Comments on: Only one thing worse than losing Opposition leadership: keeping it

By: David Hand

David Hand — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:44:40 +0000

my post ends with
deregulation of financial markets.

By: David Hand

David Hand — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:43:58 +0000

Given that the ALP government shows no interest whatsoever in repealling the GST in spite of their vehement opposition to it when it was introduced, I am continually surprised when the odd anti GST warrior pops up and fires a shot at it. Suggesting that the cash splashes are a sort of GST refund is a great twist on the theme. Of course, the real problem for the cultural warriors of the left is that the GST was a significant long lasting reform introduced by Howard and Costello and remains an inconvenient truth in the context of Rudd’s new history his media advisors are helping him write. If it’s so bad, they should repeal it or else give credit where credit is due for a reform up there with the floating of the dollar or deregulation of financial m

By: RaymondChurch

RaymondChurch — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:13:21 +0000

Bernard this article is almost the answer to your first story today ” . . And you, Kevin, are no Hawke or Keating. Or Howard.” My hunch was, after hearing KR’s speech at the book launch, he was taking the mickey and getting in the Libs faces. He certainly got a swift response and from exactly the 3 he would have wished. Rudd may never reach the lofty heights of a ‘statesman’but he will surely be remembered as one of our smartest, intellectual PM’s. On the 7-30 report last night he looked a man at peace with himself and the world as once again he let out the line with the bait, double disolution, firmly secured.

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:25:55 +0000

I hate to say it but Ruddick looked masterful on 7.30 last night and it didn’t help the implicit fawning of the compere so grateful to have Big Boots in for her stretch, and on her strong ground being business and economics.

I still think the press gallery have misunderstood a serious undertone in federal politics being the political capital generated by the GST.

Year on year people paid up their 10% consumption tax on largely necessities and lifes little luxuries. And year on year intuitively they knew the government owed them more value as a result. Sooner or later Beazley’s defacto Rollback in the form of Stimulus 1 and 2 were going to be triggered. Any good or even half *rse reason to roll it back and splurge was going to sound and feel ‘fair go’ to especially the blue collar voter.

It’s a kind of hip pocket slow fuse that trumps refugee and national security tub thumps. Indeed it’s a recipe for cyclical party time say every 3 or 4 years on a regular drip drip drip of 10% for each and every consumer item. Every purchase is another symbolic pitch for centralised govt intervention in the citizen’s personal lives. And it was all Howard and Costello, and Kernot and Meg Lee’s work.

The Greens and ALP must be so grateful! To lose is to win, as they say. What is chubby doing now? Ambassador to Obama’s Modern Rome?