When the Fairfax press (The Age/SMH) sponsored poll is so disastrously against Gillard & Labor and:

The papers readers comments, the majority of which, run against Julia and her Carbon dioxide TAX, the inescapable conclusion is Julia is gone; Done & Dusted!

Just remains to get the tea towel out to wipe up the tears; the dust pan out to scrape up the pieces and put them in the Trash can!

Barry Cassidy from Insiders interviewed on Channel 10's 7pm Project tonight was asked whether the problem was the Carbon Tax or Julia Gillard. His answer, given that it came from an ABC anchor man, was telling: "It's a bit of both."

However, he went on to say that after rolling the Ruddster, they're (and therefore WE'RE) stuck with her until the next election "or face losing what little credibility they have left".

Given that with almost 80 percent of the electorate, they don't have any credibility left to lose, that could well mean that she'll be gone within a month. It all depends on how many times we hear senior ALP functionaries saying that she enjoys their support "100%". The more times we hear that, the less safe her position becomes.

What would they do with her if they rolled her? Surely not another Rudd-style deal, (please, not Foreign Affairs or the UN!!!!), although I can't see her retiring quietly to Altona. One option: one of our esteemed universities would give her tenure teaching politics or economics. Now that would be a course with major street cred - NOT!

Is there even a labor minister who has spent any time in the real world.

Swan. Degree is in public administration, no idea on economics
Gillard. Left wing spinster lawyer.
Crean. Unionist, never had a real job
Combet. As above
Wong. Give me a break
Shorten. Another career unionist
Rudd. Lifetime pubic servant
Albanese. Life long party ferret.

At least on the other side people tend to have some career or business experience before entering politics.

The BIG problem with the current political situation is that Julia did a deal with the greens and independents to get into government. Labor won't roll Julia because if they did they would lose government and their power. Similarly thay won't drop the policy because they would lose green support and lose government. The independents won't roll her because they would lose power and government.

So....we are stuck until the next election. And Federal labor is looking more and more like NSW labor.......lemmings headed for a cliff.

I agree with all your comments but this one, bentleg:

It's probably too late now, for Gillard has invested too much of her political credibility in the tax now, but for the life of me, I can't see why she doesn't stick to her previous form and nenege on the agreement with the Greens (as she has with every other damned political promise she's ever made).

The Greens have nowhere to go. There's no way they'll ever walk out on Labor, whatever Labor does, for Abbott will never never co-operate with the Greens now. Last August, yes... buy now? No way - and the Greens know it. He's well aware of the current public mood and if he's put in a position to do so, he'll go to an election, possibly even a double dissolution if he can, to gut both Labor, but more importantly, the Greens, who are increasingly being seen by the conservatives as a far bigger threat than Labor.

So in my humble opinion, Jools could do the chicken dance on Brown's head (an appealing vision in more than one way) while burning every ton of brown coal in Gippsland and Brown would stand there with that annoying bland smile planted firmly on his dial, for he can only enjoy the trappings of power with Labor on the government benches. I can't understand why Gillard didn't - doesn't - see that from the start.

FWIW I don't think the Greens and Libs ever would have done a deal. Both parties have a degree of integrity to their core message. We blame the Greens for their policies and with due cause (because they're nuts) but to be fair to them, apart from dropping Freedom For Moo Cows off the manifesto they've basically stuck to their principles. The only reason they've gotten air time beyond JJJ and Greenpeace student recruitment sessions is because federal Labor have thrown in their lot with them and ceded their own manifesto to retain shared power. Trouble is, it seems that the ALP has ended up being the minor party. And they're one retirement, dummy spit or unscheduled health issue (perish the thought) away from a by-election. If that by-election were to go the other way, they're stoofed. The ALP/independents must hope that everyone's taking their vitamins :E!

It's official - Juliar's gone!

Well, it has to be. Paul Howes has said on tonight's Lateline that he supports her 100% and she herself confirmed that she has the party support and will lead them into the 2013 election.

A week???

She's painted herself into a very tight corner, to the point where she now simply has to tough it out and win the electorate over or be consigned to the political scrapheap - far, far further down the oblivion tube than Mark Latham.

She and her minders recognise this, and so all she can do is "go for broke", sell, sell and keep on selling the message, she hopes until (although some would hope 'if') enough people start, even grudgingly, to admire her resolve and start listening.

However, her biggest problem in doing this is.... herself. She's so damaged 'brand Julia(r)' with her total lack of honesty that we who oppose her can only hope it is irredeemable. Any stunt she pulls now, be it a wedding, another almost weepie 'shy goirl' moment, or who knows what else, will be seen for what it will be - a focus group inspired, contrived stunt.

My guess is that at the very top of her wish list is that Tony Abbott will make a mistake - not an impossibility. Or more likely, that Malcolm Turnbull will damage Abbott - a far higher possibility. Whatever, she simply has to hang in there and keep braying... (sorry) talking up the carbon 'pollution', relying on Dr Goebbel's tried and true dictum that if you repeat the lie often enough, it becomes the truth.

The Australian voters have proven in the past that they'll fall for this. Juliar's hoping they will again.



(With apologies to Elton john and 'Norma Jean')

Was it also Paul Howes who said that he would 'bet his house' on Juliar leading them to the next election?:uhoh:

Those words may come back to haunt him methinks.

Andu; :ok:

Howes made that remark on the 7 pm Project last night and Andrew Bolt was quick to say that Howes had not actually registered the bet with Centrebet. (If that means anything.)

Another case of giving himself wriggle room? (Like the "if one job is lost" promise that now "didn't really mean quite that". Now it means "if one employer lays somone off unnecessarily using the carbon tax as an excuse - and it has to be unnecessary, as Joolya's compensation will "ensure" no one loses his or her job.)

If he really has bet his house on it, despite the brave face, I would imagine he's one worried little vegemite - and likely to become moreso.

Paul Howes always reminds me of a dog trying to fornicate with a football.

Typical labor union muppet, now supports the carbon tax(only because Julia told him too!), too bad if you are a union member that work's in the coal fired power stations around Latrobe Valley

ROLFMAO.
Or a union member working in the power industry, the transport industry, the manufacturing industry or pretty much any industry except the spin industry. :*

I see Jools today (rugged up very heavily to combat the 'global warming' we're encountering in Oz at the moment) said she thought that the Murdoch press here in Oz should be investigated.

Anything to shut up those who don't agree with 'the company line'.

Can we read anything into Rudd taking a two month "sickie"- like getting out of the kitchen while the knives are being thrown? Is non urgent elective surgery, or just convenient at the moment.

I hope they don't dump the witch though, I'll have nobody to bitch about and it may improve their chances at any upcoming election.:oh:

When I heard that Kevvie's surgery would have him out of the picture for a long time, I have to admit that I had thoughts along a similar line, Frank.

He's

(a) reminding Juliar that just one man - him - could upset her very tenuous apple cart if his health was put at risk, while

(b) putting himself well clear of the sh1tstorm he knows is about to hit the fan over this misbegotten carbon dioxide tax.

If he has a good excuse to keep himself well out of the public limelight for the next month or two, I imagine he's delusional enough to think he might be called back to lead the trainwreck to resurrection. The Australian electorate has shown it can do some really stupid things, so I suppose I shouldn't rule that out.

Put it this way... I wouldn't do a Paul Howes and bet my house on it not happening. I used to hate Rudd's hectoring, smartarse school masterish voice, particularly whe he tried (oh so unsuccessfully) to be one of the boys. God got me though - look (or listen!!! Arrrgghhhh!!!) what he gave us to replace it.

Video - The nasal drawl of Julia Gillard - The Age

(Endure the ad. you have to listen to before the clip starts. It's worth it. However, my South Australian friends say the lady is dead wrong - that accent is definitely NOT South Australian. It's unique.)

I wonder if they will be able to find it :E

Wonder if Windsor is thinking of changing horses to save his sorry ass?

He said he is not changing horses. If he did we could have a vote of no-confidence and a general election. Yay!

Second time he's been under the knife in a little over 12 months, only this time from the front instead of the back. :ooh:

I read somewhere today there's an average of 3.5 by-elections for each Parliament, and that if the opinion polls were repeated evenly then any by-election north of Newcastle and west of Adelaide would rid us of this evil minority government.

For his sake, I hope this next incision heals a lot better than the festering sore that remains from that last knife job he underwent.

I am interested- does he leave a proxy? Does someone get two votes?

When the bells ring can he use the phone to cast his vote during that 8 weeks?

When does Parliament resume from the winter break?