http://news.smh.com.au/liberals-argue-over-leadership-reform/20080305-1x1c.html

Senior Liberals are divided over a proposal that party members should be allowed to select the party leader.

Opposition frontbencher Chris Pyne has suggested adopting the British Conservative Party model, in which the MPs choose two candidates and the broader party membership votes on which one should be leader.

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has given tentative backing to the plan, saying it could be put to the Liberal federal council meeting mid-year.

But opposition defence spokesman Nick Minchin ruled out the idea, saying a similar model had been a "disaster" for the Australian Democrats.

Well, it's not so much a matter of leadership reform per se.  Hayseed received an easy reprieve.  He lost his seat, so he is entitled to bugger off and take advantage of whatever the community/corporate world offer him.

But, it really is another dilemma for Vaille, Downer and Costello.

Minchin is taking a leadership role on this issue, so more power (and credit) to his elbow!

And Nelson is at 7% approval rating.

Early days, but I see no liberal Messiah on the horizon.

deepthought wrote on Mar 5^th, 2008 at 10:07pm:


Ho, ho ho, and a bottle of rum!  The Lieberal lot you voted for are disintegrating.

Off to the salt mines for you! 

At least two terms splitting rocks...........oh.......or salt.

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Mar 6^th, 2008 at 2:12am:


We will have fusion nuclear generators within 50 years in Australia.   Get with the program.  Clean, inexhaustible, environmentally friendly and as safe as the sun.

deepthought wrote on Mar 6^th, 2008 at 5:34am:


I'm skeptical of "safe" nucear energy. However, I'm coming around to the idea of having nuclear energy. Before the anti-nuclear supporters jump on my back - its mainly because we don't have a real viable alternative that will provide us with enough power required to sustain our growing population (Brumby just made available more blocks of land).

I lament the fact that the previous federal govt did not see the need for sustainable energy research until the need for one is beyond urgent. I lament the fact that they saw the need to stifle debate from scientists and intellectuals who are climate change advocates and thus removing the real urgency and instilling an "all is well" illusion.

At the end of all that, my glass is half empty. I believe (in Australia) it is too late to develop and implement sustainable energy before the onslaught of climate change hits. Therefore, we have no alternative but to implement nuclear energy (a sad day) as an expensive and dangerous band aid until the sustainable energy industry matures in Aust.

Acid Monkey wrote on Mar 6^th, 2008 at 3:47pm:


May I suggest a valium?

Crikey you're gloomy.

Probably because you are shouldering the burden of disillusionment about the previous government.  Are you still wearing your blinkers?

A couple of years into its tenure the coalition government became increasingly aware of how little the previous 'corporation friendly' Liebor Government had done to protect the environment and launched a number of unprecedented envirocentric schemes.

In 1999 they passed powerful legislation - the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - to underpin strong initiatives to protect our fisheries, coral reefs and our marine and land based resources.  Australia was the first country in the world to conduct an environmental audit to identify the richest biodiverse areas in the country to earmark them for protection via agencies such as the The National Heritage Trust, an agency set up by the coalition as one of their first acts in coming to power in 1996.

They spent billions of dollars in preservation and protection of Australia's environment and ecology and actually set up Trust funding until the year 2008.  This will no doubt be cut by the current greedy Liebor government who prefer to spend the nation's cash on computers.

And of course there was the institution of the Renewable Energy Development Initiative - a fund which granted milions of dollars every year to researchers investigating renewable energy projects.  In fact in one day in 2005 they funded $23 million worth of diverse renewable energy projects including solar thermal electricity generation, solar hot water breakthroughs and a whopping $5 million towards geothermal energy harnessing.

Sadly the blinkers have caused you to miss all the good news.  No wonder you're gloomy.