It’s early days, but we may be looking at the same sort of pattern of long term incumbency that we’ve seen in most states – forever. If you go back over Qld and NSW or SA electoral history, with the exception of political crises or major expressions of voter alienation, alternation just doesn’t happen all that often. You could also argue that has become the case with federal politics – Labor for 13 years, Coalition for almost 12, Labor for ? … The 3 years of Whitlam and 7 years of Fraser are starting to look like an aberration.

That pressure to perform is part of the discipline that stops political parties wallowing in self-indulgence. Ayn Rand had it right about the power of capital strikes, and those with experience of major parties know how fearsome these are. Once the big donations start drying up, it creates an impetus of change that no points of order or extraordinary motions can match in terms of speed and force. Look at Queensland – the capital strike is coming to NSW and WA and it will be devastating for Liberals there, used to Uncle Ron Walker and his ilk coming through with sacks of cash. If you’ve ever stood on a headland and watched the rocksurfers dice with death, look to the Libs in those three states. Things are going to get interesting.

The conservatives are nearing exhaustion and the moderate liberals don’t know where to start, and the Greens just aren’t ready for primetime. You’ll find Sturt’s Inland Sea and Lasseter’s Reef before you find The Third Major Party.

New blood is sure as hell needed and much more should be spilled!

Rudd is giving Tony Jones a gift, but i get the impression the questions are all set up in advance. It will be up to the audience to take it out of their hands and make it interesting. I will certainly watch on Thursday the 22nd.

There was a lot of whingeing by Jon Faine and Barry Cassidy at election time as to labor “media management”. Rudd did not bother speak or appear. Why would he bother?
The tone on both shows was mostly hostile with the former commentatator constantly referring to Howards’ glorious capacity to work without notes. Barry Cassidy ,to his credit, has caught up a little with the new reality. I just wish there was a bit of a purge of Murdoch hacks on his show.

Or maybe there’s so much self promotion going on that people are wrongly assuming that he couldn’t possibly be doing it all himself.

The Libs don’t seem to have any capacity for a disciplined approach to opposition.

Mark, I don’t imagine you expected the Coalition (sic) to slip into Opposition quickly and easily; surely you would agree they’re probably still in shock, to some extent? Due, in no small way I’d contend, to the ridiculous levels of self-belief that had grown in the place where listening to the public should have been.

What the LNP is experience now is a combination of horrors. Loss of ‘the prize’ as mentioned is enough to throw all but the most principled trouper off – but that could be headed off with strong leadership. Another strong leader immediately following is not possible, however – and this is the killer for them – because the LNP is also suffering the fate of all groups when a strong leader vacates. It happens down to the smallest groups, right to the top.

When in the presence of a strong leader – as in group leader – criticisms, fears, concerns, and all other nigglies have a lid put on them. These exist, of course, but their expression is thwarted, given over instead to the lines of belief holding the group together. It’s not just built on the prize, it’s built on the process as well.

Remove that leader, and the group is stripped of that glue, the lid flies off, and within just moments the criticisms, fears, concerns and nigglies start to grow.

What we’d be getting through media at present about the state of the LNP would be very subdued. What would really be going on would be a cesspitting of long-suppressed filth now able to be given life all swirling and sucking through the system.

There is no way a new ’strong leader’ can take hold in that situation. If there were such a way, that strength of leadership would have found expression much earlier, to head this very shite off.

Turnbull is no strong party group leader. At least not yet, and doubtfully ever so. He’s not liked in too many parts, and a boardroom leadership skill does not translate to a political party effectiveness, or even appropriateness. Instead, Turnbull is now doing only the very same thing as the rest of them, except he’s doing it with more forthrightness and more publicly: he’s undermining, niggling, cutting away, as those unlidded negatives all grow life.

This really does highlight how disadvantageous it is to have a two-major system. It’s utterly impossible for the stripped party to regain immediately so as to perform for the nation. The natural process for that negativity to burn itself out, and for a common positive to take hold, can take a heck of a long time. Meanwhile, the political spoils spill over to the other party, who surprise surprise, get spoiled by it – but only after considerable damage has been done due to lack of effective opposition or tabled alternative, and for many years.

I hear what you’re saying and this is not to criticise it, but to fill out some thoughts on it – your words that “They need to make the government the story, not contend – in undignified and risible ways – with each other for their 15 minutes of fame in the public eye” shows the horror manifesting, and again I’d say it’s not possible for them to do this. That uncapping of negativity and having it wash through, as a natural process, takes a long time – and my point is our system is deficient in not allowing the suffering party time to piss off back into the sheds somewhere and go through it all, effectively, without the expectation or indeed silly pressure that they should perform some other immediate, positive and focused function for the nation. (Hello to a pathetic media).

I’m not condoning the shite. But a mature nation would recognise the natural process undergone by a group stripped of a strong leader figure, and allow for it to work itself through.

We desperately need another major Australian political party to balance and protect our very vulnerable, unrealistic, unbalanced system.

I think they’ve totally dropped the ball on investigative reporting on government. I mean, does it actually matter who said what to whom in the Liberal party any longer, apart from freak-show yucks and entertainment value? Surely it’s more important to be scrutinising government? They’re not even the Opposition Organ – they’re really just “dicks”.

By the way, there does seem to be some discussion that wine-based RTDs will start proliferating like flies at a dairy farm.

Nah, wouldn’t happen Robert. A) I hesitate to remind anyone of this, but remember… west coast coolers? The problem with wine-based is they’re not alcoholic enough – have to be almost all wine.

But, more impoortantly, the way the alcohol taxes are structured make it more difficult if not impossible with wine. You could do it with fortifieds, hypothetically, but can you imagine trying to make a port-based mixer that tasted good? It would be tough…

carbonsink, I don’t agree with you about Turnbull. I think he’s all style and not much substance-a complete show pony.

I’m not convinced about his substance either, but I don’t see much harm in letting him have a go. If he crashes and burns they can always turn to Julie. If he succeeds he’ll put some pressure on the government to come up with good policy.

Frankly, Swan’s effort was pretty bloody awful for a first term first budget. If the government can’t take a few risks when they’re ahead 60-40 in the polls, when will they?

Where was the vision? Where were the big reforms? Where were the big initiatives? All we got was a bit of means testing and a tax on alcopops. If you read the news this past weekend you’d be forgiven for thinking the biggest single issue facing Australia was teenagers getting p*ssed on lolly water.

Climate change? Peak oil? Ballooning trade deficit? Ravaged manufacturing sector? The slow death of Murray-Darling? Nope, not important, not as important as “alcopops” anyway.

No, I’m lead to believe the flavoured apple ciders are going to be our next big thing.
http://www.wildewood.co.uk/goth/cocktails.php for some weird mixes and
this from the Independent about the slightly old trend.http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/the-big-apple-cider-is-suddenly-cool-423645.html

By the way, there does seem to be some discussion that wine-based RTDs will start proliferating like flies at a dairy farm.

Robert, would you believe that a lemon ruski (which to all intents and purposes IS an alcopop) is actually wine-based, despite the mistaken impression one might get that it’s vodka-based. Do you think West Coast Cooler is gonna make a comeback!?

Advance to the bridge forthwith, wrest control from Admiral Nelson, send him to weep in the brig. Have him awoken every morning at 3am, thence to a gutter; dress up Ship’s Lad Dolly as a King’s Cross wench to sit awhile with the Admiral lest he feel lonely.

Viscount, set a full sail and make good your passage out of the Sargasso, where the Admiral mistook becalmed for pleasant meanderings. Check compasses and signalling flags.

Send Midshipman Costello below decks to scrape off barnacles: we mean on the outside of the hull, underwater forsooth. ‘Twill not concern the sharks as he himself mightily resembled an barnacle these last 6 months.

Set ChoirMasterAcolyte Abbott off at a Monastery on the Azores, there to further his private study of the Spanish Cleansing ["Inquisition" hablan los infideles en Inglaterra]. Tell him he may Return after he has Racked Up a goodly score.

There is the delicate matter of First Mate Julie; perhaps she may be put into service to Hypnotise the Ship’s Cat by enduringly staring harshly? Certainly this would reassure some of the Men, who betimes have express’t discomfort. Should First Mate Julie tire of the Task, she might hypnotise a few of the Ship Rats, the Cat having been rendered Inoperative pro tem.

Although it may be your ardent desire to make haste to Terra Australis, there are many ports you must visit first. These include Boston, Portsmouth, Rio de Janiero, Kyoto in the East, Batavia in the East Indies, Wellington in Tasman’s Land, Port Arthur where several of your former staff were incarcerated; and would you mind collecting Shackleton from the Icy South too? There’s a good lad.

With all that under your belt you may arrive by 2012 off Sydney Cove. We have plans afoot for you which cannot be delayed much past 2012. Make haste, good Viscount!