Another interesting read
Right has twigged that Abbott may be on shaky groundDate July 24, 2013
Alan Stokes
Oh be still my bleeding heart!
As a compassionate person, I am not supposed to find joy in the misery of others. But I regret it has been satisfying to watch the compliant commentariat of the right squirm as they see the certainty of an Abbott government vanish before their eyes.
Besides the shock, a Kevin Rudd victory would force the Liberals to accept Malcolm Turnbull as leader and remake their party.
No wonder Rudd scares the wits out of the anti-Labor media lackeys and the business-funded think-tanks. It is not because Rudd will deliver government to the leftie bovver boys or the inner-city elites; it's because he will not.
Should Rudd fulfil his promises on asylum (that's possible), education (probable), the economy (yep) and crucially, party reform (good starts but needs to do more), he will have an impressive mandate.
The right knows Rudd plans to redefine what Labor represents, just as Tony Blair did with New Labour which denied the British conservatives power for almost a generation. Here, Rudd threatens to destroy the business model of the anti-Labor rhetoricians and their Coalition heroes.
If Rudd succeeds and Abbott loses the unloseable election, issues will have to be assessed on their merits, not through the distorted left-right, elite-egalitarian prism so popular in some circles.
Shifting discourse into the middle where most Australians reside would disenfranchise the vested interests and their cheer squads.
The right commentariat celebrations about Julia Gillard's demise had barely subsided when it dawned on them: Rudd poses a much greater threat.
Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/right-has-twigged-that-abbott-may-be-on-shaky-ground-20130723-2qhfc.html#ixzz2ZvXuUtADEdited: No need for the cheap shot (read snipe) 1965