Margo,

Thank you so much for being outraged enough to pen your book. I found it intensely interesting and very readable - I'm going to be buying copies to send to Aussie relatives and friends living as expats, as well as those at home, to ensure that people can consider themselves 'educated' about the machinations of Canberra, career politicians and the 'big' media.

I thought that you and others (Latham included) would be interested to know that apparently when Howard (finally) goes it won't be Costello assuming the Liberal Party leadership. I have been told that a senior Liberal Party member was heard to say that Abbott - not Costello - has sufficient Caucus support to be Howard's successor. (I know this sounds all a bit vague, but the retelling of the comment - made at the Tourism policy relaunch a few months ago - is completely reliable).

I don't know about you, but I can imagine few more disturbing scenarios than Tony Abbott as an Opposition Leader, let alone Prime

Below is a good example of what many NHJ!ers at a loose end may wish to put some weight behind in the coming weeks. The letter, sent out to groups from the 'End the Lies - Howard Out' campaign, was forwarded to me by NHJ!erIsabella. Thanks for that.

-----------------------------------------

31 August 2004

To: Trade Unions, Community organisations, etc

I have just finished the chapter 'A day in the Life of Our House Under Siege' and had to stop and check my Blood Pressure. I have only once recorded a higher level and that was half time in last years World Cup Final. Fortunately my BP returned to normal shortly after the game. I was able to accept the Poms victory as fair and square. I am sure the venting of some my energy in this comment will allow me to contain my BP continue my reading.

The anger for which I had for JH prior to reading the NHJ had obviously been noted by my son in recent times, consequently the fathers day gift was well chosen and enormously appreciated. I have not been able to put in down all day until the above mentioned chapter, my rage become so intense it became a positive health risk to continue.

I was captive reader from the first sentence of the introduction,'I voted for JHW in 1996'.It is the same admission I feel I have to make in any discussion with friends or family regarding the state of the po

Terrific election conversation on Nine's Sunday, featuring MK, the Bully's Garry Linnell and crikey's Christian Kerr, all shotgunned by the ever-elegant Jana Wendt. Wonderful to see new voices and faces cutting through into the broadcast punditry mainstream (3 x great big spunks, at that.)

The agenda-setting money quote for this week's campaigning came from MK, I reckon:

MARGO KINGSTON: I'm just saying there's lots of passion. You only had to see George Brandis brutalise Mike Scrafton in the Senate inquiry this week to know there is passion. It's just both leaders are tightly controlled but the passion is breaking out all over. We're actually seeing after a very disciplined Liberal Party, where the moderates have ac

As we all know, a major focus of this election campaign is economic performance & interest rates, & so far we've seen plenty of attempts to scare people about interest rates.

I've been looking for some information that summarises both the Fraser Government's economic record (in which Howard was treasurer) in terms of interest rates, inflation etc as well as something on housing affordability to put the arguments of the benefits of low interest rates in perspective.

Here's an article that raises a few interesting points in a very simple & understandable way I think the parties opposed to the Government need to raise to properly inform voters:

It is often commented that John Howard is taking us back to the 50

In the electorate of Cowper, the National Party member elected in 2001 to replace a retiring member has spent $24m in 3 years on 184 'small' grants to RSL clubs, schools, companies, individuals, etc. This comes from his own website, in the guise of 'serving the community.'. $2.9m of this went to small companies, including several multiple grants to logging companies.

Over a period of 34 months, this represents 5 grants per week, averaging $130,000.

How could the member handle this volume? Surely a Federal member has more to do than handle issues such as computerisation in RSL clubs? Surely these small community matters should be handled by local or state government?

I suggest that this is blatant buying of popularity to entrench a new politician.

Interestingly, the members of the 2 adjoining NP electorates don't boast of such 'community service' so presumably the need doesn't exist in these areas.

I also ask whether there exist slush funds allocated to members f

Hi Folks,

I think it may be a good idea if you provide a link of your older readers to Greypath at http://www.greypath.com/Portal/main/index.asp

It's a great site and one of their interesting links at the moment is -
http://www.oldwomensproject.org/

This project is calling for women to get together and protest on Oct. 9th - unfortunately in America! But since it is polling day here why can't we wear red too?!

John Howard stated on radio on Thursday or Friday, 2 or 3 September 2004, that his government had provided tax cuts for low income earners, and that everyone had had tax cuts.

He seems to have forgotten that age pensioners such as my partner and me pay tax by virtue of the GST, and, rather than receiving any tax cuts, our taxes have, in fact, gone up, because goods at supermarkets and elsewhere have risen in price and our GST payments have increased accordingly!

So, another John Howard lie!

Yesterday I got an 'Application for a Postal Vote' from my local Liberal candidate. I used the Reply Paid envelope it contained to send him a copy of a poster I have in the back windows of my car which reads; 'Trust Howard ! You must be joking !' Not only will he learn how I feel but it will cost him 50 cents to find out.

Peter Leith. CHELSEA. 3196.

Hi fellow liberals (as opposed to Liberals),

I have been writing a lot of letters recently to politicians and newspaper about a number of issues. I was thrilled to receive a personal response from Natasha Stot Despoja. I was in attendance at the anti war protests and appalled that John Howard had the gall and lack of respect to call us un-Australian and traitors. With demonstrations that exceeded those during the Vietnam war, I expected better. So much for a democratic society.

Having read about the trade agreement between Canada and the USA I am disgusted that we have moved in their footsteps. In Canada after the signing of the 'Free' Trade agreement the US shutdown factories in Canada and relocated them to the US so that Canada not only lost jobs but then had to buy their products back from the US. The US are already considering this process for Holden as Utes are becoming more popular there and if this trend continues to increase they have talked about shutting down ho

Can you believe we've still got five weeks of this to go? Murdoch commentators generally agree that Howard won the first week of this election campaign, while Fairfax journalists reckon it was Latham. Either way, ever get the sense that there isn't a lot being said of substance by anybody at all? Our faltering democracy is locked in a battle of set-pieces and increasingly American style showmanship. Reporters are generally incapable of moving away from the he said/she said dynamic, leaving viewers and readers with the feeling that politicians fundamentally underestimate us, the electorate.

NHJ continues to believe that this election is the most important in our lifetime. As ever, therefore, the most challenging and provocative analysis ain't the mainstream media but online, such as Tim Dunlop's at Road to Surfdom, including this gem on the Murdoch newspapers campaign against the Greens.

It's time li

Hi Margo, you big star!

I am the envy of my friends, because when I bought 'Not Happy John', my local bookshop let me have the last of their 'Not Happy John' bumper stickers. It's in pride of place on the back of our car, and it raises quite a few eyebrows here in our electorate of Ku-ring-gai, believe me. ;)

Now, my friends really want a sticker on the back of their cars too, and who can blame them? I've been toying with scanning the cover of your book and making stickers myself, but I'm afraid that if I use regular sticky paper to print them out, I might be causing long-term damage to my mates' car duco. So where can I get some stickers?

And where can we get badges and t-shirts? I know at least twenty people who'd wear them with pride every day between now and the election. Sure, we can make them ourselves, but you must realise how strong the market for these is.

[Note: I've had a reply from Margo's brother Hamish telling me that I can get the above from John Valder'

Dear Gaye,

You might like to try the Greens, as you've tried everything else!

http://www.vic.greens.org.au/content/

I've been a member for a few years and have found them to be open to discussions, keen to have member input and are really dealing with the big issues: how to live justly and fairly on a planet with finite resources.

Cheers
Fran

I had almost given up