The next Federal election

[redandblack]

No worries, Psyber, I think my recollection is correct.

[fish]

I have been keeping an eye on the election odds and, as expected, the Malaysian asylum seeker debacle has seen the governments stocks plummet even further. Here is the latest market for the election winner:

COALITION $1.23
LABOR PARTY $4.00

More interestingly, the PM's stocks have also taken a dive, she is now less than half a chance to be Labor leader at the next election:

GILLARD $2.00
ANY CANDIDATE NOT LISTED $3.50
SHORTEN $5.00
RUDD $7.00
SMITH $7.00
COMBET $11.00
BOWEN $34.00
SWAN $61.00
ROXON $126.00
ALBANESE $161.00
ELLIS $161.00

[fish]

Ms. Gillards odds of remaining leader have dropped even further since yesterday...

GILLARD $2.20
ANY OTHER CANDIDATE $1.62

[Sojourner]

Ms. Gillards odds of remaining leader have dropped even further since yesterday...

GILLARD $2.20
ANY OTHER CANDIDATE $1.62

The problem seems to be that suppose they do want to replace GIllard as Leader, someone has to agree to take the job - and the job can only ever be a poisoned chalice, whoever gets the job can rest assured that their leadership ambitions are a likely chance of being over. I think this is why Simon Creans name is being mentioned by a number of people. He had already failed as the leader of the party - again after being dumped after low opinion polls and wont be missed if passed onto the retirement heap.

The only reason to change the leader of the party will be to try and stem the losses and the new problems that it will create with credibility pretty much outweigh any positives IMO.

Ideally Gillard needs to take the Carbon Tax to a referendum, have it dumped in its current form and use the excuse to the Greens and the Independents that this clearly is the will of the people. Will never happen as its way to far down the track to be turned backwards.

The ALP would likely be better off to remain with Gillard as leader and just tough it out and let her go down with the ship. There is no point burning the career of yet another up and coming type like what happened with Mark Latham being a good example of fruit picked before it was ripe.

Get the next generation of ALP members, the ones that are newer members to parliament into the Cabinet and other positions where they can use the time to get experience to repay Abbott the favour on the opposition bench and build a decent team together to take an Abbott led Liberal Government on at a subsequent election is my suggestion, perhaps its like the fatal words of an SANFL coach at the 3/4 time huddle when its time to get some respectability back onto the scoreboard and to think about next week, think that is a fairly good analogy for where the ALP currently find themselves.

[Media Park]

Top post Sojourner

[straight talker]

Yes, that's true, but I think she would respect the agreement, unless the Indies agreed?

how could you believe in anything she says?

[straight talker]

Hi R&B

I confess that I once saw that particular spelling on the Australian comments forum and found it funny and used it accordingly, agreed though that its pretty juvenile, but its only to try and lighten up the discussion mate!

Pretty sure that I heard that from the previous term that Oakeshott and Windsor had been largely voting with the ALP, perhaps the main mistake of the Lib/Nat party was to have not put a much stronger candidate in those seats to contest them, clearly they will be this time around, rumour has is that Windsor may get to have a go at facing Barnaby Joyce which may prove an interesting battle if true!

BE INTERESTING WHEN THE PROPOSAL FOR POKIE MACHINE REFORM COMES AROUND IN MARCH I THINK as wilky has said that if JULIAR cant get that thru he is withdrawing his support for this current government.