no smoking gun not even a water pistol lol

What an anti climax. Abbott seemed to claims outside parliament a crime was committed but declined to do so in parliament.

Dastardly Julia did Tony over again and outsmarted him by bringing the issue as a motion at the beginning of Question time. Abbott appeared to be back peddling from what he said outside parliament and Gillard basically roasted him.

Gillard was able to finish the Session answering a question on the economy and Labors achievements this year and was able to confidently articulate many important issues not the least of which was the NDIS.

During the session Gillard stated that Abbott had misled Parliament a number of times.

The two leaders are now in a no holds barred war and it remains to be seen in the coming New year who wins that battle. One thing is clear, Julia Gillard is no pushover.

Earlier I said that I thought the winner will be determined not by the issue of the smear campaign itself but rather how the public perceive the two leaders as evidenced by future polling. I am even more convinced of that.

Whoever the public warms to most will be the ultimate winner.

Fascinating stuff in terms of strategy. I would have thought given the intense publicity of the smear campaign that the PM may crumble but from my observations she is on the front foot and Abbott and Bishop are backtracking and possibly just hope that some of the mud they are throwing will stick. Their problem is that while the politically entrenched may be interested in the issue, notwithstanding its decades old, the general public are likely to find it unclear and of no interest in the current and future lives. Also Bishop has made mistakes in her commentary and that hasnt helped.

Such a focus without a smoking gun could therefore backfire on the Coalition, just as did the Godwin Gretch issue aimed at bringing down Kevin Rudd. At least with the Gretch issue it was about something claimed to have occurred in the role of Rudd during his Prime Ministership. This is events up to 20 years ago that are complex and unclear and to some will be looked at as just an attempt to smear,

Of course they are just my interpretations as to what has occurred. Others may see things differently.