Comments on: Hockey scores goals in policy-rich question time

By: K.D. Afford

K.D. Afford — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:56:41 +0000

Steve777, contradictory is right, why slander a silly promise only to promise the same thing.
Hope Joe has the stomach for the backlash if ( hopefully he does not) get in!

By: Steve777

Steve777 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 08:10:23 +0000

Hockey may have scored political points by reminding everyone about the promised surplus that didn’t materialise because of altered economic circumstances. But it was hardly a constructive contribution to the debate about economic management. Anyway, how will Joe Hockey achieve surpluses year in year out? What level of unemployment will be acceptable as a result of the sort of contractionary policies that would have been required to achieve a surplus this year? It’s all theatre, and not that entertaining.

By: AR

AR — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:46:49 +0000

Sloppy’s only function, in politics or hockey, is goalie, by dint of density.

By: GF50

GF50 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:27:42 +0000

Don’t know about that, Joe looked way out of his depth and loose with the facts, and agree with other posters no policy discussion just critique on one subject. Watched and the take away for my jaundiced eye was LOTO and Dep Dog LOTO snearing at the speaker and making obviously nasty little comments for her erudition that nothing has changed and their disrespect for the Parliament continues.

By: zut alors

zut alors — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:20:51 +0000

The only positive point in the Opposition’s performance in Question TIme this week has been its long overdue self-disciline in not resorting to the usual fatuous suspension of Standing Orders.

If Lumpy had recited his twelve times tables I would’ve been more impressed than with this elusive surplus tosh.

By: Holden Back

Holden Back — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 06:12:55 +0000

Thank you Sam. Are you up for being parachuted into the Canberra Press Gallery?

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:55:38 +0000

This was a step up from the opposition’s usual smear and slander, but let’s be clear that this was not about policy. If we are to believe that the opposition were successful on account of policy, then we would have to believe that returning to surplus at all costs is a good thing and that the government is screwing up by not pursuing this goal. In reality, the government is doing the right thing policy-wise but royally screwed up the politics due to a stupid promise stupidly reiterated many times, and it’s on the politics front that the opposition got the government to squirm.

By: Mike Flanagan

Mike Flanagan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:47:13 +0000

That should read ‘arborcide’ sorry folks!

By: Mike Flanagan

Mike Flanagan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:43:49 +0000

Maybe if Hockey Stick Joe could practise what he preachers (austerity) and stop committing arborside with the photocopier Swannie might be able present a balanced budget.

By: Albert Ross

Albert Ross — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:07:28 +0000

Hockey scoring goals? Has he taken performance enhancing substances?

By: jeremy brown

jeremy brown — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:50:27 +0000

How can you write an article called “Hockey scores goals in policy-rich question time” without giving details of policy? Apart from Hockey looking pathetic with his ‘prop’ of a pile of paper, neither SBS or the ABC reported anything much. Did I miss something on the other channels?
It would have been more useful if you had given details and perhaps some enlightened commentary on what was said rather than the ‘lying about the surplus’ stuff that makes up half your article.

By: Ruprecht

Ruprecht — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:43:54 +0000

Arguing over whether there will be a surplus, as opposed to what the money is to be used for, is policy focus now?

By: MJPC

MJPC — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:40:04 +0000

JMNO, agreed. Oh for some cutting wit to destroy some of Mr Abbott’s more outlandish pronouncements.
The link between Abbott’s announcements and the Rinehart dream of some capitalistic tropical utopia seems to have been let slide without comment by the ALP. Galling when it was a target waiting to be fired at with broadside force as to its total inanity.

By: The Pav

The Pav — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:35:29 +0000

I what is a daming indictment of the mainstream media I wouldn’t have know about this other than Crikey.

If something asinine but sexy had happened the I’m sure there would have been headlines.

No , some policy got debated and the govt’ failed to handle some reasonable questions and the reward……

Almost total silence.No wonder politicians go for stunts over substance

By: JMNO

JMNO — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:37:24 +0000

Despite agreeing with a couple of the previous comments, I do wish Labor would make their public pronouncements a bit more interesting to listen to and stop using cliches all the time. As Tony Wright wrote in The Age yesterday, it would be nice to have some Paul Keating moments from time to time. They can’t rely on Abbott behaving like Attila the Hun all the time. He is clearly in image-making mode and they will be left far behind unless they get their act together.

By: john willoughby

john willoughby — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:27:14 +0000

half a stomach.. why not he’s been operating with half a brain for a long time..

By: MJPC

MJPC — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 02:39:39 +0000

BK, about time the LNP concentrated on policy, but of course its easy to run the agenda when the media cowtows to any inane comments made by the LNP, and does not dig to find out the truth, such as yesterdays recent sugestion of us all moving to the tropics to create a brave new world of no tax and serfdom for the Gina Rinehardts amongst us.
Pith helmet anyone?

By: geomac62

geomac62 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 02:27:36 +0000

Hockey makes a claim by saying Labor has said on whatever number 100, 150 times about a surplus which is itself a stunt . Costello said a thousand times that the GST was a state tax . It didn,t make it true because it was always a federal tax and always will be . The cardboard cut out bearer will always go for the clown act and the number thing is irrelevant . Its like the brat saying to a parent ” You have told me that ten times already “