Bali Bombers

According to the PM, Australians would feel 'let down' if the Bali bombers were not executed. What an excellently good reason for killing people. Strange that argument is so rarely put in death penalty debates.

The other point to make here, of course, is that its not true; Australians are, and always have been, overwhelmingly opposed to the death penalty on account of not being mindless, homicidal maniacs.

Lying by Numbers

John Howard is going to both Grand Finals this weekend, I suppose in the hope that he will be returned to office on the backs of footy fans everywhere. He says that attending the finals gives us 'a full run down of what I'm going to do'; so we'd all better hope that no government business needs his attention.

The Herald Sun, which is more shameless than his own PR people - and that's saying something - ran the story this morning that the Government is climbing back to popularity after a poll they ran showed him as a mere ten points down. This puts the poll at odds with every other poll (that I've seen anyway) taken over the weekend. This in combination with a story about how Labor is behaving as thought it had already won the election, when actually the party seems to be doing the range of things that every party does running into an election (should it ever be announced.)

Meanwhile, in Eden-Monaro...

Tony Martin describes the Murdoch Press as a self-saucing pudding for comedians; the work's already done for you. But of course, the description is just as accurate of the pollies. Peter Phelps, the Chief of Staff to the Special Minister of State, has criticised Labor candidate Col. Mike Kelly for serving in a war that Phelps' party got us into in the first place. (It's amazing the way the hawks, the warmongers, who criticise the weakness and cowardice of the bleeding hearts, never want to do the bleeding themselves.) But this is the best bit: Phelps compared Kelly to the Nazi guards at Belsen and asked if he was going to use the Nuremberg defense... which would make the Liberal Party the Nazi High Command.

Also, is it really Liberal Party policy that following orders is optional for those in the Armed Services?

Julia Gilliard has called for Phelps to be sacked, which can only be regarded as an act of political generosity.

Facial Muscle Injury in Canberra

According to The Age Swingers cool on Costello as PM. Sorry, that has nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was a really funny headline. I have a juvenile sense of humour, as we shall see. Here's the real story: COSTELLO TRIES TO SMILE

Apparently, part of his bid involved the declaration that he has not once eaten with his wife this week. You know, people say pollies are out of touch and you think its a bit of a cliche, and then there's Costello who apparently thinks screwing over your family is what wins elections, coming through in the clinch; daylight second.

Bad Loser

I can't believe that Costello is so desperate that he's prepared to spill for the leadership under present conditions. What could be more humiliating than losing to that man now, embattled as he is?

So Much For The Fourth Estate

When Kennett won in Victoria in 1992 on the 'guilty party' scare campaign, he promised that he'd bring the same ad out for the next election, which says it all really. Howard has been attempting a version of the same by mentioning Keating any chance he gets on the off chance that whatever made people vote for him that time might do it again eleven years down the line; an interesting policy from a man who keeps telling us the polls say, not that Australia is sick of him, but that he doesn't talk about the future enough. Australia would like him to stop talking altogether and do something for a change. Actually, Howard should leave his scare campaign to the Herald Sun, a populist newspaper which has got to take credit for backing such an unpopular leader, a leader so out of touch with the Australian people. Today's effort included an article on the ALP as a front for the Unions. This only a few weeks after having trashed Labor's new IR policy as being widely criticised by Unions. Rudd does not have a Union background; on the contrary he worked as a diplomat, a job which requires someone to be bipartisan. In making Rudd leader, the ALP has made it very clear that they are, for better or worse, distancing themselves from the Union movement.

Its All Starting To Sound A Bit Desperate

Mr. Howard has described the idea that the conservatives might change leader coming into the Federal Election as "very strange indeed".

Mr Howard also said he had discussed quitting as Liberal leader with his family last night, and they had encouraged him to stay on.

Does Mr. Howard mean to say that he and his family have ideas that are 'very strange indeed'?