Life wasn't too bad under Howard either .... but the boats stopped coming and the asylum seekers were were held up in Indonesia because they didn't want to risk an unknown period of detention or the inability to send for the rest of the family on approval .... Rudd now days offers a max of only 90 days and service with a smile, once approved the family who are still apparently/supposedly in so much danger can be sent for.
There's a huge difference in the size of the carrot Rudd dangles. It was foolish of him to think he could relax border protection while expecting Indonesia to deal with the influx he created.
