For example, Peter Costello has been strangely absent from performing the task of reminding the public about the economic credentials of the Howard government. This is notable, because Mr Costello has for a long time sacrificed his own leadership aspirations to the ongoing fame of Mr Howard. There have been few more selfless than Mr Costello in their self-sacrifice to the legend of Mr Howard.

Worryingly for Mr Howard, however, Mr Costello’s policy of self-abnegation appears to be subject to amendment.

There is an intense battle being waged within coalition ranks over the future of the AWB right to veto export licences for wheat of other corporations. Ever mindful of the importance of this issue for the National Party, Mr Howard, who is as we all know a very clever politician, is inclined to support the right of an AWB veto. The role of AWB in assisting Saddam Hussein to bankroll the current Iraq insurgency is relatively unimportant to Mr Howard in comparison to his winning another term as Prime Minister.

Mr Costello, on the other hand, has been assiduous in pressing for the end of the AWB veto. His opposition has been so effective that Mr Howard has been forced to “respeak” a very equivocatory line on this vital issue of the AWB veto.

Mr Costello appears to be wielding unusual and disturbing influence within the Liberal Party. Mr Howard cannot be unaware of the tens of thousands of farmer-stock holders of AWB for whom Mr Costello’s latterday challenge to Mr Howard represents a material financial threat.

Mr Howard thus faces a rejuvenated ALP united behind Mr Rudd and a Deputy Leader with a knife and a clear view of Mr Howard’s shoulderblades.

But of course Mr Howard is a very clever politician. As he himself has said, challenges like this just spur him to work harder.

Although, I will say he is the best candidate that labor has put forward in a long, long time. He’s just green.

Apart from that he is just the scripted voice of a marketing team still driving a party that cant get a policy together and where’s their finance minister? Does anyone know who he is? One of the worlds highest rated economies and we hardly see the person they plan to have in charge of it???

I cant vote labor, never will. Only people that were trying to raise a family, or part of a family, through the Keating era will truly appreciate the pain of interest rates and just how tough it was and I see so many not taking advantage or appreciating how much better it is now. You may retort with what about the amount of mortgagee repossessions, well you need to look at the lax lending that’s taking place by fairly unscrupulous lenders and factor in the new wave of ‘mortgage liars’.

Love or hate Howard and Costello it doesn’t matter, the economic position of the country is in pretty good shape. These are tough words but if your not taking advantage of that that’s your choice because the opportunity is there.

Axiss provide a great country comparision here: Axiss - International Data Comparisons

If you want some controversy take a look here - Is Kevin Rudd the global warming swindler?

If you want to recall the joy of the Hawke/Keating era take a look at - Keatings recession

I’ll stop ranting now and go away!

Never underestimate the stupidity of the Australian public!

Although when my employer faced us with a choice between a union-represented workplace agreement and a irrevocable move towards AWAs, there were people who had been dissing the union for years scrambling to vote for the collective agreement to the tune of a 66% majority. Not that they would ever join the union of course - they just like all the flow-on benefits. So you may have a point.

All right! All right! I’ll shut up!

Businesses don’t give a rat’s arse about the election and making employment decisions. That’s as much bull as the Board of the RBA taking into account election timing when making interest rate decisions. Complete tosh!

I read the Fin Review, Razor!

You don’t remember various BCA and ACCI types banging on about holding off on investment because of “uncertainty” about a Labor government’s intentions? Keating was convinced this had happened in the lead up to the 93 election, and he was probably right. I’d also point you towards a large number of CEOs who say things like “the legislation will take its time to work its way through the system” and “we have an EBA current but we’re examining future options” blah blah.

Because the hard (for any Opposition) truth is that the great bulk of Australians have simply never had it so good. It’s just a lie to say things like “TEH BAD OLD DAYS… when incidentally productivity was higher” - labour productivity is more than double what it was when the Whitlam government was elected (and, incidentally, in teh bad old days we weren’t a quarry but a gigantic sheep station - not much of an improvement ecologically and distinctly worse economically than being a quarry).

Political and economc expediency aside, I cannot understood this nostalgia on the centre-left for the economic and social institutions of the 1950s. It’s the only thing they have in common with the Rodent.

I agree with Kim on the economy it really depends on which side of the ledger you are on but I think the people struggling now out strip the ones who are comfortable.

Just on the Galaxy polling that shows the Coalition ahead on running the economy, someone pointed out on another blog that the same group of people preferred Rudd as PM. He went on to suggest quite rightly in my opinion that these people would have factored in the “better to run the economy” angle into their final preference for PM. Gave the Tele at least one positive though to highlight for Howard.

Latham was always a dudd candidate imo and Rudd certainly can’t be put in that class. The way I like to look at it is that if Hewson had of gone to the electorate in 1993 without “Fightback” he would have beaten Keating. What you have now is Howard after eleven years in office going to the election with his version of political dead weight (Workchoices) while Rudd is free of poltical impediments. Hard to see Howard winning from here but I guess he has one shot left in the locker in the budget.

(1) Only three percent of people have to change their vote for Ratty to lose.

(2) All the noise in the papers is just that.

(3) The economy isn’t all that benign for a lot of folks with four interest rate rises since the last election, and that is also going to shape the response to WorkChoices. People are savvy enough to know that many employers are just holding off til after the election to take full advantage of it. And the message that it’s an economic reform because it will allow downward pressure on wages has been articulated by the government itself often enough.

For instance - Lefty E - ‘As for management - the wage constraint via dereg strategy is pretty unimpressive and rather old school.’ I agree totally and I also like your argument that high wages encourage innovation and productivity as companies strive to remain competitive. However it is not logic that will win the day in politics, but people’s hip pockets. We know many AWAs are stripping away penalties, holiday pay and overtime - but in the end, will the battlers just be happy to take the bit of extra money and work the longer hours like they are in WA?

How much popular disenchantment of Howard in the country is due to WorkChoices? We don’t know and all the pundits aren’t really sure either. We know that people aren’t into joining unions very much these days, but we don’t know if they are buying Howard’s argument that the modern workplace of today is full of benign, benevolent bosses and mature responsible employees having a great time working out win/win individual workplace agreements.

And, are people going to buy last minute Labor policy like this whiz bang one stop shop despite all the howls of dismay from business and the coalition AND the newspapers? I mean when Mark Latham sprung up Medicare Gold practically the eve before the election my heart sank because it was all too big, shiny and too good to be true and nothing was really worked out beyond the surface. Senior citizens dumped on Labor in droves.

Kevin Rudd may be highly intelligent and a much vaunted policy wonk sort of like Gough Whitlam was when he led Labor to victory, but Gough had spent 2 elections working like a maniac on policy before that happened. And you say Kevin Rudd is going to do it in a mere 12 months, with a benign looking economy and all? Well you might be right, but my sober guess is that he’ll most likely score a respectable loss in the next election and come up trumps in the one after when the economy turns sour and more AWAs start to bite. Polls notwithstanding. Howard is probably aiming to get just over the line - and basically that’s all he needs to do.

If you think the last eleven years of economic prosperity have nothing to do with the Federal Government then that is you delusion

Razor is right, wages as a share of GDP at thirty odd year lows, Current Account Deficit growing monthly, balance of trade a basket case Research and Development at all time lows. Great work Indeed.

Time for a Keating Resurrection! The double-breasted architect of reform! Time for Rudd to throw a few more timely nods to the ALPs critical pre-96 work. And why not revisit the debt truck while we’re at it. This time its a freakin convoy.

If you think the last eleven years of economic prosperity have nothing to do with the Federal Government then that is you delusion. Fortunately most voters disagree with you. See you after the election.

Try getting someone other than Costello to deliver it and you might have some success.

No way. I want my vote fully bought and paid for with $500 cash direct to my mailbox by July 30.l

We also hava an election budget about to be released - watch this space for more tax cuts and middle class welfare which will be precision targetted for the swinging voters in the marginal electorates. And any tax cuts will be ending up in hip pockets and having a beneficial impact in September/October - perfect timing.

I thought tories were still wanting for the bounce in the polls from last year’s budget. Try getting someone other than Costello to deliver it and you might have some success. It’s a bit tiring to see the same rubbish year in year out.

“We can build productivity growth through an education revolution, the application of new technologies, by freeing up our businesses from unnecessary regulation and by encouraging a new age of innovation - including our critical manufacturing industries,” he told the Labor delegates.

“I don’t want to be a prime minister of a country that doesn’t make things anymore … And we are capable of building this prosperity on the back of these reforms - without throwing the fair go out the back door.”