He needed the vote of Mal Colston ex ALP senator. Despite Howard's earlier reservations about Colston's integrity he helped him to become Deputy President of the Senate, Something the ALP did not want. In 1997 Colston was charged by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions with 28 charges of defrauding the Commonwealth by allegedly misusing his parliamentary travel allowance. Wow talk about deja vu.

Did you hear that Clive Palmer is seeking preselection for the Liberal Party in Wayne Swan's seat of Lilley in Brisbane.
Oh and he wants to put $5.2 billion together to build the Titanic 2

He just keeps giving

Maybe Clive sensed that Labor supporters needed a good laugh. It was almost as good as seeing the look on Abbott's face when the media told him about it.

who continued to vote while being investigated - John Sharpe, David Jull, and Peter McGauran. They all subsequently resigned.

Abbott's getting away with this because the Murdoch press is dedicated to bringing down the Labor Government. Many people read little more than headlines, and if they do read further, they absorb what they see like blotting paper, and regurgitate it later. That it's all slanted to favour the Coalition wouldn't bother them even if they could make the connection.

It is unfortunate that neither Gillard nor Swan are good communicators, and are unable to convey the news about the legislation they have managed to get through successfully. They are dead people walking, and the prime ministership is just going to fall into Abbott's lap.

I think he will only be a one-term PM, because his policy consists only of ripping down whatever Labor has created, and as he's likely to have control of the Senate as well, he'll be able to do it. But without any ideas of his own, he will flounder and even the conservative idiots will eventually wake up; Hockey and Robb are equally bereft of ideas, so they won't be able to help him. But even in one term, with idealogues in full cry, he'll be able to do a lot of damage to the country.

The most interesting thing about the Slipper case is whether James Ashby has been put up to mounting his complaint by the Libs. It seems very likely, and if only it could be proven, it could turn everything around. I've read the tapes of the Twitter conversations, and Ashby doesn't come across as being a blushing vioet, nor does he seem to be particularly upset by Slipper's innuendoes, which are pretty tame anyway. Definitely an abuse of his position, but enough to cause the trauma counselling that Ashby is claiming? - he doesn't come across as that delicate. And let's not forget Godwin Grech - this is what Libs do!

I think however we are in a bit of a black hole type spiral of inevitability here.
Last night I was reading an article by Mungo McCallum. He says the same. But at the same time he says that it is a golden opportunity for Labor to be Labor and push through some really progressive policies. I won't do him the disservice of paraphrasing but will try to dig the article out to post here.

I am feeling strangely sanguine about this. It is the time for all good men(and women) to come to the aid of the party.

We need to go down fighting. The independents also sense their electoral oblivion so are unlikely to vote against the government. So now is the time to be brave. Swan has to do one thing and that is to ditch the surplus and spend some money in the next 18 months on socially responsible programs. Never know people might actually like it.

It is said that for Abbott to begin his program he will need control of both houses of parliament. THAT could take 3 elections and a minimum of five years to do. Imagine the policy vacuum that will create.

I shall be brave here and declare that Abbott will not lead the party to the next election. His party is on a high but his approval is just above Julia Gillard's. He is electoral poison. The party will dump him.OK brand me naive and flame me if you will. But I am putting it out there.

It wasn't too to find the article

It's called "Labor should go hard or go home" from The Drum website

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3939398.html

But I'm afraid that what we're seeing now is the "real" Julia. I think she believes that what the government is currently doing is the right thing, and it proves that her political judgment is woeful. I have yet to see an economist who thinks that returning the budget to surplus by next year is at all desirable; it's a policy that is being driven by Abbott, and Gillard and Swan have fallen into the trap. The only way to deliver a surplus in the current economic climate is by cutting spending on infrastructure and welfare, and the most vulnerable will suffer. We are in recession; perhaps not as severe as it would be had the Rudd government not spent on the stimulus, but it's still recession, and at least some of it is being driven by the banks, who have steadfastly refused to cut interest rates. We still need to see some government stimulus to help business thrive and encourage people to start spending again. We don't need more cutting back, but the government has allowed Abbott to spook them, and they're not thinking rationally.

Gillard could go down in history as a reformer in the Whitlam tradition, or she could be the most disliked prime minister ever. Sadly, all signs currently point to the latter.

and I agree wholeheartedly.

I think the government was determined to get back to surplus the day Wyatt Roy said in Question Time that he had never seen a surplus under Labor. I agree with you. We dont need to be in surplus and the government painted themselves into a corner by promising it. I wouldn't trust the economists though. When the carbon tax was being introduced an absolute majority of them agreed that it was economically sound. Where are they today? Do they still believe what they said over a year ago? Do you see them coming out backing the government?The economists may agree that a surplus isnt necessary, but bet your bottom dollar if the government decided to stay in deficit, they wont hang around to back them. It will be known as another promise broken.

I think that if the coalition gets back in (in both houses) which will only take one election, I dont think that either my husband or I will be effected so much. Maybe my daughter, relatives and friends might cop an adverse effect. What upsets me is that its the people who I thought were intelligent, that would be voting for them. I cant help but despair of the future and reputation of this country.

Christopher Pyne is involved in the Slipper affair right up to his eye balls, but I'd be very surprised if anything happens.

I just found a Twitter site devoted to reporting comments made by readers of the Herald-Sun - the Murdoch faithful, lapping up whatever drivel is handed out to them. You can see the quality of their powers of reasoning from these comments (and the spelling is untouched):

Ted, when are you going to get cabs off our roads?

Your so dum.

Nothing annoys me more than people speaking another language on the tram. It's just rude.

I don't even understand twitter but I'm glad I don't. It just seems to be a device to harrass footy players.

Paintings = massive scam. I doubt anyones looked at there paintings more than there telly.

Catch public transport nowadays regardless of the hour and you're literally taking your life into your own hands. Thanks Julia.

lol funny how there's nothing about climate change in the paper now. Knew it was bull.

Only an idiot goes somewhere where you can't speak the language.

I hate buildings.

I can't figure out how people drown in the ocean. How hard can it be just to swim?


I could have fun repeating some of these for hours ... but the scary thing is that these people vote. There is no hope.

The Libs have always be know to have long term memory loss.They couldnt remember what John Howard said or did.
Tony Abbott was only the Health Minister in the Howard Regime,so why should he remember was was right and what was wrong.
He is just an ignorant Liberal Leader,who dosent care who he hurts.