We ratified the Kyoto protocol and received a standing ovation. If you’re into instant gratification it was a moment to savour for a couple of seconds. If you’re not, you should ask yourself what was actually achieved. The Kyoto protocol is in tatters. Most of the signatories are in breach of their obligations, and some […]

One of the most striking things about the Queensland Liberal Party Parliamentary stand-off is the way that the organisational chieftain, Warwick Parer, has tried to assert superiority over the parliamentary leadership. He even wanted a casting vote in the parliamentary meeting. But, unlike Flegg, Parer doesn’t even appear to be able to count on half […]

Go to this page. Depending on how long after you read this it may show something different. At the moment it gives this message: An election for the House of Representatives was held on 24 November 2007 at which the Coalition Government led by the Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP, was defeated. A […]

It’s a laugh a minute on the Flegg Punch and Judy show in Queensland. CM journalists appear ready to accept any assertion by the Nicholls camp. Here are a few, dot-point style, with some more informed comment. There is a convention in leadership ballots that the leader not use their casting vote. Bit hard to […]

Kevin Rudd has sent his troops out to investigate the plight of the homeless living in shelters in their electorates. Here’s what they are likely to find if they are diligent. There are only about 20,000 homeless in Australia if you are talking about people sleeping rough, not 100,000 as regularly claimed by the welfare […]

No, not a radical unionist – I mean Santo Santoro. The Courier Mail has run a highly misleading story this morning about the Nicholls challenge to Flegg. It portrays Flegg as a bumbler who walked away from a leadership contest with the unjustly spurned Nicholls. In fact it is Nicholls that is the bumbler who […]

Breaking news – Tim Nicholls has announced that he is challenging Bruce Flegg for the leadership of the Queensland Liberal Party tomorrow. Who is Tim Nicholls? That’s something that plenty of people are bound to be asking as he’s failed to make any impression on Queensland politics to date. A quick google search shows Nicholls […]

Imagine if Peter Costello had become Prime Minister during the course of the last parliament. It’s one thing to have the heir apparent stump-off in high dudgeon – another to have the leader and defeated Prime MInister do so. No wonder his colleagues were never prepared to trust him with the leadership.

There are only a very few things that I would count as real personal political achievements that have had national significance. One was obviously crafting the strategy that won the 1995 Queensland state election. Another, was making sure that Mal Brough won the preselection for Longman in the same year. I should add that I’m […]

11 days ago I blogged about the Prime Minister’s reaction to a woman being knocked down in front of him. I said it might have been a defining moment in the campaign, but I never expected there to be a book-end to the incident. When school girl Rebecca Sanders fainted and fell over during a […]