andrew bolt on gillard- a must read..., page-2

benbradley

As an old codger I have seen many pollies come & go. IMO most have been well-meaning, community minded people. Of course, most have been party hacks & made little difference to the direction our country took.

Thus far Julia Gillard's efforts to get back on track following the GFC have been characterised by problems & criticism - a price she started paying at the last election

IMO political leaders are supposed to be forward-looking people whose focus is on sustainably improving the lot for humanity, especially Australians.

Keating & Hawke will be remembered for transforming Australia from an old inward-looking, primary industry based colonial state bogged in Old Europe into a modern, Asian focussed & rapidly developing democracy.

IMO Keating's demise was replaced with John Howard's all the way with GWBush2 & ACLBlair. Twelve years that witnessed: considerable squandering of Commodities Boom 1; the profligate distibution of our precious resources such as water; massive expansion into upper middle class welfare; involvement in problematic overseas wars & all of the costs therein; plus the mother of all taxes against mainstream Aussies, JWH's GST.

No-one should forget that Costello flagged the GFC throughout his last few months in office - his 'economic tsunami'. His legacy was to leave increased Govt. structural funding problems due to forward commitments to Defence spending, upper middle clas welfare etc. etc. The Howard Govt. did NOT leave Australia well-prepared for the GFC & had been a source of great frustration to the RBA for years & provoked it to continue hiking interest rates until early 2008.

Freddy Krueger like though, it appears as though JWH's annointed disciple is now here to haunt us. Do I see a brighter, safer, more cohesive & more sustainably prosperous future for all Australians under a Govt. led by Tony Abbott? Well not really, but no doubt some of our most privileged will get by.