Prime Minister John Howard has denied fresh speculation that he will hand over to Treasurer Peter Costello as early as Tuesday.
And Mr Costello made it clear he would not challenge for the Liberal leadership, even if a key opinion poll shows the Government heading for a landslide loss.
SMH
Look, I hate the bastard as much as the next person, but I seriously believe it is in the best interests of the Libs to not give Howard the boot.
Why, MB? Why are you saying these horrible, evil things?
Because they know that if someone else takes over at this late stage they are guaranteed to come out the loser in the election. Australia doesn't like instability in its political parties.
The ALP is currently cruising along, after years of being kicked around by infighting. I personally think that Rudd is the best thing to happen to the ALP since Keating. He's conservative enough to appeal to those people who have a morbid fear that a vote for the ALP is a vote for the Commies, yet his constant supporters know that he stands up for the important things like workers rights. I'm not saying that the ALP is the best option, but realistically, it is the only decent alternative in a 2PP system. (And I've not made any secret of the fact that while they won't be getting my primary vote, my vote will end up with them anyway.)
So, the Libs do not want to be saddled with the leadership woes the ALP has been digging itself out from under these past months. They run a very tight ship, very different to that of the ALP. While there may be dissent within the ranks in private, they will hold it together and present themselves as one united force in public.
They do have a better chance at winning with Howard instead of Costello. But that still doesn't mean that they will win.
I do wonder if Howard constantly holding off naming a date 'cause he wants to wait until the polls are more in his favour isn't going to do more harm than good. Because we are sick of it. Sick of the faux electioneering that is going on. Sick of not knowing what we will be doing one Saturday later on this year. Sick of watching our PM suck up to big business and big religion. Maybe he's trying to wear everyone down so that they will just vote for what is easiest. But I think that people are starting to be resentful of being fucked around and they will use their vote to stick it to him.
Which I suppose is better than nothing. But I would prefer if they voted against him 'cause he's just not good for us.
(Plus, if you think about it, if Costello was PM, there would be a good chance that Abbott would be his deputy - and do you really want the country run by Abbot and Costello?)
Magic Bellybutton: Howard stepping down? Not gonna happen
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