Possibly the strongest, most detailed speech Tony Abbott has ever made came in the form of a ’12-point plan’ delivered yesterday at the Liberal party’s federal council meeting. Obviously prompted by the Shakespearean-like shenanigans that have overwhelmed the Labor Party this week and given Australia its first female prime minister, he has rallied to the call and told us what he will do if elected Prime Minister.
While continuing to lambast Labor, and Gillard, for the failures of the past two years, he has nonetheless put some teeth into the Liberals’ strategy.
His programme is a pragmatic, archly conservative short list; strong on substance and devoid of spin. Given Tony’s well publicised beliefs, and the direction the Liberal Party has taken recently, this initial outline of policy is unlikely to meet with overwhelming support from the general public.
Polls on Friday showed that the electorate is in a honeymoon period, a euphoric afterglow following the decapitation by Labor of their esteemed leader in favour of his deputy.
Tony Abbott has an uphill climb ahead of him this week and throughout July. With the election fated for late August*, he has a slight window of opportunity to level the playing field.
Is that time for the euphoria to wear off? Is that time for Labor to once again fail to deliver on both services and outcomes? Only time will tell, and as Booker T once said, ‘Time Is Tight’.
Instead of budgie smugglers and running shoes, perhaps the Bovver Boy needs to put his skates on.
gigdiary 
I reckon August is right too. She’ll definitely want to cash in on the honeymoon period.
She’d also be wise to go BEFORE the Victorian State election in late November (where Labor will be returned but suffer a substantial swing against it).
And you can’t have an election – or even start the campaign – in September due to the distraction of the footy finals.
So the most likely date is the truly scientific one in the post you linked to – 28 August. He’s a bloody genius!
Socky mightn’t have got it exactly right, but he’ll be close. I find it laughable that the fate of the country has to work around a few games of footy.
Btw, just heard Gillard say she’ll “face the people” (i.e. go to an election) “very soon”. Then Abbott said, “she should wait” and that he wants her to “prove herself first”.
Someone should tell Tony that it is the Government who decides when we’ll have an election, not the Opposition. And that it’s not 1974 or 1975, Abbott is not Fraser and Kerr is no longer the GG.
Spurred along by a congratulatory call from Howard, Abbott’s crowing today that he got rid of Rudd. In his mind it probably still is 1974, and he’s Fraser and Kerr is GG.
Of course she is going to look to cash in on the honeymoon, their approval has jumped 8% since Kevin Rudd was ousted.
She will win, because it was all K.Rudd’s fault, she had nothing to do with any of it (even though she did). And, she is a woman, which automatically increases her vote-pulling power.
Add in the union trade-off (they put her where she is, and, so long as she does what they want, they will want to keep her there) and she is in like Flynn.
Great analysis, Rosie! No holds barred and cut through the crap as usual.
Add to what you’ve said, an August 21 or 28 election and it won’t give the punters time to see through it or Abbott time to make up the lost ground.
As you say, in like Flynn, and Bob’s your uncle, or, Julia’s our aunty.