I think that Tony Abbott will have greater electoral success than people think. There is a vacuum in Australian politics for a credible, conservative alternative that is not backwards and extreme. Regardless of what left wingers may say, Abbott is neither backwards, (He is a Rhodes Scholar and has a double degree in law and economics) or extreme... he is simply conservative. He is the voice that will ignite the conservative, moral spirit in the average Australian voter, particularly those who think there is some need to keep the cavalcade of left wing "progress" in check. He is the people's voice against another tax in the form of an ETS, he is the voice supporting life, he is the voice that balances reason and spirituality, somthing that may you people on BOS forget that people in the real world do as well. He is likeable, he is popular, he is not a bureaucrat by nature and he will scare Rudd like you wont believe. Young people are not dumb either, and not all of the new voters are drawn to Rudd's "quasi-modern-with-the-times " appeal...and many, young and old, with half a brain are begging for an alternative that is working in the interests of the common person, rather than acting like a show pony on the world stage. People want action not symbolism. Rudd loves symbolism and acting like he is a leader (eg Apology, Kyoto and now Copenhagen), but Abbott is about getting the job done.