The blogosphere's talking about Tony Abbott

There are currently 43,648 mentions of Australian Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott on Google Blog Search.
Here are a few:

If you had him in your family or as one of your friends, you'd quickly learn to ignore him. You'd laugh at him, write him off as a hysterical drop kick, or both. Oh, you'd say, there goes Tony again, with his lunatic conspiracy theories. Don't take any notice of him he's over-the top........
It doesn't take genius to see Abbott's modus operandi. He makes far-out statements in the hope that some mud will stick. He then backs off and resumes a more reasonable demeanour. In short, he is toying with us. Like a two-year-old child, he's testing out how far he can go before the adults impose limits on him. Unlike the child, he's fully cognisant of what he's doing and the consequences. His hope is that we are so thick we'll take his comments seriously, or at least factor them in as possibilities, and begin to see the Rudd government's apparently inexhaustible and dangerous potential for nothing less than absolute evil....
Jennifer Wilson at Online Opinion on 22nd February 2010

Abbott still misunderstands the role of effective, election-winning opposition, which is to keep the focus on the incumbent. I'm sure he's rubbing his hands at every headline he's getting, but all they do is keep the focus on him and his antics, and not the government.
PatrickG commenting at Larvatus Prodeo on 25th February 2010

As Abbott and Julie Bishop notch up their first 80 days as the new Opposition leadership team, the odds that they can pull off an election win are shortening. As unlikely as it seemed only two months ago, they may get there in time.
Ross Fitzgerald 23rd February 2010

For Abbott's Army it is victory after victory after victory and I know you are all high on the scent of blood and ready to do whatever your Commander in Chief (me) asks.
Tony with tongue firmly in cheek over at Abbott's Army: Forward to a safer past on 1st March 2010

We are getting a clearer picture of Opposition policies under Tony Abbott. It's full steam ahead to the past, circa 2004 to 2007:
Work Choices Light
Global Warming Slack
Hospital Boards Slight
Medibank Private Fire Sale
Refugee Reject
Kevin Rennie at Labor View from Bayside 17 February 2010

Paul Toohey has a piece in the Herald Sun: The PM, God and women – according to Tony Abbott. It's not a profile because only Abbott was interviewed. It's not Abbott's response to another politician. It's just a puff piece. But it's full of shit from Abbott:
"I do not regard myself as a Christian politician. I regard myself as a politician who just happens to think religion matters. I would be appalled, absolutely appalled, to think religion drove anyone's politics in a secular democracy like ours."
Seems Tony Abbott thinks we all have a short memory for when Parliament voted to remove his control of RU486.
And how's this quote from Abbbott about Rudd: "I also occasionally thought he was a little bit more in love with the sound of his own voice than he should have been." Pot, kettle, black.
The News With Nipples on 20th February 2010

Oz leader Tony Abbott misses sex during election campaigns!
Post tiltle at Buzz 7 on 19th February 2010

I am mesmerised by Tony Abbott. A conservative politician who actually articulates conservative values! A political leader who actually leads! Such a phenomenon is unknown in Britain, where David Cameron's Conservatives believe they have to go with the left-wing flow. And of all issues, Abbott actually won his party leadership through scorning man-made global warming theory for the scam that it is. This is surely as if Galileo had been elected to the Papacy. Abbott thus took on and bested not only Prime Minister Rudd but his own Liberal party colleagues who had supported Rudd's ruinous environmental policies. And wonder of wonders, such realism is winning votes; people queue up to say to me: 'At last, a politician who tells it as it is.' As a result, Abbott is snapping at Rudd's heels. A politician who is not afraid to tell unfashionable truths to ideological power; a conservative who is fighting on the right side of the culture wars. Can I bottle him and take him home with me?
Melanie Phillips on 24 February 2010

SYDNEY'S Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras went political last night with WorkChoices, budgie smugglers and the undead sending a message straight to Tony Abbott.

More than 70 members of union WorkersOut! a collective of working individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intergender took part in the float "Tony Abbott and WorkChoices Undead?" and marched down Oxford Street in a sparkly protest.

The majority were dressed as zombies with slogans saying "Tony Abbott loves WorkChoices" and "Tony Abbott hates your rights at work".

World Countries on 27th February 2010

Essential Report opinion poll on politcal leaders shows Rudd still outshines Abbott in the personality stakes

The Essential Report pollsters asked 1,816 people for their opinion of various personality traits in relation to the Australian Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, with 1009 responding to this 23-28 February online poll conducted at Your Source.

Kevin Rudd as incumbent Labor prime minister still wipes the floor with his Coalition counterpart across all positive categories - intelligent, hard-working, visionary, down-to-earth, capable leader, good in crisis, trustworthy, understands problems facing Australia, more honest than most politicians etc.
In relation to what might be seen as negative characteristics both men are considered equally demanding, with Rudd viewed as more superficial and complacent than Abbott who is seen as more out of touch, inflexible, narrow-minded and arrogant by most respondents.

Click on image to enlarge

Possum over at Pollytics breaks down the Essential Report data into easy to read tables.

The latest Newspoll shows similar two-party preferred percentages to those which occurred at the 2007 federal election, which seems to give Labor the winner's crown if an election had been held in the last fortnight. In this poll Rudd led Abbott as preferred prime minister by 25 percentage points.

The beautiful young faces of Boneless Pony

The Clarence Valley holds a wealth of young talent and the music trio Boneless Pony (pictured above) formed by three final year music students from Maclean High School are a delight.

The trio will be performing next at the Yamba International Women's Day Brunch on Saturday 6 March 2010. Details here.

Hair today gone tomorrow as 2010 unofficial election campaign rolls on

Maud up the Street has a big grin on her face because she's just noticed that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's discreet baby frontal comb-over has been turned into a close crop which he obviously hopes will play better to the camera.

Maud thinks it must be hard when a pollie finds that even sporting poses for the media just can't hide a distinct tonsorial fail creeping from back to front. While standing up during Question Time must be a real trial for a man trying to project a 'young' image.

Pic from Crikey

Glenda MacPhail from the Clarence Valley named as a finalist in NSW Woman of the Year Award 2010

Glenda MacPhail of Townsend [see insert] a tireless worker on behalf of the Clarence Valley indigenous community has received some well-deserved recognition.
She was named a finalist in the NSW Woman of the Year Award 2010.
Winner to be announced on Monday 8 March.

From Bigpond News:

Three Aboriginal women are in the running to become NSW Woman of the Year thanks to their work in health and community development.
The award, for which there are 10 finalists, is part of International Women's Day celebrations on March 8. The winner will be announced at a reception hosted by Premier Kristina Keneally on the day.

Finalist Sister Alison Bush, the first Aboriginal midwife to be based at a major maternity hospital inNSW, has been recognised for her forty years working with Aboriginal mothers and babies.

Elder Millie Ingram is also in contention for the award for her ongoing work in community leadership through Redfern and Waterloo land council organisations as well as women's community groups.

Glenda MacPhail, a Yaegl woman, has also been honoured as a finalist for her efforts helping to set up the Lower Clarence Aboriginal Women's Resource Centre at Maclean, near Grafton on the state's north coast.

Full list of finalists from a field of 90 nominations:

• Sister Alison Bush from Leichardt,
• Ms Wendy Fogarty from Tarrawanna,
• Councillor Colleen Fuller from Gunnedah,
• Ms Millie Ingram from Glebe,
• Ms Susan Lee from Strathfield,
• Mrs Glenda MacPhail from Townsend,
• Mrs Johanne Provins from Granville,
• Professor Janice Reid AM from Penrith,
• Pastor Julie Virtue from Forbes; and
• Mrs. Christine Weston from Cumnock.

Far stranger than fiction: there's a price on Aussie PM's head

Where do some nongs keep their brains - in a box down in the garden shed?
Somehow I'd always thought offering a reward for political assassination was just a trifle over the top, even if you're young and stupid enough to say it on a Facebook page displaying your own mug shot for any potential complaint laid with the Australian Federal Police about advertising a willingness to fund murder.

Google's search engine indexes 2,870 items which have this word sequence "kill kevin rudd" and the item with top ranking is a free game called, you guessed it, Kill Kevin Rudd by Pictogame
There are only 4 items for "kevin rudd must die".
But there are 182 mentions of "assassinate kevin rudd" and the top ranker is the one offering "to pay someone $50000 if they assassinate Kevin Rudd":

kevin rudd is a fuckng douche bag Facebook

Todd Brees Riley i am prepared to pay someone $50000 if they assassinate Kevin Rudd. July 13, 2009 at 11:04pm · Report ...
www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=6818997201 - Cached

Australian Federal Election 2010: So who thinks neither rule nor law applies to him?

What's wrong with the pictured letter and attachments?
These three documents (letter, flyer and petition sheet) came in the same envelope - as part of a bulk mailout by the Nationals Federal Member for Cowper sent to voters in the neighbouring seat of Page which held by a member of the Rudd Government.
Worked it out yet?
I'm sure many of you are already starting to count the (ahem) breaches.....

Small hint; The entitlement must only be used for parliamentary or electorate purposes, and must not be used for: (a) party business and As of 1 October 2009, Senators and Members have had the option to submit a print ready copy of material proposed to be printed using their printing and communications entitlement for vetting by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. As part of the vetting process, Finance will assess the print ready copy against the parameters of the printing and communications entitlement, and Senators and Members will receive written advice on whether or not the item is within entitlement. and The AEC takes the view that the election period for these purposes will - at minimum - be the period from the announcement of the election or the issue of the writs (whichever is the earlier) to the close of polling on election day. However, in circumstances where there is considerable speculation surrounding a possible election, the AEC may consider that the election period has commenced, notwithstanding that there has been no announcement or issuing of the writs.

Seems Luke Hartsuyker MP didn't bother to consider his actions against current policy, rules or law and that's not his only problem, even if his spokesperson 'appears' not to understand when questioned by the media.

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Name and address of recipient redacted from letter