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Labor should have learned its lesson on messiahs

Sophie Mirabella

by Sophie Mirabella

12 Jul 05:30am

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Filed under: Election 2010, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Politics, Spin

48 comments

Remember Kevin from Queensland who was “here to help”? 

History repeating itself? Gillard with Rudd in July last year. Pic: AFP / File

Pre-election 2007 the Australian public were given a rock-solid guarantee that Kevin Rudd was a fiscal conservative who would lead a responsible Government with a strong hand on the till. 

Thanks to Labor’s spin machine, and large portions of the anti-Howard media, he was portrayed as some sort of messiah. 

Back then, there was no overt sign that what he’d actually deliver was record levels of Government debt, daft and poorly administered programs like the home insulation fiasco, utter rip-offs like the BER that wasted billions of taxpayers money, an influx of illegal arrivals due to weakening of Australia’s border protection laws, and no real action to fix the health system which he vowed he would tackle in his first year.

It turned out that pre-election Kevin, the beloved “Kevin 07”, was merely a caricature created by Labor’s spin machine to cultivate an image of responsible government.  The Gill-Rudd team simply didn’t have the policies or the management skills to live up to that caricature.

Indeed, they fell well short of the mark.

In fact they delivered almost the opposite of what the Australian public had been expecting.  Or as our new PM (who was Acting PM for almost 20% of Rudd’s reign) put it, they “lost their way”.  Hmmm…can’t have had a very good policy compass to have managed that in just 2 short years?

If Kevin’s meteoric fall taught Labor’s spin machine anything, it should be that raising expectations to messiah levels and delivering instead a Monty-pythonesque “naughty boy” is hardly the formula for long-term electoral success.

But the elevation of Julia Gillard has seen the whirring of Labor’s spin machine notched up to almost deafening levels.  Julia is supposedly here to fix the mess created by Kevin, who we were told, was here to help.

Witness her “fix” Labor problems on a daily basis, with media headlines that proclaim her success. 

She’s “saved” Sydney’s western suburbs from over-crowding without a single policy to address population….unless you count adding the word “Sustainable” to a Minister’s title (BTW isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron when it applies to a Labor Minister?)

She’s “compromised” with the miners – which actually means making bad economic policy marginally less-worse and dodgying the figures so it creates only a $1.5 billion black hole in Labor’s budget. No word yet on how that will be addressed (and don’t expect one until after the election).

And now she is “solving” the illegal boat entry problem her Labor Government created by….wait for it… introducing her own “Pacific Solution” in the form of offshore processing - after years of decrying and demeaning the Howard Government’s policy which did just that.

Labor’s spin machine is clearly in overdrive with it’s new female messiah offering the chance to “fix” the problems created by its former white-bread messiah.

It’s all about creating that “reliable, solid” vibe that was done so effectively with Kevin 07. 

And just like in 07, there are so few in the mainstream media looking behind the spin and questioning the substance of what Julia Gillard is saying. 

In fact, one of the major metropolitan dailies recently described Gillard’s “I don’t want a big Australia, but don’t ask what I’m going to do about it” statement as “when she announced she was putting the brakes on the nation’s population growth”.  Hello, did I miss that “announcement”?  Exactly how is she putting the brakes on it?? Has anyone bothered to ask?

Julia Gillard will enjoy a honeymoon period. Labor’s spin machine knows this. As with the Kevin 07 campaign, we’re being presented with a caricature, a confected image, essentially a false bill of goods. 

Just as Kevin didn’t help our nation, Julia will not fundamentally fix the problems the Gill-Rudd Government created.  She is a creature of the Labor party and has been an integral part of every poor decision that led to Rudd’s downfall.

You only have to look at the substance of her recent “fixes” to see it’s all smoke and mirrors.  Despite the carefully crafted image of a “second coming”, Labor is only offering more of the same behind a different mask and voice box.

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48 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Richard says:

      06:01am | 12/07/10

      I for one am getting pretty annoyed at the vainglorious expression that’s been permanently etched on Gillard’s face ever since she betrayed the former PM: it seems like she really is so proud of her treacherous “acheivement”. Compare her gloating smugness over the last few weeks to Abbott’s composure and gravitas, and you begin to see through the caricatures as potrayed by the media and the spin-merchant’s, and start to realise what would truly be in the best interests of our country i.e. returning a Liberal government to power as soon as possible.

      Reply

    • T.Chong says:

      08:11am | 12/07/10

      Richard - you sound to be the type of voter the LNP adore. Abbotts advisors have warned him off the clown act of Speedos and Lycra, and you seem to mistake that for composure and gravitas !
      He is hiding. The LNP are dead in the water for this election..

    • Richard says:

      08:40am | 12/07/10

      So T Chong: it’s a clown act for sportsman in this country to go swimming or bike riding these days? Or are your attempts to caricature Tony Abbott indicative of your own political prejudice? The shadow PM’s response to Gillard’s diplomatic faux pas over East Timor was measured, reasonable and intelligent: three qualities that befit a future leader of our Nation.

    • Joan says:

      09:22am | 12/07/10

      Actually Gillards constant cackling like some little red chook became reality on TV - she cackled so hard it looked like she laid the egg smashed at her feet. She struts and poses like the `little Red rooster` in some TV presentations as she crows about Labors failures which she shreds day by day , one failed policy after another policy.  Nothing beats a cocky pollie-.lets hope that the voters will wake up to Gillards crowing in time for the election.

    • eric2 says:

      09:47am | 12/07/10

      Caricatures? Its true Abbott did have the Christian spin to claim Jesus would turn the boats back. Unfortunately the poor ol’ Mad Monk while standing on the Bible (like Rudd) forgot to read Matthew Chapter 2, where the baby Jesus and his family threatened by death, fled the country to Egypt. If the Egyptians hadn’t had such a welcoming refugee policy - there would have been no Jesus story and no Tony Abbott (or Rudd).

      What were you saying about caricatures and smugness again Richard?

    • Christian Real says:

      02:41pm | 12/07/10

      T Chong,
      A song that seems suitable for Tony Abbott came to mind, it was “The Pushbike Song”, sung by The Mixtures.
      And Richard, why would respectable people even consider voting for Tony Abbott, who is a self confessed liar, caught out telling lies on ABC’s 7.30 Report.
      Whether Tony Abbott’s speeches and policies are written or unwritten, how can the man be ever trusted,one wouldn’t know whether he was telling the truth or whether it was just another lie.

    • Kathy says:

      07:19pm | 12/07/10

      I am so tired of the lazy lampooning of Abbott’s speedos - obviously all volunteer lifeguards deserve our ridicule…

    • Dark Rider says:

      06:06pm | 13/07/10

      @Eric2.
      Do you mean to tell me we could have avoided all this jesus nonsense if only Egypt had a stronger border protection policy ? That just goes to show what damage is done when you let undocumented illegals into your country, though I suppose they would have made up another “messiah” to sustain the myth of religion.

    • Christian Real says:

      06:50am | 12/07/10

      Sophie Mirabella,
      Kevin Rudd is more of a Christian than your Leader Tony abbott will ever be, who wants a leader like Abbott that “pretends’ to be a Christian when in fact he is not.
      I seem to recall that Abbott even had the audacity to claim that, if Jesus was here, that he would also turn the boat people back.
      I feel that to be a Christian, one needs compassion towards other people less fortunate than ourselves, those that are seeking refuge and safety from the trauma of the unress and instabillity of their war torn ravaged countries, are seeking a safe haven for their families and themselves and yet Abbott, ‘The Christian, and devout Catholic wants to turn their boats around and thus subjecting them to the elements of the seas in boats that are not that sea worthy to begin with.
      As for credibillity, I believe that tony Abbott has none, and he went down futher in my estimations, when he admitted that he lied on the 7.30 report, and it is uncertain if this man ever would tell the truth, whether his speeches are written or unwritten.
      The fact that Tony Abbott and the Liberal party believes that the laws and the rules of Parliament doesn’t apply to them is also a big concern of mine, and Tony Abbott seems as though he has breached the Parliament rules, not once, but twice and yet has been allowed to freely do so and get away with it.
      Sophie, allow me to refresh your memory of this one rule of Parliament that Tony abbott seems to be in breach of:  “Parliament requires all MPs to register any changes to interests,benefits or liabilities with 28 days.”
      Why then did Tony Abbott fail to declare a $710,000 loan to parliament for almost two years, when the rule states that All MP’s have 28 days to declare, interests,benefits or liabilities?
      Why Then did Tony Abbott also breach the same Parliamentary rule in 1998 and was allowed to get away with it under the Howard Government?
      the rules apply to ALL MP’s Sophie, so why is Tony Abbott any different from any one else?
      Tony Abbott, as Workplace Relations Minister in the previous Howard Government set up a $100,000 trust fund to bankroll legal action against Pauline Hanson and One Nation.He set up the trust fund in late august 1998 but did not declare the secret trust fund until December 3, 1998, yet another breach of the Parliamentary rules stipulating that MP’s have 28 days to declare interests, benefits or liabilities on the members register.
      JOel Fitzgibbon was hounded and forced to resign from his portfolio, because he breached the same parliamentary rules, and yet your party seems to believe and think that they atre exempt from these rules, when they are not.
      I see this disregard for the Parliamentary rules by Tony abbott and the Liberal party as Contempt for the australian Parliament and for the Australian people.

      Reply

    • Rosie says:

      08:35am | 12/07/10

      Christian - your first sentence was enough to tell me that you are running out of things to defend your Ms Gillard. How dare you bring up Tony Abbott’s faith when Aust’s first female PM is an atheist and if Labour wins will be shacking up in the Lodge with her boyfriend.
      Take your Parliamentary rules with Labour’s “Polling Results Barometer” and dump them on the path where Labour lost its way.  Labour may then convince the Australian people that they have thought about their policies and how it is to be implemented instead of sprouting out “copy cat Abbott policies”

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:43am | 12/07/10

      Christian (copy-paste) Real once again din’t even try to address the argument proposed. More bandwidth wasted…

      I for one though am appalled by the level of bias in the media (on both sides). The fact that we are repeating the same mistake in 07 is an indictment on the media. I don’t want a pro-liberal media just some real investigative work on Gillard and Abbott prior to the election. I don’t want another Rudd, who apparently every knew was a dudd they just failed to tell the public.

    • Tedd says:

      09:15am | 12/07/10

      Oh, dear - the not-a -true-Christian fallacy, and the non-sequiturs of tying Tony’s ‘faith’ to Julia’s atheism, Labour winning, and turning the Lodge into a bachelor pad; and tying Parliamenary policy with Labours path.

      No doubt your spat will continue beyond this one .... popcorn & feet-up!

    • Bearman says:

      11:24am | 12/07/10

      Does the ALP have it’s own version of the bible out now, where the name Kevin is used in place of Jesus?  It’s the only thing i can think of which would explain your post.

      How many strip joints has Tony Abbott been caught in?  When was the last time he shouted down a air hostess to tears?  Where’s the sound bite of Abbott talking about being rat-f%&* by someone?

      I’m not sure if you’ve ever read the Bible Christian Real, but perhaps you should start again.

    • Christian Real says:

      01:40pm | 12/07/10

      Bearman
      Typical Liberal post defending the breach of Parliamentary rules by your beloved Opposition leader Tony Abbott.
      The fact that Abbott feels that he is above the parliamentary rules, shows that he holds contempt for the Australian Parliament and for the Australian people also.
      All MP’s are required by Parliament to follow, obey and abide by these rules set down by Parliament, why should Tony Abbott think, or feel that he is above these rules.
      Bearman, in case you don’t know or you haven’t been told yet, Kevin Rudd is no longer Prime Minister.
      Where is your proof that kevin Rudd shouted down an air hostess, oh thats right the Liberal party said so, so it must be right.
      Some extracts from A story from a News.com.au article, where Senator Brandis used a estimates Hearing to make allegations about Prime Ministerial conduct:
      “Senator alleges PM of abuse of air crew.”
      May 31,2010 @ 11.19PM
      “Senator Brandis asked RAAF chief Air Marshal Mark Binskin whether the alleged outburst over the lack of a special meal really occurred.”
      ” I put it to you that an incident of the kind…did in fact take place” he said’
      ” Air Marshal Binskin responded: “An incident of the severity you describe has never been reported to me.”

    • Tedd says:

      04:03pm | 12/07/10

      ChristianReally? - just because someone denies it being reported to him does not mean it didn’t happen (ala ‘argument-from-ignorance’). 

      The stories of the language (eg. ratf@#^%d), the behaviour, etc are too much

    • Aitch B says:

      06:35pm | 12/07/10

      @Christian Real

      Are you going to continue to push your personal campaign against Tony Abbott or at some stage make a valuable (and sensible) contribution to debate?

      Get over it and move on….. it’s all history and I’d suggest that even die hard laborites are finding it very tiresome.

      Save it for the ALP election pamphlets….

    • Against the Man says:

      07:10am | 12/07/10

      Rudd-Gillard the pair are one and the same. Quick, fix-it policy that does nothing in the long run. A vote for Gillard is just a vote for Rudd version -2.0. Hey has anybody explained the insulation deaths or how/why Kevin was removed by his own party? Too hard questions eh, Miss Gillard?

      Reply

    • Rosie says:

      07:28am | 12/07/10

      Julia Gillard wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t undermine the"soccer mums” as just that “soccer mums.” Little does she know that “soccer mums” are capable of thinking and judging for themselves by being practical and having heaps of common sense. Tony Abbott is begining to have more appeal.

      Reply

    • Cecil says:

      07:48am | 12/07/10

      Interesting that Mr Obama offered Kevin Rudd a job, I saw Alexander Downer on tv sprouting that Mr Obama had nothing in common with Kevin Rudd!! Just another case of The Liberals lying. Labor is doing better in the polls Sophie and they will win the next election.

      Reply

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:51am | 12/07/10

      C’mon seriously you can stick with your “team” after everything that has happened. They basically admitted being useless and starting again by installing a new leader and changing several policies (mid-term). I don’t care if you don’t vote liberal, but the fact that Labor will get more than one vote this year is a sad indictment on how much the people will put up with.

    • TC says:

      03:21pm | 12/07/10

      So, do you think this makes Labor look better or worse?

      It is as least as interesting that the leader of the free world obviously disagreeing with the assassination of the Labor leader.

      You can hardly call this an endorsement of Labor’s actions

    • Holly says:

      07:54am | 12/07/10

      Sophie you could have used this space for your own good - perhaps with an election close by explaining you own parties policies.  Instead you have chosen to parrot the same old coalition and media mantra we have been hearing for months.  You know it is not sticking and you are desperate.  This negative bile is very hard to take on a Monday morning, and I’m not even at work.

      Reply

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:47am | 12/07/10

      As I posted above the Media don’t do there job resulting in the negative attacks from the Libs. If it wasn’t for the Liberals constant attacks K Rudd would still be there.

      They won’t release many policies until an election is called which should be soon. At which point I hope for some real policies to be released but in the mean time we must bear the policy vacuum.

    • Christian Real says:

      06:06pm | 12/07/10

      Holly
      The Liberals can’t release any policies, because they haven’t got any to release, and even if they did have some policies,whether the policies were written or unwritten, it would be hard to tell if they were lies or the truth.

    • T.Chong says:

      07:57am | 12/07/10

      How about - Abbott has enjoyed a honeymoon period. LNP spin machine know this. We’re being presented with a cariacture, a confected image, essentially afalse bill of goods.
      Insightful stuff Sophie. A template so predictable, that works well, no matter who you apply it to.

      Reply

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:55am | 12/07/10

      I don’t know about Abbott’s honeymoon period. His popularity rating was the same or below Turnbull’s when he took over. I think his rise is more a result of Labors fall than anything else. I would hardly say he has had a dream run by the media (excluding the usual suspects). What about his comments about his daughters being taken completly out of context, it is a suprise he is doing so well.

      In all honesty I feel Abbott has been improving whilst most people, myself included would assume he would implode at some stage.

    • Richard says:

      09:07am | 12/07/10

      How about- Abbott hasn’t been given nearly the amount of media coverage as Gillard, has been caricatured less flatteringly in cartoons, and has been subjected to much residual hatred left over from his days as a Howard minister hard man. The real Abbott, the Oxford educated gentleman with dignity has not been given any credence by a media falling over itself to sing Gillard’s praises, despite her duplicitous and disingenuous nature.

    • Lorry says:

      10:10am | 12/07/10

      Richard, there you go again. The reason phony hasn’t been given any credence by the media as “..the Oxford educated gentleman with dignity…” is that it is not the image he or his spin doctors want projected.  They wanted a man of the people look and so that is what he gave them as it contrasted well with Rudd’s intellectual persons. Now that the Prime Minister has moved into a woman of the people look (and voice) herself phony has had to change his image. this duplicity is one of the reasons I like to call him phony tony.

    • Dissident says:

      01:31pm | 12/07/10

      That’s a good one, T. Chong. I needed a laugh this morning after waking up at 2:30am to watch an awful world cup final…

      Tony Abbott has been hammered in the media from day one. In a society where obesity is a massive problem, Tony Abbott was lampooned because he is fit enough to complete a full marathon.

      Then there was Kevin Rudd giving door-stop interviews on the Church steps, but Tony Abbott was the Mad Monk.

      The hypocrisy from the media has been astounding, and you think that Tony Abbott has got a free ride from the media? Incredible.

    • Dave C says:

      08:00am | 12/07/10

      If a Lib/Nat Govt ridiculed an ALP policy for years using terms like racist xenophobic redneck dog whistle etc then months/weeks from an election it adopted a very similar policy of its own then it would be hounded(and rightly so) in the media as a policy opportunistic whatever it takes spin obsessed party desperate to get reelected. 

      Now an ALP Govt is doing this and the media are simply debating the policy itself and not the motives or origins of it letting Gillard spin herself into the election and letting the ALP spread lies about Abbott. 

      Yes Sophie I totally agree with you. But you wait for the bile and vitriol of the ALP supporters to come out abusing you. It will be interesting as you were a big supporter of mandatory detention of Illegal Immigrants / Asylum Seekers / Unauthorized Arrivals whatever you wish to call them. Will the ALP supporters still call you a racist evil bigot redneck xenophobe dog whistler (have I forgotten any other abusive terms) yet the same ALP is adopting the very “evil” policy you have always supported and continue to support. Very interesting indeed.

      Reply

    • DD Ball says:

      08:15am | 12/07/10

      Excellent article, Sophie. I live in the west of Sydney and the only change I can see that the ALP have provided from office is that the local sandwich shop businesses going belly up. The dole queue is so long that they have changed the way it is reported. There is little media analysis of the shortfall. Lots of empty shop fronts and those still left struggling.

      Reply

    • Jay says:

      08:20am | 12/07/10

      Sophie Mirabella should concern herself about her own Party and what they stand about. The Howard Govt was more interested in sitting on huge surpluses and doing nothing to improve the poor infrastructure in Australia.Furthermore they agreed with Rudd on the ETS and only changed their mind when they saw a political opportunity.Tony Abbott continues to lecture Australians about his values,and has isolated women in general with his views. In the end the people kicked out Mr Howard, because they could see that his Govt was shallow and had no effective policies.Howard tried to get work choices implemented which would have effectively created a second tier of workers, something that Gerry Harvey has been long advocating. Julia Gillard negotiated with the mining industry and was able to secure an increased return for all Australians, not just the billionaires.Finally the issue of the boat people continues to plague Labour as they clearly lied in the previous election to the electorate when they stated that they would take a tough stance on illegal immigration. They are now paying for this, and many in the Left of the Labor Party need to understand that many Australians are doing it tough, and they would appreciate some help and compassion rather than directing much needed funds to people who enter Australia illegally. Sounds cold and heartless, but having seen first hand how families are struggling to pay the bills, and find rental accomodation in the cities, I can understand this xenophobic view.  Despite the poor performance of the Rudd/Gillard Govt, Labor continues to hold a slight lead in the polls. Why? Tony Abbott and his Christian conservative views are the reason.People like Petro Georgio are banished from the benches because he dares to comment on social issues. It is time for the Petro Georgio’s of the world to be given a fair voice in the party even though it may contradict what the Liberals claim is their manifesto.

      Reply

    • Sherlock says:

      08:56am | 12/07/10

      I’m starting to hope that Labor win the next election. It appears that many people are starting to believe the ALP spin that Rudd was the cause of all of Labor woes.

      Gillard will be a train wreck as PM and it may be worthwhile to sit though another term of a Labor government so people can see that it’s not any single person but a failure of Labor policy to work in the real world.

      NSW, against their better judgement, gave Labor another chance only for the true horror to expose itself. The electorate’s revenge on being fooled will be savage It will be at least a generation before Labor even begins to look like regaining power in NSW.

      We had 12 good years after the last Labor Government. Three more years of this inept and incompetent government may be worth enduring if it puts them out of power for decades to come

      Reply

    • Elhombre says:

      02:21am | 13/07/10

      I’m with you, especially from here in Dubai where my money is safe from jooolia buzzard and that bumbling, corrupt fool swan. This is without a doubt the most appalling government in the history of the Australian Federation and the fact that anyone would vote for labour is baffling.

    • Tedd says:

      09:18am | 12/07/10

      We don’t need a messiah - we need a team that kicks goals after playing with flair (and a little flare, later).

      Reply

    • pissed off says:

      09:23am | 12/07/10

      I agree with a lot of that. I had high hopes for Rudd after Howard sat on the surplus and let Australia’s infrastructure decay. Sadly Rudd was all talk no action. The main issues for me are simply wasting taxpayers money. As a bare minimum the govt should spend our taxes wisely. They have wasted it on crappy demountable school buildings and dodgy insulation. They have no idea about project management, risk assessment and governanance. Surely some of the smartest people in Govt can organise the basics?. Each policy ends up as a shambles just like the last. Not good enough.

      Reply

    • Tedd says:

      10:07am | 12/07/10

      Fair call.  It’s also the lurching from one extreme to another, sometimes just for the sake of differentiation from the “prior policy-makers or the opposition.

      If they could keep a steady course with some tweaking, we would be a lot better off.

    • Nathan says:

      10:18am | 12/07/10

      Sorry but Howard didn’t sit on surplusses, he actually paid off Debt with them. He was then putting some away for a rainy day (being the GFC which Costello actually warned us about). Dont be supprised again when the Liberals take over that infristructure is again put on the backburner to pay off the labor imposed debt. If Howard had another term, i would have no doubt that infristrucure would have been a part of it, with zero debt and money in the bank, you then have a good platform for large scale investments in infristructue ect. With the hand that the Liberals will be taking over from, it will be another decade before Australia is in any position to make any large investments. What then?? you going to complain about the liberals then for not spending like drunken saliors like Labor??? or thank them for paying off this debt.

    • Mary from Wide Bay says:

      10:50am | 12/07/10

      Dear Christian, re //Kevin Rudd is more of a Christian than your Leader Tony abbott will ever be// Kevin proved himself very much not to be a true Christian with his closing words at his fare well speech as follows,
      //But to the great God and creator of us all, I thank him- or her- as well//

      There can not be a serious follower of God’s Word addressing Him as a he or she for political correctness’ sake.

      Sorry but that one summed it all up perfectly for me and I am surprised that not many people seemed to have pick up on that.

      It proves that political correctness is valued more than true faith.

      Reply

    • Nicole says:

      11:12am | 12/07/10

      What I find highly amusing is Jooolia & her supporters sprouting off about how she’s going to fix everything. People seem to forget that she has had more than a hand in screwing things up. The unelected PM has been instrumental in it all and now she’s going to ‘fix’ everything? It’s ok Jooolz, Tony will come forward with some policies soon and you can copy from there. Jooolia hasn’t got a clue.

      Reply

    • Phil says:

      11:29am | 12/07/10

      Nicole agreed.

      Joolya and her guvmint are only Kevin Rudd 2.0. They are still the useless lot that gave us such terrible policies.

      They are just doing what they always do just before an election. They pretend to be the Liberal Party. They are all of a sudden economic conservatives, tough on asylum seekers, care about others. What BS.

      They are doing whatever it takes.

      The meeja are not holding her to account. Asking her about which decisions she was involved in and which ones she was not. Clearly she had her hand in the pies manufacture, cooking and serving all along.

      Ronald McDonald is a great similarity, except Ron loves the kids.

      Many young women will see her and her lifestyle and aspire, only to be disapointed later in life, when the boyfriends leave and leave them alone. I know this happens in marriage, but a marriage normally has more committment than a defacto relationship. It also seems that Joolya has been involves with a few Union Hacks, Cabinet members in her earlier days.

    • Christian Real says:

      06:25am | 14/07/10

      Nicole says:
      “Tony will come forward with some policies soon and you can copy from there. Jooolia hasn’t got a clue.”
      It is Tony that hasn’t got a clue Nicole, not Jooolia has you claim.
      Tony hasn’t got any policies to bring forward soon,so there is nothing for Jooolia to copy.
      And Nicole are they scripted policies, or unscripted polices that you are hoping Tony will bring forward soon.
      An Extract from a story in The Brisbane Times, ” Read my lying lips: You can’t believe everything he says.”, written by Phillip Coorey, May 18, 2010.(This was also in other online newspapers Nicole, taken from Abbott’s interview on The 7.30 Report.)
      “Tony Abbott has told voters not to believe everything he says. In an extraordinary admission last night, the opposition leader said his only utterances that should be regarded as “Gospel Truth’ were carefully prepared and scripted remarks such as speeches or policy pronouncements,otherwise he indicated that statements he made during the “heat of discussion’ such as radio interviews or under questioning at press conferences,were not necssarily reliable.”
      * In another paragraph Tony Abbott said:
      “Which is one of the reasons why the statements that need to be taken as gospel truth [ are ] those carefully prepared scripted remarks.”
      * So Nicole, is anything that Tony abbott says or does reliable, I think not.

    • poa says:

      04:30pm | 12/07/10

      Absolutely Sophie. The Aussie people were sold something in Kevin07 that was an outright lie. Its left a bitter taste in the mouths of many.
      The new messiah is so much better though apparently.
      And she’s FEMALE!
      Gee….if that doesn’t work they have others!
      Great job for Indi Sophie. You’ll be getting my vote.

      Reply

    • Michael says:

      05:12pm | 12/07/10

      Sophie, you’re not paying attention. Didn’t you seen all those warm, motherly, calming, downward-pressure hand gestures during Julia’s speeches? Look at the hands, listen to her words: “you are feeling sleepy, you are feeling…. sleepy….”. Poof! Population pressures solved! Call the election!

      Gillard’s spin is pure nauseating lies. A sickening insult to our intelligence. Worse than Rudd, Gillard can hide behind a woman’s smile and expectation of courtesy. Bugger that for a joke, go hard on her folks, and wipe the smile off her face until she stops treating us like fools.

      Reply

    • dead to me says:

      06:08pm | 12/07/10

      I guess if you look at state and federal Labor you realize that they never change. They get voted in time and time again and do a crappy job time and time again. If the voters won’t change what motivation is there for crappy Labor leaders to do so.

      Reply

    • Joe says:

      09:35pm | 12/07/10

      Sophie I agree totally. Too many in the media are more than willing to believe the fairytail that the new left wing leader will bring left wing nervana for us all. But it is just a big fairy tail! And we grow up and realise they aren’t true.

      Reply

    • Michael says:

      02:57am | 13/07/10

      Pretty disgusting that they allow a Federal MP to be a “journalist” and spread their garbage propaganda - Labor or Liberal.

      Reply

    • Dave C says:

      09:26am | 13/07/10

      Craig Emerson and other ALP members and some Green Politicians have also written columns…...... as has Steve Fielding and Barnaby Joyce. The Punch publishes articles from all sides of politics and thats a good thing for the rest of us to then debate what they are saying.

 
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