belongs... Actually he belongs to the unemployment queues but he's to sneaky for that...

Rudd pays for avoiding recession

Gittins: 'Don't feel sorry for Rudd'
Ross Gittins says the government is good at acting quickly but don't feel sorry for Rudd when plans go pear-shaped.

Years ago a central banker explained to me that, in his bank's efforts to keep the economy from being blown off track, it was never a good thing to be too successful. Really, I said, why not? Because if you're too successful at eliminating evidence that the economy had a problem, it won't be long before people are questioning why you took the steps you did when, clearly, there was never a problem.

That's the position Kevin Rudd finds himself in today. The great achievement of his first term has been to keep the economy from falling into severe recession as most other developed economies have, even New Zealand.

Despite all our fears a year ago, we ended up suffering the shortest and mildest of recessions. The worst of it was that some prominent finance companies collapsed, the economy contracted for just one quarter and the rate of unemployment rose by just under 2 percentage points.

Obviously, Rudd had a lot of help - from the Reserve Bank and the alacrity with which it slashed interest rates, from the good shape of the budget he inherited from the Howard government and from the rapid bounceback by China and our other Asian trading partners.

Even so, it would be churlish and disingenuous not to give Rudd great credit for the size and speed of his stimulus spending and, importantly, for the way he managed business and consumer confidence.

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Gus: I believe Lindsay Tanner foresaw the problems of "stimulus" but the cost of doing nothing was going to bring this country to its knees. That home owners decide to blame Rudd for the interest hikes is their own decision. But had Rudd's government not done the "stimulus" as it did (mostly personal flat tax deduction, bank saving garantee etc.), quite a few of these home owners, who now have to pay an extra AUD20 or whatever per month because of interest rates, would be living, homeless, under a bridge.

It is fortunate for Australians who can think, reason and exercise logic that we have this forum of absolute freedom of expression.

Even though you dodge the actual words Gus, you still get your message across and I enjoy what you write.

My commendations for you and John don't carry much weight but, I am sure that, in the absence of any fascist interference this site could increase in volume and patronage - I sincerely hope so.

I note the number of reads which seem to give an "interest value" to each post?

Cheers Ern G.