We've known for some time that the Good Ship Abbott was in trouble, and with MPs now seemingly jostling for position could it be a case of man overboard? Paula Matthewson writes.
That sound you hear is the whisper of Liberal Party MPs carefully shuffling around a Prime Minister who's taken on water and is listing dangerously.
They're hoping to avoid being dragged down with him into the dark waters of electoral opprobrium and are eyeing those who hope to replace the PM as potential lifeboats.
We've known for some time that the Good Ship Abbott was in trouble, partly because it was constructed using shonky policies and shattered expectations, but also because it was steered with the reckless abandon that comes from political hubris mixed with a misguided sense of entitlement.
Getting a bit off the Abbott Government topic
I'm not leaning either way here on the issue but I do remember being surprised reading a similar article to this one at the time indicating that it's actually low income households that have the highest uptake of roof top solar.
Before taking that completely at face value, there's no indication that there were any controls for housing type.
In most regional areas, there are very few apartments, in contrast to the cities, and almost certainly a high proportion of people own their homes rather than rent, specifically amongst retirees who have been the group most expressing concern about rising electricity prices.
I'm in regional Qld, pop 55,000, almost no apartment buildings other than a couple of dozen holiday resorts.
Most are three or at most four bedroom basic houses. Certainly there has been a very high uptake of solar panels here.
I don't find it at all difficult to believe many lower income groups will have decided to instal solar. This was indicated on RN a week or so ago by the representative of "Solar Citizens", Ms Claire O'Rourke, who was enthusiastically interviewed by the presenter. Ms O'Rourke is also apparently a union activist.
She indicated that many lower income people had, in their anxiety about rising power bills, decided to put the capital cost on their credit cards.
The problem is as smurph has mentioned, they may mitigate their usage cost, but that puts more pressure on the service cost to pick up the shortfall.
The solar/ alternative issue probably needs a dedicated thread, maybe smurph can come up with an opening gambit.
It could include ideas on how much a solar system can mitigate your costs, given where you live and the fact it only works while the sun is shining. Many think it stores energy, it doesn't, many think you get paid a lot for the generation, that has been shut down.
However if you install a sensible size, to mitigate your usage, and tailor your usage to coincide with the maximum output.
I'm sure there is a merit in considering solar, as I said smurph is more abreast of the issue.
You think the Great Smurf is an expert on this issue, but he is a Tasmanian...and very insular.
The solar/ alternative issue probably needs a dedicated thread, maybe smurph can come up with an opening gambit.
You think the Great Smurf is an expert on this issue, but he is a Tasmanian...and very insular.
Calliope, Smurf might not be the only Tasmanian on this forum. You might just have offended all Tasmanians. Does that come under section 18c?
I meant insular in regard to roof solar systems. I have no idea of their efficiency in Tasmania, but I imagine it greatly differs from the output of a similar unit in the Sunshine State.
TONY Abbott has called on disgruntled MPs to “rally behind” him ahead of the next election, citing the toppled Baillieu-Napthine and Rudd-Gillard governments as evidence of what happens to parties that change leaders.
I am starting to think Abbott might be in trouble when he rolls this out as a defence... from the "Liberal Daily News"
Abbott dismisses leadership rumours as ‘absolute nonsense’
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...bsolute-nonsense/story-fn59niix-1227192990548
I am starting to think Abbott might be in trouble when he rolls this out as a defence... from the "Liberal Daily News"
Abbott dismisses leadership rumours as ‘absolute nonsense’
I just don't see how they could depose a sitting prime minister after the way they carried on with regards to gillard/rudd.
Where do you now stand on Scott Morrison ?Possibility Abbott's saving is he has been able to neuter any internal leadership possibilities plus simply the massive lack of talent from the right wing of the Liberal party.
Where do you now stand on Scott Morrison ?
He was very successful in reversing the disaster that was border security under Labor.
While I think Morrison got some kudos with his hard line on refugees, if he takes the same hard line with the electorate over things like the Medicare levy or education/pension "reform" then he will get his head kicked in by the voters just like Abbott is getting his head kicked now.
I think the next leader needs to be more "user friendly" than Abbott, otherwise the leadership change will have no effect.
Race I suppose is all that's left for those who can't bring themselves to acknowledge what he's achieved in cleaning up Labor's mess.
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