Well put Sellwood. The Coalition debt truck prior to the 1996 velection didn't distinguish between public and private debt, but once in power and private debt soared they sung it's virtues as evidence of confidence. I think private debt levels here leave us vulnerable in the event of an economic downturn.
One truism in Australian politics in my lifetime is that to get the top job you have to want it badly enough. Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard and Rudd would all have walked over hot coals to become PM. Every time Costello was presented with an opportunity all he showed was diffidence and disinterest. The opportunity to take the job wasn't enough for him, he wanted people to beg him to take it. That's why he'll never be PM.
