How can you tell a politician is lying?

How can you tell a politician is lying? Their lips are moving!
–Annon .

More fun and loop-holes from the people that brought us “core” and “non-core” promises.

During last year’s election campaign Mr Abbott gave a “rock solid, iron-clad commitment” to keep the Medicare safety net thresholds. Funily enough now after the election, the rates are on their way up. Remember GST? Remember “babys overboard”? Remember interest rates?

John Howard taking voters for mugs [The Age]
By Michelle Grattan
April 15, 2005

There is no excuse for the Prime Minister’s latest broken promise.

ohn Howard has treated the voters with total disdain in hacking into the safety net. He has absolutely no excuse for breaking an election promise that was repeated over and over, and formed a central part of his campaign.

Weeks ago Howard ditched last year’s undertaking not to substantially increase Australia’s troop numbers in Iraq. On Monday he’ll be waving goodbye to the 450 troops he has since committed.

He justified (dubiously) that broken promise by claiming circumstances had changed. Nothing has changed with the safety net.

The blow-out in the estimated cost should have been foreseen before all those unequivocal promises were made. It’s nonsense for Howard to suggest “since the election it has become apparent that the cost of it is going to be even greater than we thought at the time”.

And it is not as though the Government is going to be down to its last dollar of the surplus. …