tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post2393395780146942294..comments2024-03-28T14:16:10.498+11:00Comments on Dr Kevin Bonham: Not-A-Poll: Worst Opposition Leader Of The Last 45 Years: Grand Final!Kevin Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06845545257440242894noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-17515967884528271032018-08-03T20:51:31.506+10:002018-08-03T20:51:31.506+10:00That is a very useful criterion there ("campa...That is a very useful criterion there ("campaign that sabotaged his own government.") - ie even if you are rating OLs tactically, it's not all just about winning. I've added a note referencing that comment to the article.Kevin Bonhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06845545257440242894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-19838120299095751132018-08-03T12:28:45.056+10:002018-08-03T12:28:45.056+10:00Latham and Abbott are an interesting comparison be...Latham and Abbott are an interesting comparison because they were bad opposition leaders in very different ways. Latham was a bad opposition leader because he lead Labor to defeat when they really should have won, while Abbott was a bad opposition leader because he lead a campaign that sabotaged his own government.<br /><br />As opposition leader, Abbott was way too light on actual policies and he made so many promises he clearly had no intention of holding (e.g. "no cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS"). His first budget will probably go down in history as one of the most unpopular of all time in large part because of that. The Coalition still could have easily won the 2013 election if they'd gone in with a clear policy platform and without making a bunch of false promises, and then they would have had a much stronger mandate in government.Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12534011901407792372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-87452940012971503382018-08-02T14:47:26.915+10:002018-08-02T14:47:26.915+10:00I voted for Latham because he was a bad opposition...I voted for Latham because he was a bad opposition leader. He had plenty of ammo to use and he made some incredibly mistakes, costing him the election.<br />Tony Abbott was also bad but despite the fact that I disagree with him on almost everything, he was an 'effective' opposition leader (OK he had the Murdoch press helping him) but regardless, his message got through and the government was unable to counter it. The fact that I disagree with Tony Abbott 's behaviour and policy doesn't make him a bad opposition leader, its completely irrelevant really.<br />The fact is that Tony made the most of his opportunity, and Mark Latham fluffed it. Given Mr Latham's more recent activities, I can't help but feel some level of relief that he was never PM.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10620973335780891223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-71760481279702621092018-08-02T11:26:29.118+10:002018-08-02T11:26:29.118+10:00I can see the header for not a poll but nothing el...I can see the header for not a poll but nothing else. Anyone else having this problem? BTW I'm using firefoxBarryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08664699802718952449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-64064396371469742072018-08-01T12:10:30.873+10:002018-08-01T12:10:30.873+10:00Yes, this is a bit of a tension with this series. ...Yes, this is a bit of a tension with this series. "Worst" seems more ambiguous than "best". I've chosen not to put limits on how people conceive of it.Kevin Bonhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06845545257440242894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052593945054595675.post-64457904057550027882018-08-01T09:21:32.279+10:002018-08-01T09:21:32.279+10:00Hmmmm. I'm having a problem trying to define &...Hmmmm. I'm having a problem trying to define "worst". Worst as LotO, ie worst for his party, or worst for the country? I think you can provisionally count me as voting for a draw between the two, though I'll continue to think about it for a month. Jack Arandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06210027164177789357noreply@blogger.com