Howard's staying on and on and on....

[Platypus]

DAMN.

I want Costello, not this...idiot! ARGH!

The Age Article

Prime Minister John Howard has said he is confident he can beat Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.

Revealing for the first time his plans for a fifth term in government, Mr Howard told journalists in Athens: "I'm not about to find another job."

"I'm not planning going anywhere," he said.

Reigniting longstanding leadership tension with Treasurer Peter Costello, Mr Howard said he could beat Mr Beazley a third time - after success in 1998 and 2001 - but said he would not take his opponent lightly.

Mr Howard, who returned from Athens yesterday, called Treasurer Peter Costello last night to alert him to the reports, published today.

Mr Costello was at Melbourne restaurant Livebait when he took a call on his mobile from Mr Howard.

The Treasurer was upset when told by the Prime Minister about the way the comments had been reported.

Asked about recent speculation he was interested in moving to Alexander Downer's Foreign Affairs portfolio, Mr Costello said: "I do want to swap portfolios, but not with the Minister for Foreign Affairs."

Mr Howard last night suggested to Mr Costello that he had been misinterpreted.

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AdvertisementSources close to Mr Howard said last night "It was one of those questions where, what else could you say?", and that the answers did not have any significance.

During the interview in Athens, Mr Howard was asked, "You reckon you could best him three times?" He replied: "Yes. I hope so. Try."

When questioned on the topic of a smooth transition, he said: "I'm not going to say anything about the leadership, except I'm enjoying the job immensely, as you can see. I like it. I have a lot of energy. I have a lot of things I want to do."

Asked whether he would like some overseas job after politics, Mr Howard said: "You only think about those things when you're about to find another job and I'm not about to find another job . . . I'm not planning going anywhere."

Mr Howard said it was reasonable for journalists to ask these questions, "but just understand that I'm not going to speculate about my future".

"I enjoy the job immensely. I've still got lots of energy for it, I've still got plenty of ideas. There are lots of things I want to do and I'm not planning any post-prime-ministerial life."

Last night one of Costello's closest allies said: "Well, if he is going to start playing that sort of game, then we will just have to wait and see what happens next year. No one is suggesting that John Howard should step down this year, but next year there is an expectation that John Howard will do what is best for the Liberal Party and to ensure there is a smooth transition."

When Mr Howard told Mr Costello on June 2, 2003, that he planned to stay on beyond his 64th birthday, a despondent Mr Costello declared it was not his happiest day.

The Prime Minister had originally said he would review his position when he was 64, a statement interpreted as an undertaking that he would stand aside for the party's deputy.

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Whilst he didn't state clearly he's staying, he is. Howard's only ever coy when he tries to hide the truth, not propogate a rumour.

[Jake]

Interesting, assuming the next election is in 2007 and everything stays pretty much the same, who would the Coalition do better under Costello or Howard?

[Platypus]

Depends. People are getting sick of Howard, but they're getting sick of Costello too-he's been the number two since 1996. Most recognise Costello as an outstanding economic manager, and Howard as better overall. So, if the 2007 eklection was based on economic issues, Costello would cream any challenger. if it's based on other issues, Howard might do slightly better. Costello should have had the election we just held, which was based on economic issues. The next probably won't be, therefore.