Comments on: Rudd can’t claim reform credit yet

By: A government big enough to give you everything, is strong enough to take everything you have.

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:00:18 +0000

I was dissapointed in the Howard years, I thought he swung to far to the left, While the economy was soaring he should have cut back on governemnt spending, government size, and levels of taxation. As individuals and society become wealthy, so government should become less involved in our lifes. Howard, while enacting some reform did not go far enough and push government out of our lives for the inevidable leftist swing that was coming.

I dont hate Rudd, I dont think he is anything different to Howard, but as much of his reforms have been voted down in the senate i think as a politician he has vastly failed.

not because of his revisionist recall of history, but because of his inability to get turn legislation into law.

By: simmobc

simmobc — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:37:05 +0000

I think there was a mischevious element to Rudd’s comment..

“Rudd is correct to point out that Howard was lazy on reform, and was lucky enough to govern during prosperous times”

Firstly, luck is a moot point because there was no credible opposition until atleast 2006.

Secondly, how memory fades… a big reform of the Howard Government was taxation reform. If you recall, Keating left our public services on its knees which in part was due to the fact that he never understood the basic relationship between taxing and spending. The result was inadequately funded services, increased national debt and accelarated privatisation.

Rudd is yet to achieve anything and whats funnier, is that I highly doubt Keating would like to keep company with Rudd in the first place given his open dislike for him!

By: Pedro

Pedro — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:46:19 +0000

Johncook77, you are an absolute goose. If you don’t get it - don’t try and comment, you only embarass yourself.

The reforms of the past 30 years have been great. The fact that your hero said otherwise, does not mean he is correct.

The fact that a majority of political commentators - including a majority of proud left wing journalist - say Rudd is wrong, carries a lot of weight. He may have the right to have a point of view, but so does everyone else, and that majority view says Rudd is wrong, and I say you have just embarassed yourself.

By: johncook77

johncook77 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:45:53 +0000

‘There are three men truly entitled to reflect on responsibility for Australia’s economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s…Only those men have earned the right, as drivers of reform, to offer their views on who can claim credit.’

- What absolute rubbish! The views of our former Prime Ministers may or may not be particularly insightful, but anyone of us, including the current Prime Minister, has the right to offer a view on who can claim credit.

Journalists have become gun shy of those on the right that accuse the media of bias from the left. They interpret that ‘no side of politics has a monopoly on virtue or merit’ as requiring them to ajudicate a dead heat. Occasionally, however, one argument should prevail over another, regardless of the political branding of its advocate. Rudd is correct to point out that Howard was lazy on reform, and was lucky enough to govern during prosperous times. When Howard suggests that the honours due to Hawke and Keating are equal to his own, he gives himself too much credit. It’s rubbish to suggest then that Howard is being particularly generous.