Leaked report reveals leaked reports cause leaks

nihonin says:

09:03am | 10/12/11

‘Gillard was like the rebound affair you jump into after a bad relationship - comforting at the time, but now you wish you could chew your arm off’.  Sorry Alf, but I’ve never been that drunk .

Bertrant says:

09:45am | 10/12/11

Ah, the good old chestnut of the economically illiterate. Surplus = always good, deficit = always bad.

Certainly, over time you don’t want to be running constant deficits, as the troubles in Europe and America will attest to. Yet a government that continues to run a surplus during times of economic hardship (such as now) is probably acting irresponsibly.

There is no doubt that waste has occurred under this Labor government. It is one of their major failings and they are rightfully being held to account for it. Yet to simply scream ‘deficit’, without considering the possibility that sometimes it is the right thing to have, is ridiculous.

As for Howard and Costello’s surplus. The last few years of their government also saw massive amounts of waste as they threw billions at the electorate in election bribes. Furthermore, good chunks of their surplus came from selling off national assets for a one-off cash boost. Their focus on always running big surpluses and always providing big tax cuts meant that spending had to be dropped in other places. It is why one of their legacies was a crumbling national infrastructure.

Anthony says:

09:53am | 10/12/11

I think you missed the point Alf. I don’t know what is more entertaing, the article or your response?

Unionist says:

10:01am | 10/12/11

Poor widdle wAlf…. didn’t get his $900 Rudd cheque

Alf says:

10:13am | 10/12/11

@Antony. it is about the failure of Labor to recognise they are a complete FAILURE (as revealded by Bracks, Carr and Faulkner, but censored by Gillard)

I am glad you found my post entertaining…I might say the same if you get the time to write one yourself. Go ahead…make my day.

jf says:

10:40am | 10/12/11

Bertrant says:10:45am | 10/12/11

“Ah, the good old chestnut of the economically illiterate. Surplus = always good, deficit = always bad.”

Fair enough point Bertrant. The problem with this mob is that they have consistently failed to run surpluses when they should have meaning that the electorate doesn’t have sufficient confidence or trust in them to run a deficit when they need to.

bs says:

11:12am | 10/12/11

jf
Have you forgotten about the GFC already?
Isn’t that the first sign of alzheimers?

Engage brain before typing next time.

Alf says:

11:20am | 10/12/11

@unionist. Actually, for once you are right. I didn’t get $900 from Krudd. Some of us were exempt and didn’t get the opportunity to bluge of other taxpayers.

wolfie says:

01:18pm | 10/12/11

um Alf, Anthony was just pointing out that you may have missed the ..... dots between “everyone ... their”. It’s meant to be a joke suggesting that there may have been ... beneficial editing. By all means be angry and carry your super angry monster hunting torch, but try at the same time to not look like one of the slightly slower villagers by missing the point.

jf says:

01:47pm | 11/12/11

bs says:12:12pm | 10/12/11

“Have you forgotten about the GFC already?”

Not at all. What’s your point?

Or do you just come on here, chuck a few insults around and then scurry away?

Concerned Onlooker says:

09:13am | 12/12/11

@Alf I hate to be a pedant, but your comment seems to indicate that you believe KRudd is actually a very competent egomaniac - he just happens to be an incompetent economic manager. Or are you suggesting he’s incompetent at both?

Craig of North Brisbane says:

02:09pm | 12/12/11

Ah, good old Coalition supporters… they just read the first sentence or two to get the gist of things then immediately head for the comment section without reading the rest or understanding that maybe, just maybe, the column might be satirical.

acotrel says:

10:10am | 10/12/11

@Oscar
‘Howard/Costello after 12 years and money coming from all sides and selling public assets all what they left was 20 billion.You call that achievement?’

And no new INFRASTRUCTURE !

Alf says:

10:29am | 10/12/11

@oscar. Actually, yes it was an achievement.

Better then the $130b debt racked up (so far)  by these Labor fools in just 4 years.

Hillbilly says:

10:45am | 10/12/11

Oscar - Yeah!  I do.

Alf says:

02:41pm | 10/12/11

@Robert. Rudd took office in 2007 with net government surplus of almost $45 billion and left office in June 2010 with an estimated net debt of almost $42 billion. The record waste accredited to Rudd includes: $2.5b on pink bats, $23b in cash handouts and $14.7b on school halls. The great ‘economic conservative’ was more like a drunken sailor.

Gillard was in lock step with him all the way (until he turned his back).

n_dude says:

11:22am | 12/12/11

How can you say Pakistan is no threat to Australia? Who do you think funds Al Qaeda and the Taliban? Certainly not the Indians! Pakistan’s rampant ISI is one of the primary causes and supporters of Islamic terrorism.

Wilma J Craig says:

04:34pm | 10/12/11

How right you are, Honey!
I only ever voted once for the ALP & that was back in 1975. Not that it made a tap of difference for I was living in one of Malcolm Fraser’s Safest Liberal seats in the country!
I just did not like the whole Government House bit.

n_dude says:

11:23am | 12/12/11

That does not necessarily make right though.

Alf says:

05:11pm | 10/12/11

@Trude. Rudd was a fool, Gillard is a bigger fool. And, he didn’t look too ‘dignified’ after Gillard just knifed him - the bottom lip trembling and tearing up while he bumbled through his ‘taking one for the team’ talk was the TV highlight of 2010. Classic stuff.

If Rudd had any guts, he would have walked by now. He is just a big pussy.

Kevin says:

04:11pm | 11/12/11

Alf, I suggest you take a Bex and have a good lie down before you burst a blood vessel.