That got ya going, didn't It?

Unfortunately, it's fake news

There is no such thing as an honest politician anywhere.

Especially Australia

Yeah, right.😉

Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 9:40am:


And if one with good intentions happens to get through he or she is quickly shackled and shown the boundaries.

Coincidently a lot of them are lawyers.

I am surprised.  Indeed, I could say shocked.  None of the PHONy supporters have claimed that Pauline is honest.  Oh, dearie, dearie, me.  What does that suggest about the red haired politician?   

Johnnie wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 3:10pm:


No prizes for second, mate.  Keep trying, you might catch on, once you've worked out the rules.   

Brian Ross wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 3:38pm:

What rules! Go ahead, make my day,, you name a more open and honest politician.

Mr Hammer wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 4:47pm:



A good man

Johnnie wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 3:53pm:


I think Pauline's inability to recognise her own ignorance is a major problem to her being "honest and open".   That she seems to be easily influenced by her latest Sven Ghalli figure is another.   

That you appear to prefer an ignorant politician over a knowledgeable one suggests what about your personality?  Mmmm?   

When and if they find this honest politician one thing you can be sure of....... it won't be a lib.

Brian Ross wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 6:26pm:



we all do Brian   how do you tell an honest pollie until he/she becomes one.....

thats the conundrum...its impossible right????>..

over all I dont think we do too bad....

its stoopid to condemn someone for an honest mistake   because we all make them...and lefties tend to only condemn Liberal ones....

mind you if I was a leftie  I would want to forget Labors  record as well...

cods wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2018 at 8:29am:


Both sides of politics has made mistakes, Cods.  Liberal and Labor.   However, both sides like to pin their mistakes on individuals and forget about them, rather than examine the systemic problems that allowed those mistakes to be fostered and implemented.

Then, we have unfortunatly all too often allowed lies to be created in the media and consumed by the public until they become truths.  Julia Gilliard is one such example.  She is, according to the Liberals and their supporters, the "red haired witch" who misgoverned Australia into ruin.   That of course is a sexist insult and completely untrue.  In reality she was one of our most successful Prime Ministers.  Not one piece of legislation she proposed was defeated in Parliament.   Not one policy, was abandoned during her term.  She was a consummate negotiator and an able politician.   She out maneuvered her political opponents at every turn.   I didn't like her but I have given an honest appraisal of her performance.  Much better than Tony Abbott's or Rupert Murdoch's view of her.  Guess which view the public believed?

Another able politician was John Howard.   He out maneuvered his opponents, invented "dog whistle politics" and changed Australia significantly.   He brought the budget into the black and provided massive savings for the Commonwealth.  His abilities to manipulate the political debate were often breathtaking.   I admired him, even if I disagreed with his policies.  The Australian public loved him, until it grew tired of him.  As I remarked Tim Fischer over a dinner we both attended, it was obvious that he should have resigned 12 months before his final election.  He was on a high.  He could have gone out with kudos.   However, he didn't and so was defeated.

It is usually easier to make such judgements in retrospect, I am quite willing to admit.

Mr Hammer wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2018 at 8:52pm:


All policies which predated her ascension to the PM's office, Hammer.   Tsk, tsk, get your history correct.   I know it's hard for you to do a Google search but, hey, at least try for a change.   

Brian Ross wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2018 at 9:10pm:

She kept them when she could have changed them, brick.

Frank wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2018 at 9:19pm:



She kept them because most of them actually worked rather well, Soren.

Tell me, have you invested heavily in coal?  Afterall, that was the only real industry under threat during Gilliard's tenue.   

Mr Hammer wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2018 at 9:19pm:


So, you agree that those policies predated Gilliard's ascension to power, Hammer?  Is that an admission of a mistake on your part?  How unusual!   

Mark Latham turned honest

cods wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2018 at 10:36am:


I don't think it helps either, at the federal level at least, when the public seems so fickle when it comes to the performance of the party in government and the senior ministers are quick to change leaders because of the polls and public sentiment. This is part of the reason why we've gone through four prime ministers in the last 10 years. I'm at a point where I don't care which side is in power, all I want to see is some stability so that the party in power can put in place policies that will be of some benefit to the future of the country.

Nor do I care if a politician "flip flops". If you've got a new set of data that contradicts the position you currently hold then you should be allowed to change your mind, just don't do it so often that it makes you look indecisive or lacking principles.