The dying days of the Fourth Reich: it's the 2007 AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

Well done, Kevin Rudd, anyway. I generally find him boring and uninspiring, like a less sincere Kim Beazley, and his "anti-politician" schtick is a bit of a fraud but.. just for today, he was a little bit magnificent. I'm a little bit proud, too. My housemate came home in a big black SORRY t-shirt and that was also fantastic. The bleeding heart lefties are having their glorious day in the sun at last.

Brendan Nelson did OK. He's not an evil man, he's just not bestowed with a lot of political acumen. In his early years he did a LOT in Aboriginal health. But that bit where he was covering his arse so as not to "offend" the hard right was not becoming of a real statesman.

The bleeding heart lefties are having their glorious day in the sun at last.

I would hope everyone is.

Brendan Nelson did OK. He's not an evil man, he's just not bestowed with a lot of political acumen.

True, but he's leading a party that captained HMS Racist Bastard for the past decade. AND, when Rudd got in he said his party would not support an apology. So not dumb, just unprincipled.

It's OK, he's just there for one term. Rudd will piss it in next time (they're disciplined, working well and the only massively sour point so far is the big-brother internet censorship plan), and the Libs will be quite electable under Turnbull if the crazies piss off and join Family First, and in any case, a strong opposition makes for a good government too.

Just watched the full speech online...I was reduced to tears, and for the first time in a long time, I was actually proud of a PM.

Nelson's speech had too many caveats, limp-wristedly reaching across the divide while taking great pains to point out that it really wasn't any one group's fault. Rudd's speech was a hard act to follow, but for god's sake, anyone could see the way that was paved for Nelson before he drove in with his backhoe and screwed it all up. I get what he was trying to say, but the bottom line is that speech was too pragmatic for it's own good. But I can't say I expected much more from that camp anyway...sadly, no surprises there.

Nelson will not last to nearly the next election. He'll be lucky to make it to Christmas.

I feel really proud to be Australian today...and fucked if I haven't felt that way for a very long time.

La Bolt is fuming because he apparently got ambushed on a Today Tonight story tonight about the stolen generation. What a great day.

"Yo yo yo check out me and my bros!"

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44422000/jpg/_44422934_416pm_afp.jpg

"La Bolt is fuming because he apparently got ambushed on a Today Tonight story tonight about the stolen generation. What a great day."

You'd pay good money to see that. When Bolt fumes, his sense of entitlement glows in the dark and can be seen from the top of Mt Hotham.

Nice belated gesture, SETS THE TONE etc, hope its a real turning point for the first mongs.

As for Rudd being boring and uninspiring, yeah he come across a bit blah doesnt he.I find the cleancut wholesome BIG LOVE mormon thing hes got going on a bit creepy but still refreshing- and he doesnt appear too smarmy! The most UNAUSTRALIAN AUSTRALIAN PM EVER.

Yes, that's true.

Wilson Tuckey though eh? Wow.

What did he do this time?

He did an interview just before Rudd started his speech. Pathetic, whinging 'it's-all-a-fuss-ocver-nothing-blame-the-PC-crowd rabble-rousing bulldust. You wouldn't get it into a meathead like Tuckey's skull if you pounded it in with a piledriver, but the only goddam reason they interviewed him at all this morning is as a study in irrelevance.

Doubtless you all know how he got the nickname 'Ironbar'.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-time-has-come--for-all-australians-to-together-build-a-truly-great-nation/2008/02/13/1202760342960.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Mr Rudd's speech was not greeted with unanimous approval, however, with Mr Tuckey telling Sky News shortly before 9am he doubted the speech - which has bipartisan support - would change anything.

"So the Prime Minister reads a speech, apparently some people stand up and sit down and then a miracle happens over night, there'll be no petrol sniffing ... and girls can sleep safely in the family bed at night," he said.

When asked by Sky News if he supported the apology, a technical error occurred, with Mr Tuckey telling the camera he was unable to hear the question.

It's time for that guy to go.

Tuckey dropped a major clanger with that 'wouldn't change anything' line.

It flows right in the face of all those other numbskulls who insist that today will bring its wake a truclkload of compensation claims and the end of Civilisation As We Know It by next Tuesday week at the latest.

a technical error occurred

TUCKEY MUST DIE

rac'ist adj. & n. - Wilson Tuckey

He's a bastard. He's the oldest man in parliament, and, do you know, the Liberals were in such bad shape in the 80s, I think he might even have been their environment spokesperson at one point. He's the most right-wing old-school National (except he's a Liberal) imaginable, every stereotype you might have about the Nats actually applies to Tuckey. A vile man.

He and my father-in-law would get on quite well.

We saw the whole thing last night. Apart from tearing up several times -- and who wouldn't, honestly -- Nelson was clearly moved by the whole thing. If he had a better and more sensitive speech writer it would have been a perfect day.

(brother-in-law) is not sorry.

OH GOOD.

Cunt.

Tony "People Skills" Abbott:

"Kevin Rudd is unlikely to be held accountable if the targets aren't met because it's hardly likely that in a decade's time, he will still be the prime minister."

WHY DID YOU NOT MAKE THIS MAN OPPOSITION LEADER??

Wow.

He'd make an awesome wind vane.

What was cool was that our boss gave everyone the morning off yesterday to go to Elder Park in Adelaide and watch it on the big screens. And this morning she's aske dme to make a big poster with the text of the beginning of the speech to hang on our wall.

I like working here.

I don't like Wilson Tuckey.

Nelson's 'sorry' speech magnificent: Abbott
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/02/14/1202760433686.html

Yes. Well.

hope its a real turning point for the first mongs.

we watched it at work because we're a bunch of pinkos.

I told 'er indoors her brother is an arsehole for his facebook status above and now she's dark on me.

Racist.

Meanwhile I have to listen to her tanked father scream 'YA BLOODY POOFTER' over and over in front of ~50 people and put up with it.

yo is it true that adam got sonned by a wife in a facebook relative beef??

TS tolerating family bigotry vs selling out

Hi Ned!

What was cool was that our boss gave everyone the morning off yesterday to go to Elder Park in Adelaide and watch it on the big screens. And this morning she's aske dme to make a big poster with the text of the beginning of the speech to hang on our wall.

I like working here.

James, could you get me a job at your work?

(I live at Ridleyton so I could walk to Elder Park if your boss needs me to do so.)

WELCOME TO THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF MALCOLM "IN TOUCH WITH REAL PEOPLE -- AS LONG AS YOU LIVE AT BONDI" TURNBULL AS OPPOSITION LEADER

I know that replacing the Bag of Sawdust is going to be more effective for the Liberals, but good heavens, I want to punch that man in the face so many times.

(I still maintain they should have Tony Abbott as leader for the LOL factor alone.)

What surprised me is it didn't make page 1, or 3, but page _5!_ of the 'Advertiser'. Of course, most of page 1 was an offer for cheapo soccer t-shirts.

Turnbull is very left-sympathetic for a right-winger. Could be all right.

Turnbull is an ultra-capitalist opportunist that pays lip service to "political correctness" for his own benefit. I'd trust him as CEO of my ASX-listed company but not of my Federal Government.

Still, if it gets us closer to a Republic, I'm all for it.

He's no Howard.

turnbull came up rough. i heard he used to live in a rented house

Wow, that's harsh. And he was forced to go to Sydney Grammar School. How he overcame those odds I don't know.

a triumph of the human spirit

I am enjoying Turnbull vs Costello (aka Two Liberal Spivs with Handbags at Dawn).

They might as well give up the next election already.

lol Hewson

still my favourite moderate spiv

Any specific link for all this, for interested readers?

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/you-missed-your-chance-peter-20090221-8e70.html?page=-1

Hewson was a great moderate but.. er.. a hopeless politician who gave off a scary right-wing loony vibe when nothing could have been further from the truth. I think we are far better off not having had him as Prime Minister, but far poorer for him not staying on in parliament. Ideas people tend to scare Australians.

Which is why Kevin Rudd is such a colourless, horrible drip. He's only slightly better than Howard!

Week's events in review: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/daggers-are-drawn-between-costello-and-turnbull-20090220-8dkp.html

Hewson lets rip on Costello: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/you-missed-your-chance-peter-20090221-8e70.html