Gerry, As you know, I tipped Joe Hockey to take over from Turnbull, over 12 months ago. The only question is how Joe can hold off until after the election. The only other possibility is Tony Abbott & I personally, don't think so. KRudd will not only win any early election, but he will increase his majority.

If there is to be a change of leadership, it should be now. This would give the new leader an opportunity to let the people know what he is about and how he will shape up. If it's not Turnbukl or Hockey then I think there is a problem. I really don't think Tony Abbot is up to it, he is too inclined to shout his mouth off. Personally I like Turnbull, however the party is in disarray right now, and if changing leadership will fix that, maybe they should go for it.



I am heartily sick of the dictatorship we are having to put up with now. however as long as they keep handing out money, they will get back in,. The majority of the population are interested only in what they can get, not what they can give. The turnaround will come If the emissions trading scheme goes through as is. We are all going to be facing enormous increases in our daily lives to pay for it, gas, electricity, food to name a few. Add that to the enormous debt we have already incurred (no surplus), and we are in real trouble..

I would not vote for any of the Libs at the moment--Hockey NO Turnbull IMO is a very dangerous man and far to ambitious--also a very smart man but he can not be trusted, Abbott well he is usless and brings religion into his job and is also a goose, Pyne is heartless and cold--in fact there are none that I would vote for at this time in the Libs. I do not agree with this GW and ETS warming carry on but I think if there was an election now Lab' would get in again.

Whoever leads the Libs to the next election will make no difference to the Libs chances of victory.

Labor's PR machine has been way too successful over the last two years. Rudd's back has been protected from day 1, and he has been portrayed as a person who can do no wrong. Even when some incidents have filtered through to the public via a couple of honest journalists...a rare breed in itself these days....the ALP PR machine, aided and abetted by most of the media, has swung into action to cover Rudd's tracks.

Rudd was hailed as the knight in shining armor riding in on his white charger to save us....from what I'm not sure....but there you go. He himself has dissembled on every occasion where he was caught out, and again the media, particularly the ABC, and Fairfax media, have protected and supported him.

The Labor State education systems have done their jobs well.

The theory of man made global warming is foremost in the minds of most school students, and therefore those who turned 18 in time for the last election......... along with every other politically correct issue dreamed up by the left. They have been so successful that the Libs have been infected as well.

One only needs to look at NSW , where they keep putting Labor back into power , in spite of the State having been run by the most grossly incompetent govt in this country's history.

Queensland is not far behind, either.........but of course their hero came from Q'ld!

And of course, the opportunity to have a female Premier couldn't be overlooked....no matter if she was capable or not....because Labor thrives on symbolism.

Apparently, this is what the people want.

All parties are tared with the same brush and they would be following orders from higher up in any case

We must go through the "political cycle"......Rudd is riding a wave of popularity which will only begin to wane with his first big mistake/fiasco which WILL come as surely as night follows day. Then his popularity will gradually be eroded and a new "messiah" will rise up in the Liberal ranks to take him on.

Labour will win the next election and probably the one after because of Rudds enormous current popularity. Leadership of the Liberal party is a "poison chalice" until Rudds popularity begins to fall and the opposition has at least some chance to score political points. I think that Hockey is probably the best of a bad lot but to take on the leadership now may well kill a promising career. If he has any brains, he will wait.

This seems to be the way of things in Australia, regardless of which party is in power. I was pleased to see Howard go and think that Rudd is doing a creditable job (for an arrogant control freak) but, in the fullness of time, he will pass his "use by" date and develop the political "odour of death" that heralds yet another change of government - and so the cycle continues.

The coalition party seems to be shooting itself in the foot, every step they take. Seemingly, they do not agree. On just about everything. A coalition that doesn't agree. How can they lead?