Neville Wran’s classic line ‘a blowtorch to the belly’ could not be more apt now that Julia Gillard is experiencing a backlash against her honeymoon of approval. While enjoying overwhelming support from women and Gen Y voters, the media are biting at her heels to prove she has a chequered political past. It seems she was vociferously against parental leave and pension increases, belatedly for the cost, but in reality, because they were vote losers.
Not a good look for the new PM who uses the ‘jazz hands’ to ensure us she has the interests of ‘all Australians’ at heart. While these shenanigans by the dirt diggers may not be entirely ethical, they certainly open the curtains of a Cabinet that needs exposure if we, the general public, are to get beyond the spin that is this election.
Today Peter Hartcher, Herald journo, throws in with the suggestion that Labor have asked Kevin Rudd to campaign outside of his electorate for the Labor Party. It belies belief that they would do this, but given their desperation for re-election nothing is surprising.
gigdiary 
Yes, how tragic, the Labor party are copping some of their own medicine from the dirt-diggers. But, what is truly scary is that it is actually relevant to the election!! How did that happen? Aren’t dirt-diggers supposed to find embarrassing remarks made decades ago, about totally irrelevant issues?
Oh, hang on, that’s what the Labor party dirt-diggers do, to distract us from the fact that their new leader is in fact, even worse for us than the Milkybar Kid.
Well if today’s opinion polls are to be believed, GD, Tony will be PM and we will indeed be heading ‘back to the future’.
Despite all the Labor Party problems (caused in the main by their speedy – and necessary – reaction to the GFC), I don’t see how we will be any better off by returning so quickly to a Howard-style Government under Tony Abbott.
If the Libs return after only 3 years in the wilderness they’ll obviously presume that the way they were running things before 2007 was just fine and we’ll get more of the same.
This is worrying in my opinion, because no matter which side of the fence you sit, we do need to see alternatives given a reasonable go and I would suggest that 3 years interrupted by the GFC is hardly a good guide to what we might achieve under Labor.
Despite sitting on the other side of the fence, I do agree Ray. The current Liberal Party, well, the remnants of the Howard Libs, need an overhaul before they’re ready to assume government. They could take over on August 22 and the nation wouldn’t be worse for wear than it is now, but they are doing themselves and us a disservice by re-inflicting a Howard style government on the nation. Howard’s model was built from the Menzies’ model. It worked at the time, due to Johnny’s political acumen and the prevailing mood of the electorate that weren’t happy with Labor, namely, Keating.
Should Abbott win the crown, unless Turnbull or someone of similar assumes the leadership, we will be laden with another one term government. And we’ll be back having this discussion in three years’ time.