Comments on: Government and Opposition trade blunders

By: Colin Bower

Colin Bower — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:58:49 +0000

@John James. Ah! you would be a right wing apologist for the unfortunate rabble that comprises the Libs. Sad really. You mistake fireworks and schoolboy antics for substance. The fact is, the Mad Monk can’t maintain a consistent line for more than a day without having to backflip or back slide. Abbot plays to the media who lap up the aggression which covers for genuine debate. Fireworks fade quickly and so will Abbott. The public will weary of his vacuous sloganeering and gratuitous insults. Australia deserves much better than this from the Opposition and the media. In Kevin Rudd we have someone who has the energy and vision to make a difference, if only the losers at the last Federal election will cease their petulant obstruction.

By: John james

John james — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:22:23 +0000

Jenauthor, what happened in the Reps was extraordinary, and its precisely because Labor are rattled. Geoff Kitney, writing in the AFR, described the very “over-the-top’ attacks being hurled at Abbott, especially by Minister Burke, and Laura Tingle wrote that Abbott had handled the debate, spontaneous though it was, very well. Chris Ullman, ABC TV correspondent, reviewing the proceedings in the House of Reps that day, said of Abbott and his performance, ” but this guy can punch”.
Watch Labor try to avoid having this debate seen in the evening, when most of the nation would be watching. They are trying to confine the debate to midday, so as few Australians as possible, will see it.
What does Abbott say ” all hat, no cowboy”?
I dont think you can even see the hat, Jen.

By: jenauthor

jenauthor — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:28:02 +0000

John James — were you actually watching what went on in the reps yesterday? Or are you just spouting the expected coalition line?

Beware listening to too much rumour (especially when the rumour is generated by your own side) … you generally end up with egg on your face.

By: Keith is not my real name

Keith is not my real name — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:34:48 +0000

He’s here every night folks!

By: John james

John james — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:52:23 +0000

What a load of hogwash, Bernard.
Its the government that are on the run. No better illustration of that is their desperate attempt to engage Abbott on their preferred ground, but by breaking a well established political maxim, and that is that an incumbent PM seeks to minimise his opponent’s profile as the alternative PM.
Labor are desperate. You can smell the FEAR. The Left are intellectually and morally bankrupt at the best of times, but when they break and run, it ain’t pretty.
Stories are beginning to emerge of “worried and nervous ” backbenchers and stories about how good Gillard looks compared to her leader.
Abbott absolutely tore Rudd apart in that debate, reminding all and sundry about the record of ‘Dr Death’.
Abbott hammered Rudd regarding his overturn of local boards in Queensland, where the health system is, of necessity, far more regionalised.
Bernard you have underestimated Abbo from the beginning, you and the rest of the Left’s commentariat. What was that about fear???
No wonder Rundle is staying in the UK.

By: jenauthor

jenauthor — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:43:32 +0000

Here here, Colin. I watched the house of reps yesterday … and Abbott doesn’t speak with the credence he should, as leader, on such topics. And the coalition’s question-time tactics leave a lot to be desired. You can see they have a rigid agenda, and when they repeat their questions (even when already answered) ad infinitum they start to look very silly.

I’m glad Rudd called Abbott’s bluff on the debate issue. The opposition must have been thunderstruck when Rudd gave him a date next week — I am sure they wanted to portray Rudd as scared because they were certain he wouldn’t bite — or almost certainly not immediately.

They must be racing around at 100 miles an hour trying to cobble together a health plan (that involves more than one hospital in Tasmania or a few hospitals in NSW & Qld. If they achieve what they did in terms of policy with the environment and parental leave — both of which lack any credibility.

I, for one, will be watching the national press club on Tuesday with great interest. Abbott doesn’t win many of the stoushes in the reps. especially because of the ‘no debate’ rule, and the libs will not be able to constantly interrupt with bogus ‘relevance’ objections.

By: Colin Bower

Colin Bower — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:26:57 +0000

While it may appear that Rudd and co. were hoping the Mad Monk would betray his lack of a health policy by giving him 10 minutes of free hits, it was a good move for other reasons. The more Abbott talks, the more he shows himself to be nothing more than a negative, loud, abusive, pugilist with no other instinct than to hit out at his opponents. He cannot conduct a calm reasoned debate on any issue, let alone health, which he is supposed to know something about. In my view the more chances he gets to display his ignorance, personal abuse and bile the better - because the public will come to see him for what he is, and it isn’t pretty.

By: davidk

davidk — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:11:24 +0000

Thank you Bernard, I was wondering why Rudd had so enthusiastically agreed to a debate this early in the piece.