Today or not?

[anakie]

Will he or wont he. I haven't been as politically excited for sometime. Hopefully he will stay and lead them to a glorious defeat; losing Bennelong in the process


Peace

[Matilda]

1. That's my wish too.

I don't want to see him side-step a crushing defeat by nobly resigning.

It would be crazy for Peter Costello to take over now just to lead the Party to defeat; better to
watch Howard's demise and then take the reins. That way he wouldn't have to listen to Howard
sniping from the sidelines that HE would have won.

But it's all very destabilising for the Party - Lib voters won't really know who they'll be getting
after the election, when Howard would be forced to resign anyway. Surely it can only work in
Labor's favour.

[Esra Star]

2. Just tthe possibility of him being unseated by Maxine is reason enough

to want him to stay.
If he's got any rabbits, he will have to produce them soon.

[anakie]

3. interesting comment on Costello yesterday

by some pundit. Words to the effect that imagine if he did challenge and he lost. If he had any spine at all he would have done a Keating and challenged when the leadership issue was at a head 12 to 18 months ago.


Peace

[Matilda]

4. I don't think he'd really want to do it now anyway.

He only needs to wait a few months.

I'm not sure that it's all cut and dried anyhow - Turnbull will challenge at some time, but I don't
know whether this year is too soon. But I have a feeling that it could be Turnbull who heads the
Libs by 2010.

[Matilda]

5. It seems that the leadership debacle was all of Howard's own making.

According to Peter Hartcher of the SMH, Howard sent Downer to suss out sentiment about his leadership
amongst Cabinet members, and that started the rumours that Downer had no confidence in the PM.

Peter Hartcher's a top journo, political editor of The Herald, and he's got cred, so this makes
interesting reading.

"By commissioning Downer to canvass sentiment, he created the impression that he was considering resigning.

When the leader creates a signal that he is not sure of his future, how can his followers have any confidence?"

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/banalysisb-crisis-of-his-creation/2007/09/11/1189276720116.html


Howard really is rapidly losing the plot:

"He told ABC radio on Monday he realised he had spent too much time telling people about the achievements of the Government, but not enough time setting out his plan for the future.

When asked for his plan, however, he demurred.

Hence the power of Kevin Rudd's remark in yesterday's Herald that "at five minutes to midnight, he has discovered an agenda for the future, but when asked, he can't tell us what it is".


This is so sweet.

[PinkUnicorn]

6. Witch Hunt?

When I first heard of this, I thought it may have been another of Howard's purges of 'disloyal' elements.

Howard can't step down as he would be marked as a gutless wonder if he did (tough when things are good, a coward when things get tough), and even if he did the Libs may as well admit defeat there and then, as they would be in exactly the same boat as labor was a few years ago - replacing leaders on the brink of an election.

It also seems totally against the Howard grain to admit people don't like him and to actually listen to them. Hence I suspected they would put out feelers for party sentiment, report back to 'his majesty', and then promptly give a pointed conversation with those who didn't toe the 'we love Johnny' line.

At least now they may have a new use for their expensive water cannon - blast Johnny and Janet out of Kirrabilli when they dig their claws into the carpet.

[Matilda]

7. And just when are we going to have the damn election?

High time, I think, that mandatory limits are set to Federal
Parliamentary terms. Howard - and Rudd - have been campaigning for
most of this year, and still we don't know when we'll go to the polls.

Obviously, Howard is hanging on in the desperate hope of pulling a
rabbit out of a hat and turning voter sympathies in his favour. But
it's all getting to be a great bore as we hang around waiting to make
our marks on the ballot papers. The only sweetener is that the longer
he waits, the worse the figures are for the Coalition and we may even
get a Labor landslide after all.

But it's ridiculous that one man can keep the nation guessing for the
best part of a year. Time to set definite terms, surely?

Maybe 2007 will go down in history as the year voters said "enough".

[Esra Star]

8. I'm not sure that a specific election date is the answer.

There is a limit, which is necessary. Paul pretty much went to the
limit twice. I think that took guts.
I think it should be available to test the electorate from time to time.
When Gough called the '74 election, he created an opportunity to get some
tough legislation through. That was a good thing.(double dissolution, joint sitting)
I agree with you that Howard's delaying calling the election is now
going against him. But it's fun to watch.
Rabbit out of a hat? I think he's going to need a photo of Kevin in a compromising
position with a sheep.
I'm in a marginal. I got polled the other day. That was fun too.

[Matilda]

9. It must be good to be in a marginal.

We're in a blue-ribbon Liberal electorate (Warringah - Tony Abbott), so all we can do in the Lower
House is make a statement, knowing it won't make a blind bit of difference to the outcome (except
in 2001, when Peter McDonald stood against Abbott and gave him a big fright - that was fun!).

You're right, even having term limits wouldn't stop the endless campaigning, as we currently seeing
in the U.S. The only good thing is that the longer Howard puts it off, it seems the worse his
defeat is likely to be. I'm sure even Rudd would have expected his figures to drop by now, and
not just keep getting better. But it is getting ridiculous - I have a feeling Janette's hand is in
this - she does NOT want to leave Kirribilli House.

[Esra Star]

10. Speaking of being in a marginal.

I fielded my second survey relating to the election.
My second chance to make the little turd sweat.
How sweet it is.

The reason he's holding off calling the election is so he can use up the advertising budget
with all the "public service" advertorials.