Time for a break

To my regular reader (oh ok, I’ll show some hubris and admit there is a plural number, and say “readers”), I’m off on holidays for a week. Unless something amazing happens – you know a PM is rolled or something – I’ll won’t be back till Monday or Tuesday next week. 

Alas I have failed to offer a fulsome critique of the Liberal's 12 point action contract. But, seriously if you were a political strategist would you come up with a 12 point plan to win an election? Twelve steps to an election win? I’m guessing the first one is to admit you have a problem. I can’t wait for them to get to Step 8 where they have to make amends for all past wrongs… (we really need a Jon Stewart, this stuff is like shooting fish in a barrel, and the fish are slow moving and have a target painted on their scales saying ‘shoot me here’)

And did Abbott need to sign each one? Are they worthless without his signature? Or like Latham signing the big pledge for lower interest rates does this just show the depths at which Abbott is held by the public – that his word is not considered his bond, and he needs to sign it as well? But gee, why would Abbott’s word not be good enough… can’t think of any reason why that would be the case…

Today Andrew Robb came out and said Gillard needed to appoint a new Finance Minister given Lindsay Tanner was retiring. What rot, and I’m glad Julia hasn’t been suckered in to playing this game, like Kevin Rudd was in 2007, when Howard and Costello forced him to say Tanner and Swan would remain in their positions after the election.

Hands up who can remember who was Finance Minister under Howard? If you said Nick Minchin give yourself a kewpie doll, and pat yourself on the back for being a total politics’ nerd. But geez, no one seriously gives a damn who the Finance Minister is unless it is someone as incredibly ill suited for the role as say Barnaby Joyce. But surely no one would ever be dumb enough to think he could fill that role…

To go out with, here’s a clip from Jon Stewart last week absolutely skewering the media over their reaction to the General McChrystal story in Rolling Stone that led to his dismissal. Have fun, see you next week: