Tony Abbott for PM

[So_Cynical]

One of the TV pundits said something the other day that made a lot of sense to me...said something along the lines of " Tony Abbott has had a great act 1 as opposition leader, convincingly making the coalition look like the better electoral option, winning the polls and setting the agenda.

Now the tables have turned and the polls are running against him, Tony needs an Act 2, to reinvent himself in the run up to the next election..he needs to do more than what he has been doing, its now not certain that he will win the election by default, now he needs to step up and actually do something to convince the broad electorate".

He needs to win the middle.

 

[IFocus]

bring back Costello, biggest election win in Australian history... even a one eyed Labor supporter would have to agree

Fact is Costello never had the numbers in the House against Howard and likely would nod have them today given he is from Victoria and wasn't really warmed to whilst he was in the party room in fact less so that Turnbul.

Quite honestly he would have to write some of the most disappointing columns that I read from past serving politicians in terms of depth and intellect.

People forget his foray into FX where he blew billions and rave about his surplus budgets paying down debt big deal he is a genus for selling TLS, I used to rate him but not so much these days.

 

[IFocus]

Labor knows their best hope is to convince the Libs to dump Tony Abbott for Malcolm Turnbull.

Actually Labors worse nightmare would be Turnbul getting the leadership 4 months out from an election, you forget Howard had many goes at leadership before winning some thing I would have imagined Howard would have said to him talking Turnbul out of resigning.

 

[Julia]

In response to Lisa Wilkinsons questions regarding electricity prices.
What else could Abbott say other than he will remove the carbon tax which is directly affecting electricity prices.

Perhaps I should have included the preceding question from Lisa Wilkinson:

LISA WILKINSON:
Alright. Well, you've already promised that, should you be elected Prime Minister, you will get rid of that carbon tax. That leaves you 79 per cent of those price rises you've got to play with. Can you guarantee that an Abbott government will bring energy prices down beyond taking off the carbon tax?

TONY ABBOTT:
Well, that's a very, very good start. That is a very good start and we would have the ACCC out there making sure that businesses did not profiteer once the carbon tax was off.

LISA WILKINSON:
Ok, but you still haven't answered my question. How much will you bring down energy prices beyond taking off the carbon tax?

TONY ABBOTT:
Well, we will do vastly better than the Labor Party, Lisa, because there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To me Wilkinson looked like the idiot, he answered her quetion honestly and it is a plan.

I guess we see what we want to see. I don't at all see how he has answered her question above about how he will ameliorate that additional 79% of price rises which are not attributable to the carbon tax.
Instead, he just parrots off his usual slogan. People are just sick of this.

SPT, you just answered her question perfectly. Why wasn't Abbott able to do the same?

And that's the point, repeatedly. If he aspires to lead the nation, he should be able to come up with an answer which actually responds to what she is asking.
If you, sptrawler, can provide a rational response, how can it possibly be that the person aspiring to lead Australia can't do the same, and instead is stuck with silly slogans?

 

[drsmith]

Actually Labors worse nightmare would be Turnbul getting the leadership 4 months out from an election,.......

Labor would prefer longer to wage their personal campaign of relentless negativity.

As for John howard as opposition leater, I don't recall him blundering as severely as Malcolm Turnbull did during his stint (Goodwin Gretch).

 

[IFocus]

As a general principle, I wouldn't judge the ability to govern by whether one has an immediate answer for every question some ******** journalist has.

Good decisions don't come off the cuff, they are considered and debated.

It seems Aussies want a good interviewee, or a witty smart@rse, rather than a good government.

Abbott has been in politics for a very long time if he cannot argue simple issues in front of media then he simply doesn't have it.

 

[IFocus]

In response to Lisa Wilkinsons questions regarding electricity prices.
What else could Abbott say other than he will remove the carbon tax which is directly affecting electricity prices.
Maybe someone can come up with how else he can reduce electricity prices which in the main are set by the states.
If he had said anything other than what he did everyone would be jumping up and down that he can't do it.
The question was answered, Lisa just wanted to make it sound as if it wasn't.
The federal government has only control on the carbon price with relation to electricity prices as far as I'm aware.
Again it is just trumped up B.S by Lisa to try and make Abbott fabricate something, which she would then have hung him with.

To me Wilkinson looked like the idiot, he answered her quetion honestly and it is a plan.
For her to finish with the statement she did shows she either didn't get the response she wanted, she is deaf or just ignorant. IMO
It is a federation and the states are responsible, at this point for power generation.

Actually Phil Corey pointed out on the Insiders (yes I know they are all Como's) that he actually had a very good answer he just didn't say it the answer being he would remove the tax and look at what the government comes up with before putting up proportions.

 

[drsmith]

With Electricity prices, the message from the Coalition should be simple.

1) Without the carbon tax, electricity prices will be X% lower than they would otherwise be under Labor.

2) Labor's talk about reducing electricity prices is the same as their talk about stopping the boats. They say one thing and do the opposite.

 

[IFocus]

Good point. But he is a lawyer and a Rhodes Scholar.
I am sure he is capable of making a good argument. He really can be a very good communicator. After all, that's why howard liked him.
He rarely seems to want to however. has he become a "hollow man"(i.e. he is lacking conviction and is just parroting rather than thinking about policy).
I also think what you said relates equally to Gillard.

Ah sorry Howard liked him and rewarded him because he was Howard's attack dog so Howard didn't get his hands dirty.

 

[sptrawler]

Perhaps I should have included the preceding question from Lisa Wilkinson:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess we see what we want to see. I don't at all see how he has answered her question above about how he will ameliorate that additional 79% of price rises which are not attributable to the carbon tax.
Instead, he just parrots off his usual slogan. People are just sick of this.


And that's the point, repeatedly. If he aspires to lead the nation, he should be able to come up with an answer which actually responds to what she is asking.
If you, sptrawler, can provide a rational response, how can it possibly be that the person aspiring to lead Australia can't do the same, and instead is stuck with silly slogans?

Well lets just say he came out and said the major cost in producing electricity is fuel and we will cut excise to generators by 2% and drop the carbon tax.
The government firstly will bag them then watch the fallout, if it results in an increase in popularity for Abbott.
They, as they have done on everything will say, we will reduce the excise on fuel to generators by 4% as an offset for the carbon tax.
At the moment it is like fighting an opposition who don't wear a uniform, very difficult, that is why Labor are having so much trouble with the left faction. They are having to prostitute their beliefs and morals in the name of their pensions.
The left faction don't like standing for nothing and just changing policy for political advantage, won't sit well with them.
The only chance the Libs have of stopping poaching of their policy, is to wait untill the campaign starts in earnest and doesn't allow Labor time to work on their factions. Only my opinion, but it is always very difficult to debate someone without principles and stands for nothing. That's the problem Abbott has.

 

[McLovin]

In response to Lisa Wilkinsons questions regarding electricity prices.
What else could Abbott say other than he will remove the carbon tax which is directly affecting electricity prices.
Maybe someone can come up with how else he can reduce electricity prices which in the main are set by the states.
If he had said anything other than what he did everyone would be jumping up and down that he can't do it.
The question was answered, Lisa just wanted to make it sound as if it wasn't.
The federal government has only control on the carbon price with relation to electricity prices as far as I'm aware.
Again it is just trumped up B.S by Lisa to try and make Abbott fabricate something, which she would then have hung him with.

To me Wilkinson looked like the idiot, he answered her quetion honestly and it is a plan.
For her to finish with the statement she did shows she either didn't get the response she wanted, she is deaf or just ignorant. IMO
It is a federation and the states are responsible, at this point for power generation.

If he'd said what you just said it would have been a decent answer to a loaded question. Unless he has previously stated he will make power cheaper (over and beyond scrapping the carbon tax) he could have said, it's a matter for the states. Instead he made it sound like a) he was hiding something b) he had no idea what the answer to the question was.

Seriously, if you can't deal with a question from Lisa Wilkinson you've got no chance.

 

[sptrawler]

Actually Phil Corey pointed out on the Insiders (yes I know they are all Como's) that he actually had a very good answer he just didn't say it the answer being he would remove the tax and look at what the government comes up with before putting up proportions.

The problem with that idea, IFocus, is the government don't have to come up with anything and he can't remove the tax.
That is unless he wins government.
My bolds

 

[sptrawler]

If he'd said what you just said it would have been a decent answer to a loaded question. Unless he has previously stated he will make power cheaper (over and beyond scrapping the carbon tax) he could have said, it's a matter for the states. Instead he made it sound like a) he was hiding something b) he had no idea what the answer to the question was.

Seriously, if you can't deal with a question from Lisa Wilkinson you've got no chance.

Jeez, this is hard work, the carbon tax is a cost not just on current electricity costs. But more so on future electricity costs as cheap coal burning is reduced and much more expensive fuels are used.
People seem to have their heads in the sand, there is NO upside for Australia's living standard, with the carbon tax as it stands.

 

[wayneL]

Abbott has been in politics for a very long time if he cannot argue simple issues in front of media then he simply doesn't have it.

You missed the point... Good arguers with the media don't necessarily make good govern-ers. Look at Jooooools FFS. Good arguer, abominable govern-er.

Actually Labors worse nightmare would be Turnbul getting the leadership 4 months out from an election,

It would be Australia's worst nightmare too. There is no way that the Libs could govern as a unit long term with Comrade Turbull at the helm.

 

[moXJO]

Libs imposing a holiday on Abbott will be to see if the liberal party moves up in the polls while Abbott is away. While Abbott maybe smart in some regards, he sure wedges himself into some dumb positions. He needs to sit down with his strategists and develop a better plan

Abbott has been in politics for a very long time if he cannot argue simple issues in front of media then he simply doesn't have it.

I agree.
He seems to get worse as he goes along. Are his minders keeping him on a leash for a reason?

 

[sptrawler]

Abbott has been in politics for a very long time if he cannot argue simple issues in front of media then he simply doesn't have it.

That is very true, IFocus and it will prove to be his undoing, he must improves his presentation. He is obviously no fool, but on screen performance is somewhat lacking.

 

[sails]

Actually Labors worse nightmare would be Turnbul getting the leadership 4 months out from an election, you forget Howard had many goes at leadership before winning some thing I would have imagined Howard would have said to him talking Turnbul out of resigning.

Then, why oh why do rusted on labor supporters so desperately want Turnbull back as leader of the liibs? If he is really more difficult to beat, it seems crazy that labor supporters would try to put their own side at a disadvantage.

Far more likely it seems that rusted on labor supporters clearly realise Turnbull will be easier to defeat than Abbott.

I am not suggesting any such motives for those middle of the road voters, who have forgotten Turnbull's dismal performance in the polls when he was leader and who are happy to keep paying into Gillard's carbon tax "slush" fund which would likely be kept by Turnbull.

 

[drsmith]

Tony Abbott's come under criticism for this,

"I think it would be terrific if, as well as having an urban Aboriginal in our parliament, we had an Aboriginal person from central Australia, an authentic representative of the ancient cultures of central Australia in the parliament," Mr Abbott said.

Upon reading it a few times, I see only one thing wrong with it. Take away the word authentic, but beyond that, criticism of the above is in my view, political correctness gone mad.

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/br...re-language-clunky-lib-mp-20121114-29bea.html

 

[drsmith]

Far more likely it seems that rusted on labor supporters clearly realise Turnbull will be easier to defeat than Abbott.

That's it.

Malcolm Turnbull displayed a complete lack of political nouse as leader and in the time since, he has not played for the team.

 

[DB008]

Tony Abbott's come under criticism for this,



Upon reading it a few times, I see only one thing wrong with it. Take away the word authentic, but beyond that, criticism of the above is in my view, political correctness gone mad.

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/br...re-language-clunky-lib-mp-20121114-29bea.html

Yes, it has been going on the ABC today.

I think we are about to have a 'It's all Tony's fault'......MkII