Sorry, but why are they arguing?

Sorry, but why are they arguing? : "'Kevin Rudd's staff should have known better, I suppose for people who have just come straight up from the Aboriginal tent embassy, who are radicalised activists... a certain amount of hostility is to be expected, but I don't believe anyone who attentively listened to Brendan's speech would have been anything other than very satisfied with it,' Mr Abbott said."

Some people just cannot let the past go , can they? They can't get over the grooves in their thinking and they cannot move on. We loved the speech. We were moved. Some of us clapped and where I was most of the people left about 5 minutes into Brendan Nelson's speech. He was not able to do himself and his party justice because he was hog tied by the people in his party who are clinging to the past. John Howard may or may not have been a good Prime Minister for the time he was there. History will judge that. We have decided we needed to move on. We wanted to change and we wanted someone we could have confidence in and who could help us write a new page in our history. Kevin Rudd is doing that. If we want to be a republic we have to have confident leaders who can give us hope and vision and who have a practical approach. The "what is good for us" and insulting and name calling is gone. We are so over it. It has been a pleasure listening to parliament because speakers are thinking very carefully about what they are saying. They are giving us plenty to think about and they are discussing matters...yes, they are actually having proper discussions. To be a republic we have to take our tough political issues and air them confidently. We have to discuss them fully and ably. We have to have leaders who can think and who will allow open discussion so that all aspects of an issue are seen. Limiting us with insults and name calling is achieving nothing and someone who turns their back is not really doing anything wrong. There were senators who actually did not turn up on one of the most important days in our history. To express our views is good. To take potshots is bad. Not to be there and participate means you actually have no interest in resolving anything. You are not part of the team at all in any way shape or form. I can only say again that Brendan Nelson was doing the best he could with a party that is not engaged and which is rooted in the past. He is prepared to move on and become part of 2008. He is prepared to have a fresh look at things and actually develop his thinking. His position was invidious but he was there and he was a part of it and he tried to do what was wanted of him. I think he needs to think about what he wants for himself....and the rest of us have a real feeling of pride today. We needed that.