.
No, perhaps not a 'hanging offence',
but still a pretty stupid move at an awkward time.


Has the man no political nous at all?

Sadly, government these days is more about seeming than doing.

Labor has worked hard to make Abbott appear a goose and they don't want to back off now.

Abbott is simply making it easier for them.

He needs to understand that Christian principles like "loving thy neighbor" and "turning the other cheek" just don't cut it in the MSM and social media.

.
"Labor has worked hard..."

Well, he's given them plenty of material to work with, I reckon.

I think you got it absolutely right with that short comment, Cooda, and echo the sentiments of many very frustrated people on the conservative side of politics. Even when he does something right, he manages to make it look like an own goal.

He's beginning to remind me of a comment made once by Napoleon. Paraphrasing, he said: "I don't need great generals; I need lucky generals." Tony Abbott may be good in many ways, but thanks to an unremitting (and to date, wildly successful) campaign by Labor, enthusiastically aided and abetted by an ever-compliant MSM, he's not coming across to the electorate as "lucky". Quite the opposite, in fact.

And, as Cooda said, after six years of Labor, seeming has become more important than doing, and Tony Abbott repeatedly SEEMS to be not getting anything right.

Even when he does get it right, he seems not to be.

The ABC really needs to be shut down. Not culled; not restricted in funding, but shut down and replaced with a completely new organisation that is not so blatantly partisan. The commercial stations are allowed to be partisan - their owners have that right. But 50 or more percent of the owners of the ABC are not only not being served by it, their interests are being actively and quite openly subverted.

Abbott should do something about that. if he doesn't, he stands a very good chance of being out of a job.

Owen; It would not at all surprise me if some people do start 'carrying' anyway!:eek:

Unfortunately, I feel that things are only going to get worse. And I don't know how much you know about how well trained the average beat Copper is with the sidearm he/she must carry as part of their job, but what I have heard, straight from the mouth of a former Firearms Instructor for the SA Police Dept did not fill me with confidence.:ugh:

He stated that he considered about 98% of SAPOL members to be a danger with their firearms, both to themselves and the general Public.:eek:

Note however that I am not referring and nor was he, to any of the Special Ops Group.

And re the gong for Phil the Greek; I think shortfuse-flanagan got it about right.:ok:

Vigilanteism is starting to rear its head again up here.

Not because of Islamists but due to young, out of control local thugs.

It's more a reaction to weak court sentencing than policing. But having the police run campaigns like "Lock it or Lose it" doesn't help send the right message.

I think I may eventually see the day where I am grateful that two out of three Coodakids have military weapons training and the third is emigrating to Canada.

I was reminded today of something I've observed of late, especially in this thread.

There is now a reasoned and rational debate by those on the right wing of politics openly accepting failures (perceived or otherwise) by the conservative governments.

A few years ago the left wing supporters were (and still are) in total denial that any of their Blessed Leaders could have any failings whatsoever, and continually shout down critics who say otherwise.

This mindset is very noticeable in the Australian media, many of whom are too lazy/incompetent to take their research past the latest ALP media release.

Just a thought.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k1...cons/rofl2.gif

We need the Labor party for that????

That is pure comedy gold!!!

Don't worry, they're happy to tell everybody so I doubt it's a state secret. :E
As for Abbott, he doesn't need the opposition to make him look feathery; like Gillard before him, he's managing that all by himself.

Hempy
Perhaps you forget the 6 years of AbbottAbbottAbbott brought to us by Rudd/Gillard/Rudd. :rolleyes::E

What has history got to do with it? Tony Abbott is a poor leader because of Rudd/Gillard?? In the words of a coudabeen Lib front-bencher, please explain?

And please don't play the 'look at the mess they left' card, it's getting really, really old, and has nothing at all to do with Abbotts leadership ability. One would argue that a true leader actually shines in adversity..

If Newman wants him to stay away from Qld things must be really bad.

1. For Newman,
2. For Abbott, or
3. For both? :E

Anyway, Woolies is getting into the spirit of things :}. Much online debate about whether the high ratio of progressive cakes mean that 1. ALP/Green cakes are predicted to be more popular or 2. people have already bought most of the LNP ones. :\
I guess time willl tell.
https://scontent-b-hkg.xx.fbcdn.net/...ae&oe=5557FB9C
And for a laugh about Abbott at Rudd's expense...
http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article...ral-leadership

Hempy

You appear to be confusing me with a Liberal voting Abbott supporter. :=

Go back and look at the full post that you have partially quoted.

Labor has worked hard since 2007 to make him look a goose.

With his apparently unerring political skill, he is reinforcing their work.

But they can't afford to coast now. He could surprise us all and do a Howard.

(But I won't put any money on it.)

PS. One of the early mistakes the Libs made was not going hard enough on the mess that labor left. As you say, it's too far in the past now, as tomorrow's result in Qld will probably show.

Piers Ackerman's latest article on his blog is worth reading.

As PM, Howard started well and finished badly. So far Abbott has started badly, and time will tell whether he will finish well. Personally I doubt it.
Howard came relatively late to the PM-ship after a long political career. This is not the case with Abbott; unlike Howard, prior to winning Coalition leadership he was generally unremarkable.
Actually I think this was one of the Queensland LNP's failings. It was like a parrot that was trotted out every news break; 'Labor's legacy/Labor's legacy/Labor's legacy :rolleyes:'. Labor's legacy caused cancer and obesity:ugh:. Whatever! . Give the man a peanut so he'll STFU. I reckon that for at least eighteen months we heard absolutely nothing about what the LNP was either doing or was going to do, and everything about what Labor hadn't done. According to Newman they've caused everything from the common cold to the GFC. FWIW we realised what Labor had and hadn't done, and that's why we didn't vote for 'em. :rolleyes: After that, we were hoping to read about what the Libs were doing.

News for our mate Tony.
If you have to explain to people that you are a good captain, then you probably ain't one.

If the yanks are taking the piss gawd 'elp us, considering..

From the Tim Blair blog.

And on the Courier Mail site, a headline saying that exit polls show a shock Labor victory.

The ABC now saying LNP in severe trouble.

The run's on. :eek: Even Clayfield (Tim Nicholls' seat, Brisbane's Toorak/Vaucluse equivalent) has a 10%+ swing against the LNP.
Sky News (Brandis, Richo and friends) are saying Newman's gone. Brandis is looking very sweaty and starting to fight with Richo :E.

One of the complications with Queensland elections is that preferences are optional. It makes it difficult to call Green/PUP/KAT votes early in the night, because those voters aren't obliged to preference. For example, unlike federal elections you can't just automatically say Green + Labor = Labor or LNP + PUP + LNP. It depends on how many voters have chosen to preference. :8