Of all the worries about Australia’s political future, near the bottom of my list of concerns is Peter van Onselen’s Tony Abbott in danger of being a do-nothing PM. I fear such an opportunity will not be his lot in life but the leftist notion that pervades the article, that a good government is an activist government, is one I do not share.

But even with the issues that Abbott is accused of of buying into, this is really no more than refusing to fix parts of Gillard’s mess. He cites

Supporting a national disability insurance scheme levy via an increase in the Medicare levy blows the top marginal tax rate out to 47 cents in the dollar. That, quite simply, is not internationally competitive.

and

the market challenges Australia faces after years of the unrestricted Fair Work Act require a swifter correction.

That these decisions are Gillard’s is noted but the responsibility and need for a solution in his view belongs to the Coaltion, and more particularly to Tony Abbott.

And what is the only actual policy recommendation he can come up with:

Increased consumption taxes, via a broadening out of the Goods and Services Tax or an increase in its rate.

Some policy, but more money for the government to spend is typically all these people can think of. You can already see the media preparing for an Abbott government, building its list of failings based on not fixing immediately and in its entirety the mess that Labor will leave behind. Cynical, sure, but standard operting procedure as well.

On the train this morning our driver told a story while we were delayed and waiting to find a berth at Flinders Street.

He said he had been told that the Australian navy is so broke that to raise money it is having to grow and sell oranges. He had thought this was nonsense until this morning but now he sees it’s true since he had just eaten a piece of fruit with a sticker that said “naval orange”.

Not great, although it did make me smile. But what really charmed me was that the incompetence of this Labor Government is now so universally understood – even by those who are going to vote for them – that this is the kind of joke that train drivers tell their passengers. It must be common knowledge which does give me hope. That Labor is utterly bereft of talent, ability and ideas this I knew but my worry was would anyone else notice and even if they did, would they vote to throw them out. My worry always is can the country be bought off. Can there be one more set of fairy tales that will get these people back over the line.

Anyway, Andrew Bolt has the latest poll results:

Essential Media poll yesterday: Labor 45, Coalition 55

Roy Morgan poll today: Labor 42, Coalition 58

I’m a pessimist from way back. That these people won in 2007 and won again in 2010 only reinforced my sense that competence doesn’t matter or at least not as much as it should, and with 80% of the media behind them that maybe they will make it back again or only lose by a small margin. But if train drivers know the ALP is ruining our national defence, they must know a lot more as well about the harm the ALP have done. And if they know it, I can only hope it will influence their vote.