Gunboat Diplomacy

Only time will tell whether Crean has what it takes to win the next election. In my estimation, he still has a long way to go before the majority of the party faithful will believe in him as he does.

I'm surprised, Steve. I didn't think you would ever vote for Howard. Any other Lib, sure, but not Howard.

I don't really have much enthusiasm for Howard, Rob. By Australian standards he is fairly good, but that is partially to do with Australia's history of electing some of the most terrible heads of government possible. Our history of governance is quite ordinary in my opinion.

It is more to do with electing any candidate but Simon Crean, who by Australian standards, has the capacity to be in our four worst Prime Ministers of all time. Right up there with McMahon, Fraser and Whitlam. What has happened to the Chifleys, Menzies, Deakins and Fishers of this country?

They died.

With due respect Steve Johnny had the potential to be one of our worst prime ministers but he isn't and he has had for most of the time duds in Cabinet.
Crean has for the most part some highly talented frontbenchers.

If Howard can become Prime Minister I wouldn't write anyone off let alone someone who hasn't got there.

Let's face it like Howard when he won Crean would change a lot either.

Steve, you are a fuckwit, parasite and turncoat. I've heard you bleat for years about the damage the Howard administration has done to the long term social and economic fibre of this country and now you back him because you're an ideological weather-vein and an opportunist.

OR

Simon Crean is the least-able federal ALP leader since 1901 and inspires nothing but a fresh batch of Liberal voters, including you.

OR both.

Comments?

OR/AND

Simon Crean is perhaps one of the worst leaders of a political party since Federation who must be kept out of office. There is no possible chance that he could be a better PM than Howard, and his leadership is worth precisely nothing. Some ALP branch members with a record of consistency have editorialised against Crean since the beginning.

And thus voting for someone other than him has nothing to do with ideological vacillation. I have at least one relative who voted Labor all their lives, but voted Liberal once primarily to get rid of Carmen Lawrence. But anyway, the Federal ALP has no claim whatsoever to government in their current status, so I'll be cheerfully voting for the Libs.

The only question left unanswered is how I could be an opportunist by not voting for an appalling candidate? This has opened up no opportunities whatsoever, and has indeed closed some.

I don't think you'd have liked ALL the old time ALPers Steve, although some were colorful.
Kim Beazley, for example, called the WA State Conference middle class perverts, and suggested that where once it had been the cream of the working class, now, in many cases, the representatives were the dregs of the middle class. He did however [inadvertently] do the right thing once, when his absence on an overseas trip led to the Federal Executive being able to vote to move against the Grouper/Movement controlled Victorian ALP Branch in late 1954.
Then again, the WA ALP always had a quaint charm all its own. Where else could a Communist be elected to the Federal Parliament. Where else would the right wing appoint a well known Communist to attend a union meeting in the East, where his vote guaranteed the Left Wing takeover of a large Federal Union?
Perhaps that's why they're called sandgropers?

Norman I've tried to ask you before, are you sure it isn't Queensland you are thinking of with regards to electing communists?

No Steve, WA, admittedly quite a while back. It's probably not all that well known outside WA.

You'll find, Steve, that the CPA man in Queensland was elected to State, not federal, parliament. Then he was gerrymandered out.

By the way, I was just having a little fun with you before. Don't tell me you don't love it.