What Rudd can learn from Ricky Ponting

SteveKAG says:

07:27am | 21/02/12

There is no room for a change in public perception with regards to Gillard, she is a part of the same bracket of politicians that have stuffed up so much during the last 5 years.

I will never forgive this government for the terrible mistakes they have made.
By the way everyone keeps talking about the bills that are getting passed, passing minor bills that no one cares about is inconsequential to the nation and the argument.  With the backing of the far left greens and greedy, power hungry independents they have a majority so why would they not pass bills.

As a manager i know that when there are problems in teh work place, the prodcutivity goes up, people keep their heads down and bum up.  I assume it is no different in the parliment.  No one wants to get caught in the cross fire of these two inept, power mad people.

Bring on an election, if Labour are so certain of there position bring it on.

Tubesteak says:

07:40am | 21/02/12

I don’t think Clarke is that good.

Firstly, he wasn’t booed at the SCG. I was at that game and he was cheered. He was booed a week or so before at a different ground (could have been Brisbane or maybe Melbourne).

Time and time again Clarke has shown that he doesn’t have the maturity to be a good captain. When the team is on the ropes and we need a solid captain’s knock (like we could have gotten from Border or Boonie back in the day) he tried a reverse sweep and got out. Often we lost the game.

He had two good innings in the test series against India. Other than that it wasn’t much chop. I think the team has won in spite of him more often than not or because the other team lost.

As for Gillard, we do have some good figures. But again this has little to do with Rudd/Gillard and more to do with the reforms of Keating and the fact that Treasury is playing classic Keynesianism as you expect them to do. Gillard has failed on a number of policy issues (education, infrastructure, health, middle-class welfare to name a few). Things are ok but not great.

It was good that Ponting was dropped. He’s failed too many times and we need to develop a depth of talent to take into the next Ashes series.

Steve says:

07:51am | 21/02/12

SteveKAG - if the bills that are passed are so minor, then why the outrage?

And this sentence strikes me as odd “As a manager i know that when there are problems in teh work place, the prodcutivity goes up, people keep their heads down and bum up.”

Nothing like fear to promote productivity amiright? Why create great workplaces where people actually want to work and increase productivity through innovativeness, when you can create fear.

And I am pretty sure “greedy, power hungry” equally applies to politicians of all sides. If you disagree you are clearly delusional.

Oh and what exactly is stuffed up? Please explain - do you not enjoy one of the highest standards, if not the highest, standard of living in the world?

Steve says:

07:57am | 21/02/12

Tubesteak - NBN is infrastructure, it is highly hypocritical to claim on the one hand that nothing is being done on infrastructure, and then whinge about the NBN, which many coalition supporters seem to do. Ditto with cutting back middle class welfare, on the one hand you want it, on the other hand when it happens it’s suddenly “Labor wanting a class war”.

They can’t win, just like Clarke can’t seem to in some people’s eyes.

And Clarke definitely got booed in Sydney during the last English summer. And his captaincy is innovative and effective. His 300 came when the side were 3/30. he played a great captains knock in South Africa - they are hardly winning “in spite” of Clarke. If anything that just goes to show you’re ignorance of the game. So many ex players agree that Clarke is actually a very good captain.

SteveKAG says:

08:59am | 21/02/12

let’s talk about stuffed up, pink batts, cash for schools ($1m for a toilet???), a carbon tax that is not in any public interest, the NBN that no one wants or cares about….....do you want more?
It is not that people are complaining about these inconsequential bills that are getting passed, they are complaining about a government that seems to terat the PM office like a revolving door at Myers, the fact that they clearly are not able to manage any projects they put in place such as the above.

As for the workplace, i never said i put the fear into people it is an observation i make of several industrial workplaces i have managed over the years.  I guess it is human nature for many peolpe to keep their head down when the bulelts start flying.  I think parliment is probably going through the same thing.

Sure their is greed and power hungar on both sides of politics but it is only labor governments who so blatently display it…...
Gough - Hopeless.
Keating stabbed Hawke, Gillar stabbed Rudd, now Rudd trying to return the favour…...
Liberal givernments have not changed a seated PM in the last 50 years that i am aware of…..and iti s the liberal giovernemnt which will have to once again clean up teh mess of yet another inept labor government…....these are not my personal views, they are simple facts.

sunny says:

09:19am | 21/02/12

@Tubesteak “He had two good innings in the test series against India.” They were quite darn good actually. But it’s not just about getting runs (although I agree the captain should dig deep at the crease if the team is in trouble). The captain’s main job is to engineer 20 wickets. Clarke seems to be very good at this, setting the right structures and getting the team spirit there to have a real attacking dig in the field - admittedly he has had some very good new bowlers under his command.

As you say, it’s The Ashes we want. Clarke’s next Ashes campaign will be his <insert a French word for defining moment> ..Gillard’s next election campaign will be hers - so there’s a similarity between the two.  Another similarity is that they each remain very positive in the face of a lot of unfounded criticism (yeah and some founded criticism) and personal attacks.

I think Ricky Ponting gets some bad press considering his brilliant achievements, but all the same I don’t want him to captain another Ashes squad.

Steve says:

09:36am | 21/02/12

SteveKAG - “the NBN that no one wants or cares about”, not only is it ridiculous hyperbole, but it’s factually incorrect. 56% of those polled in Essential Research (which actually gave the coalition a 2PP lead of 55-45) over the weekend were in favour of the NBN, with 26% against.

Even amongst Coalition voters, opinion is split - with 42% for and 43% against. I don’t mind you having your personal opinion, but to say “these are not my personal views, they are simple facts” when they are evidently not the facts completely discredits you.

And I asked a question how the country is stuffed up - you did not provide me with any reason other than a whinge. Are there government troops shooting people in the streets that I somehow missed? No. Perhaps there’s millions of homeless? No not that either. Oh I see, stretched on your mortgage? Must be the gubermints fault you’re overleveraged!

Pathetic really.

Tubesteak says:

12:07pm | 21/02/12

Steve
One infrastructure project isn’t a win. Where’s the funding for roads, trains and buses that we are depserately crying out for, especially in NSW.

Who said I want middle-class welfare? I certainly didn’t. I detest it.

Maybe we’re talking about different games. I was in the member’s stand and remember people standing up and giving Clarke a round of applause when he walked to the crease. There was no booing. You can only cite two decent knocks. I can site dozens of failures. Clarke isn’t worthy of the captaincy, unfortunately, there’s not really anyone else that can do it right now.

Sunny
I don’t think Clarke makes enough runs. Whether he engineers wickets is too difficult to quantify. Some good new bowlers and some good experience with Siddle I think speaks more to that.

Steve says:

01:14pm | 21/02/12

Tubesteak - are we talking about the same series, i.e. against England? And I was sitting on the concourse under the Victor Trumper, possibly a very different atmosphere.

Also, aren’t buses and trains state issues, so in NSW the neglect of the government for the past however many years is surely to blame. I agree our roads need an investment, but so do our communications networks - so I am at least happy something is being done.

I can site plenty of decent knocks in the time since he’s become captain. In fact in 11 tests since taking over the captaincy, we have won 7, drawn 2 and lost 2, and Clarke has scored 5 centuries. When you consider that two of those series were away to Sri Lanka and South Africa, I consider that a pretty good return. Perhaps you have some personal bias, because the facts don’t really back up your view. I remember Clarke saving a test against England in 2009, scoring a century to set us up for a win in Adelaide in 2007, again a hundred against South Africa in Sydney in 2009. let alone his 150 in his first test against India in India and his other 90 odd which helped secure our first series win in India in however long.

Again the parallels are uncanny, it seems no matter how well some people do, it’s just not good enough for some.

PW says:

06:08pm | 21/02/12

SteveKAG: “Liberal givernments have not changed a seated PM in the last 50 years that i am aware of…..”

It’s always a good idea to make oneself aware before posting on the interweb. It was 1971, McMahon took over from Gorton. Neither of them stood a chance in the face of the mighty Whitlam wave that was engulfing the nation.

The saddest thing is that Gough had lost by a whisker in 1969, this would be a very different country had that result been reversed.

Hayden says:

08:44am | 21/02/12

Or the fact he actually captained Australia against India the other night and flogged em…Punter for PM!!!!

Jessie says:

08:27am | 21/02/12

If Julia had any sense she would sack herself. She is a joke.

sunny says:

09:29am | 21/02/12

Warnie is that you?

AJ says:

11:16am | 21/02/12

I think it looks neat and shows self-confidence.

marley says:

01:55pm | 21/02/12

So, if New Ltd writes about the leadership challenge, it’s creating, not reporting.  So, tell me, how do you rate Barrie Cassidy’s article on the subject over on the ABC website?  The one where he said:

“Rudd is campaigning. Rudd is talking to journalists about the leadership despite his astonishing denial.

I know the names of some of those he has spoken to. I know where he said it – in his office – on a parliamentary sitting day – and I know what he said. He told them a challenge would happen; he told them he was prepared to lose the first ballot and go to the backbench; and in one conversation he laughed about the prospect of Gillard stumbling again.”

Who exactly is creating what?

tassie troo says:

11:17am | 21/02/12

does that mean you’re like Rudd? self-depreciation is not healthy.

Trude says:

11:56am | 21/02/12

No, I’m not self-depreciating, though I don’t brag either. I’m just myself, with good and bad points.

Clem says:

12:05pm | 21/02/12

Yes, that’s what I thought while reading this. And interestingly Menzies was also ousted the first time when his party turned on him. Then went on to become the longest serving PM. Shows it’s possible, but can’t imagine that happening here.

Jeez it’d sell a lot of papers though. Or put a big spike in newspaper website traffic.

Tim says:

03:34pm | 21/02/12

C’Mon Ant,
you thought about Menzies then decided it didn’t fit with what you were trying to say so you left it out.

Tim says:

07:49pm | 21/02/12

Ha ha,
I knew it.

Esteban says:

07:04pm | 21/02/12

What is Bob Browne’s job, third umpire? he gets to push the out or not out button.

Andrew Wilkie drives the bus between the ground and hotel. Once considered very important but easily forgotten once you are back at the hotel and not needed anymore.