from our ABC

Rudd overtakes Howard as preferred PM

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has overtaken John Howard as the preferred prime minister, according to the latest Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper.

Today's Newspoll puts Mr Rudd 10 percentage points ahead of Mr Howard as preferred prime minister.

Mr Rudd's support increased from 39 to 47 per cent in the last fortnight, while Mr Howard's vote fell from 40 to 37 per cent.

It is the first time the Labor leader has eclipsed Mr Howard in the preferred prime minister stakes.

Satisfaction with Mr Rudd's performance has also increased from 60 to 68 points, while voter satisfaction with the Prime Minister's performance is unchanged at 44 points.

The number of voters dissatisfied with Mr Howard's performance rose by two percentage points to 46 per cent, while Mr Rudd's dissatisfaction rating is down two points at 13.

The Opposition is ahead on primary votes, and on a two-party preferred basis Labor leads with 54 percentage points to the Coalition's 46.

But the Coalition has improved its primary vote, with a rise of three percentage points to 41 per cent.

Meanwhile, 45 per cent of people polled believe it is time to set an exit date for Australian troops in Iraq.

The percentage of voters backing Mr Howard's position on Iraq rose from 27 per cent to 30 per cent, and 22 per cent are calling for an immediate troop withdrawal.

The telephone survey of 1,205 people aged 18 or over was taken on February 16-18. It surveyed people in all states of Australia, in city and country areas.

 

From the ABC

Iraqi criticises Howard over troop plan

A prominent leader among Australian-Iraqis, Dr Mohammed Al-Jabiri, says no more troops should be sent to Iraq.

Dr Al-Jabiri - a former diplomat who was jailed and tortured by Saddam Hussein's regime - says he does not support yesterday's announcement by Prime Minister John Howard that up to 70 military trainers from Australia will join troops already in Iraq.

Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abbawi says the trainers will support the Iraq military, and early withdrawal of troops would have negative consequences.

But Dr Al-Jabiri says some Iraqi ministers are not representing what the Iraqi people want, which is help, not continuing occupation.

"Unfortunately sometimes we look at some Iraqi ministers stating that they need Australian troops, I think these are all giving wrong and false signals to the Australian people," he said.

 

From our ABC

Extra trainers risky for Australia, ex-SAS officer says

The former SAS deputy commander of Australia's forces in Iraq says the Federal Government's plan to send up to another 70 military trainers there will make Australia an even greater target.

Peter Tinley, who has 25 years of military experience, was last night preselected as the Labor Party's candidate in the marginal Perth seat of Stirling.

He has previously described Australia's involvement in the Iraq war as a moral blunder and called for the immediate withdrawal of Australian combat troops.

Mr Tinley says the extra trainers will not make any difference.

"If we send additional trainers to Iraq we are only presenting a high risk profile and when we offset that against the potential gain, and we compare it to what we could do in existing programs outside Iraq where it's safer, then it's not worth it," Mr Tinley said.

"Sending more troops to Iraq is just making more targets."

 

From our ABC

Rudd 'getting full of himself': Howard

Prime Minister John Howard described Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd as "getting a bit full of himself" as the two traded insults over Iraq today.

Mr Rudd is critical of the Government's decision to send up to another 70 military trainers to Iraq and he has stepped up his attack on the Prime Minister.

"Mr Howard can't say that he's learnt any lessons from the Iraq debacle, I think that represents for the future a risk for Australian national security," Mr Rudd said.

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Gus: see cartoon at top of this line of blogs... 

from the ABC

Howard wants clampdown on school violence

Prime Minister John Howard wants to give more power to teachers and principals to crackdown on school bullying.

Mr Howard will deliver the second speech in his series called "Australia Rising" today in Sydney, and he says he will outline the Government's plans for the education system.

In his weekly radio address, Mr Howard has flagged school violence as an area that needs greater attention.

"Like all Australians I am very concerned at reports of school violence and disorder," he said.

"Parents would be well served by more information about school discipline, bullying and disruptive behaviour in the classroom."

Mr Howard says parents and teachers should be given more information about school bullying.

Parents are entitled to expect that their child is safe at school and that teachers are principals have the authority to ensure a strong learning environment," he said.

But Mary Bluett, from the Australian Education Union, says Mr Howard is overtsating the problem.

"In fact, our schools are overwhelmingly incredibly safe places," she said.

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says the state already provides this extra information to parents.

"It appears to be a case of the Prime Minister trying to play catch-up after 10 years of neglecting funding for education," he said.

"After 10 years of reducing funding to students and to universities now that Kevin Rudd has placed his education revolution on the agenda, the Prime Minister has suddenly discovered that education is an important issue."

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Gus: The Primus Rattus in his ironed platitude best splurts "Like all Australians... I..." in an attempt to show empathy to the general populace on Bullying — a sport in which is the king... In an all embracing swoop, he tries to be identified as "one of us" when in fact he's one of himself. But then what can you expect... In my days school violence was disorganised (unlike sport is the present days) or directly descendant from warfare.. But then if one can go back to the Aussie Parliament 1986...

(extract from letters in The Australian from May 12, 2007, Bruce Haigh, Mudgee...:)

"Howard had nothing to say about the cruelties and extremes of the police state that was South Africa under apartheid, with one notable exception being when he rose in parliament to lament the fact that proposed sporting sanctions against South Africa would deprive Australia and South Africa of playing cricket against each other and on that basis he opposed sporting sanctions."

So there, we all knew that.. Rattus has two morals... none worth the spit on the quivering lips.

And our flat-footed Lord Clowner of the 8,500 times publicly pronounced "Saddam has weapons of mass destruction" has to add his grain of salt — making the mountain of proper argument in favour of sanctions collapse in an orgy of ridiculus linguisticus . Bullies? don't go further than Rattus and his gang as a role model.

see cartoon at the head of this line of blogs...