Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has told Channel Nine that voters should consider what it would mean if Labor gains power across the nation.

"We'll just be a one-party country," he said.

Mr Howard says there is "nothing balanced" about a federal Labor government and state Labor governments.

"We will have a Labor Govt in power at every level in Australia for the first time since Federation. There is nothing balanced about that," he said.

He says now is not the time to risk change.

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Gus: This is a furphy first class.

John Howard recently was creating policies designed to by-pass States' rights...

Having a Labor government across the board can lead to greater cooperation between Federal and States government. This will also obviously minimise the buck-passing between Federal and State governments on most issues.

Federal and States Labor Government? Mostly a win-win situation.

Howard and Downer are already waving the fear factor like a ragged tired flag... to save their pork barrelling bacon...

Last night, John Howard, on Channel Ten news, appeared with this old beaten dog look and did not know why its master was beating it up...

"My dedication to the Orstralyan economic record has been without precedent in the success achieved..." he more or less woof-whined, with a tail between his legs..

But for me the John Howard years have been a dump of wasted opportunities, of fascist-like ideologies and of lies covered in bitter-sweet bait... Pity that the opposition was so weak. A proper whiff of fresh wind would have blown him away quick smart...

— the Iraq war: John Howard manoeuvred Australia to be at the side of the US aggression for oil... Historically, which ever way we dissect the changing reasons proposed for this war, the ultimate goal was oil. In my book this is unforgivable. The result of the US invasion of Iraq was predictable: An invasion bordering on — and resulting in a genocide like a slow burning civil war. For me, imprisonment is the only valid punishment for this international offence. For Bush and for Blair and Howard.

— The economy: Paul Keating (like Costello, declared the best treasurer in the world. Keating was under the watchful eye of Alan Greenspan who admired Keating's ways) had fined tuned a smart economic package in which there was still some sharing arrangements for all Australians. John Howard took the credit for this fine tuning and removed the equitable sharing forthwith. Bosses pay packet went through the roof while most workers stagnated in real terms. The present Aussie economic "boom" is not due to John Howard, but mostly to China being able to supply goods for next to nothing, keeping inflation low, but not really that low. The mining "boom" is due because China needs raw material to supply the rest of the world with goods for next to nothing and the rest of the world is hungry for resources. In fact, when one considers that Australia is a country of "immense resources richness", why is the trade deficit going down into a huge black hole, day in day out?

— Government surpluses: John Howard made Australians believe that the government not spending OUR money on infrastructure, education, health and others, was a virtue. The end result is John Howard has shifted a modest government debt into a huge personal debt for all. Most public services have become corporations for profit, rather than for the common good which is at the base of any decent democracy. Most people now survive on stretched-out credit cards, filling banks coffers, and on buying "goods-now" pay-in-2010 when the goods are obsolete scenario — and you'll still be paying in 2015. Now on the eve of the 07 election, after having slashed the budget to fix the pacific Highway early in his career as a spruiker in chief, John Howard is prepared to fill the pot holes with tons of money, as long as the States' governments match the offer... A wet rat.

— Health, education, etc: more turnarounds than on a merry-go-round. Even Abbott "nearly quit" on the massive health con at the previous elections. Rock solid promises turned to sand once John Howard was re-elected. But Abbott did not quit, he stood by the con-trick and made a few more of his own as time passed. The cost of a university degree, once free, has now gone into the ether of debt forever, especially for the poorest of us. The ratio of funding shows that federal funding for public health has declined significantly while, under John Howard policies, public moneys are being used to prop up profits of private health insurance. John Howard is proud of his safety net and claims Labor has adopted the same strategy, thus he's so good... but his net is full of holes, and Labor will better fix them hopefully because John Howard won't.

— The environment: John Howard tries to appear like St Paul on the road to Damascus... A late conversion to a major world's problem... a conversion in his own concrete heart that "changed" because it's an issue dear to the voters — but an issue that he has ditched in the toilet, many times. We can not trust John Howard on this. His new converted way is not to do the necessary but to do the superfluous in the line of more coal (clean) and Nuke-it, creating another major problem for the future. Nuclear energy is expensive and even claimed to be in private hands, needs a lot of subsidies and government's money to get going and be maintained. The US government itself is giving that industry "loans" of more than 50 billion dollars this year — grants and straight out cash that are not to be repaid, thus disguised as loan as not to rattle the public's perception.

— Housing: John Howard's economy lived also on the "booming" house market, turning it into a soap bubble with concrete walls, so inaccessible for many that he had to give public money to first home buyers. With prices of houses going up to, and in some instances more than, four times while basic wages grew miserably — since the time he got into power — his aspiration prosperity for all has been to turn the inhabitants of this lovely country into selfish greedy scrooges after a quick buck. Not a good look.

— Work Choices: After the war in Iraq and refugees, possibly his most devilish game plan — at least the one with repercussion in the long distant future. Under the guise of creating more employment, he cut down unemployment benefit, brought the work for peanut dole rule (a form of slave labour) and brought in the AWAs — these awful contracts that allowed most bosses to reduce workers' entitlements, to sack people and reemploy them for less money and other such shenanigans... Sure, John Howard said that that was not the letter of his policy but if he did not see this coming, he's not fit to be a leader. But I trust he knew what was coming. To sweeten the poison, he created the fair sumpthin' to give the illusion he was working on the problem... But should he be re-elected, if you're a worker, beware of the whip and the bowl of gruel coming at you.

— Refugees: A tragedy of neo-nazi inspired policies. The latest blurts from Kevin Andrews about Sudanese migrants symbolise the John Howard policy. Straight from the "white Australia" rule from the early days of this colony. Not forgetting the lies about the children overboard that forced Peter Reith, to take a cushy job in London or such, for fear of being dragged through parliamentary inquiries and sinking John Howard's government at the same time. The Pacific solution — an expensive prison for a few wretched people... Not a good look. Not a good heart.

All in all, many other such points could be made here, but to borrow a Costello-ism, "let me say this": I will say this that Australia did reasonably well DESPITE John Howard's shonky policies, and many Australians did well in spite of John Howard. It is a credit to the resilience of the good people of this country that we survived the Howard years, although many of us, were totally ashamed of what he was doing to this country's reputation...

John Howard has gotta go-go-go. This is my opinion.