That’s not fence-sitting, it’s an analysis of the electorate I live in, the media I read, and the mainstream blogs I visit. Sadly, I don’t hope that Tony takes the prize. Should his party gain the ascendency they’ll need to do a much needed overhaul of policy and cabinet ministers that could perhaps be better done in private. On the other hand, should Labor win, they’ll need to get quick smart back on that steep learning curve. The one where a political party learns how to go from being a populist choice to a stable government.

well, no that’s not it…

“Saturday night at the movies
who cares what picture you see
when you’re huggin’ with your baby
in the back row of the balcony”

well, no, not that either….

“Saturday in the park
I think it was the 4th of July..”

Nah, a bit late for that…

“My old man’s drunker than a barrel full of monkeys
and my old lady she don’t care
my sister looks cute in her braces and boots
a handfull of grease in her hair
Saturday night’s alright for fightin’”

Now that’s close…

“Well I looked at my watch, it was 9:21
We was at a rock’n'roll dance having nothing but fun
And we rolled, reelin’ and a rockin’
We was reelin’ and rockin’
Rollin’ till the break of dawn”

nah, that ain’t it…

“well I woke up Sunday morning
with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt
and the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t
bad so I had one more for dessert”

Ah, you gotta love country music…..

Not a good look for the new PM who uses the ‘jazz hands’ to ensure us she has the interests of ‘all Australians’ at heart. While these shenanigans by the dirt diggers may not be entirely ethical, they certainly open the curtains of a Cabinet that needs exposure if we, the general public, are to get beyond the spin that is this election.

Today Peter Hartcher, Herald journo, throws in with the suggestion that Labor have asked Kevin Rudd to campaign outside of his electorate for the Labor Party. It belies belief that they would do this, but given their desperation for re-election nothing is surprising.

In one fell swoop, by installing Gillard as PM, Labor can erase its past mistakes, blaming them, perhaps unfairly, on Kevin Rudd. Equally, in one fell swoop, Tony Abbott has lost most of the ground he has recently gained. Labor will have cleaned the slate, and gained another chance. Gillard is undoubtedly a more convincing leader than Rudd ever was. Rudd’s job was to oust Howard. He did that with alacrity and aplomb. However his subsequent performance has been lacklustre to say the least.

On the other hand, by installing Tony Abbott as leader, the Libs have put all their money on returning a government along the lines of the Howard government. This has been a mistake of massive proportions. There will never be another long-serving conservative government along the lines of the Howard regime. He was a fitting end to an era.

Like Obama, Rudd was a herald of the new century, yet, unlike Obama, perhaps Rudd is merely a seat-warmer. The hours will decide.

The leadership challenge has been posted. Rudd has given a press conference.

Soon after 9am, we’ll all know who is going head to head with Tony Abbott.

Charles Waterstreet has to be one of the worst. Though he is a barrister, his articles sound like he ingested too much LSD in the 60s and is only now working out which way is up.

Lisa Prior, a GenY journo yet to reach twenty five, has the audacity to propound on issues that only affect people much older than herself. This is comforting to older people who are glad she’s a journo and not in the Labor Party.

Miranda Devine, on the other hand, presents a severely right wing solution to every situation. Whether or not you agree with Miranda, at least she doesn’t write drug addled commentary or speak in three letter syllables, lol.

And you thought this lot were boring…..

On the supposedly entertaining side of commentary, the dross takes over from the droll and presents us with ‘celebrity’ opinions. These are opinions formulated by any celeb who can spin two words together and needs a buck. It’s a marriage made in heaven for both tabloids and unemployed celebs; a guaranteed eye-catcher is an article expounded by anyone who has ever been on the front page.

This isn’t journalism, this isn’t even reporting, it’s called feeding the chickens*, it’s chaff for the masses, it sells newspapers, captures eyeballs on TV, gets clicks on the web, outrage in the letters columns, and very little else.

A vacuous conduit behind which the real world of politics, business and creativity function unhindered and unheard of. Is this a bad thing?

I don’t think so…

*euphemism

Fortunately the triumvirate realised this and enlisted Lindsay Tanner to complete the Gang of Four. As Finance Minister he proposed a tax on the only sector of Australian business that is actually prospering after the GFC.

Killing the goose that laid the golden egg is certainly one way to achieve a windfall, but certainly not the way to ensure Australia’s economic future.

While the previous regime shackled us with an unworkable ‘Work Choices’ policy, yet left us with money in the bank, this group of political neophytes seems intent on leaving us with a Whitlam-esque sized debt, an open border policy, and a complete lack of concern for any in the community who aren’t classified as ‘working families’.

The wake-up call came for me when I joined Facebook. Apparently ‘gigdiary’ wasn’t a real name, so, unwittingly, I gave my real name. This was a prerequisite. Mistake #1. I then went through some options and gave my birthday. Mistake #2. I posted some pics. Mistake #3. Those details are now recorded forever.

And then I realised that while Facebook is a wonderful networking site, it is driven by a corporation intent on mining information from all and sundry. I have since deleted all information save for my name, but I bet Facebook haven’t.

I won’t be quitting Facebook. Their social networking site is awesome. I’ve met so many people from my past, and I’m going back decades, it is an invaluable site, as long as you only list your name.

It is not a place to chat and reveal your innards to the world.

Bright and shiney Kev has tarnished his ‘milky bar kid’ persona by failing to oversee almost all of Labor’s initiatives; a disappointment to many who voted for him. Unfortunately attending a conference in Copenhagen and saying ‘sorry’ to the indigenous are not initiative enough to inspire confidence. The rest of Labor’s attempted initiatives appear to have fallen flat, if not self-destructed.

Bovver boy Tony Abbott, on the other hand, has come out punching without any real agenda, any cohesive policy, and displaying a reckless disregard for the trust of the Australian public. Whether he’s appearing in budgie smugglers or shooting his mouth off, the electorate is right to feel a certain apprehension about his aspirations to become prime minister.

Is there any relief in sight? Quite a lot actually. Both parties have potential superstars hidden in the wings. The effable Julia Gillard, whom I’ll describe as definitive, decisive and determined, and the magnanimous Malcolm Turnbull, a man prepared to cross the floor on the issue of global warming.

Could Julia restore core values to the Labor Party, and can Malcolm drag the Libs kicking and screaming into the 21st Century? On both counts I would hope so, and also hope that this sham of an election is done and dusted as soon as possible.

Once again the football codes in this country are up for a ripe old, rip-roaring lambaste. Whether it’s Nate Myles taking a dump in a 5 star hotel corridor, TV so called footy heroes gang raping a female fan, or this pathetic invasion of privacy of a bogan swimsuit model, the good ol’ boys have once again shown they are beyond reproach. Shame and scandal in the family didn’t stop Matty Johns from anchoring a nationwide TV show. Nate Myles continues to draw a paycheck from the NRL, hopefully it includes a toilet paper allowance. Is an unreality show with Fevola and the Bogan Princess far away?

While Lara showed her money-grubbing bogan self to the world by extracting an exhorbitant amount of money for her supposed tale of woe, Fevola has revealed his complete lack of character and gentlemanly conduct by denying responsibility.

Sounds like a marriage made in heaven.

Whether you agree or not, this puts Australia’s ‘nanny state’ mentality into perspective. Of course drinking beer at work isn’t world’s best practice, yet the Danes aren’t wielding the big clog here, they only want brewery workers not to get drunk while drinking beer on the job. The drivers are exempt from this ruling. Apparently they can drink, but the caveat is an alcohol ignition lock on the trucks.

The Danes aren’t stupid.

The Danes also aren’t over-worrying, do-gooders who want to beat the joie de vivre out of anyone who doesn’t follow their lifestyle. Of course, this Danish example is slanted to one side of the argument, yet Australian authorities seem far pressed the other way.

You can barely blink today without some faux authority coming down on you like a ton of bricks. Take your dog for a walk? Take a plastic bag? In my day, dog shit was biodegradable. Honk your horn whilst driving? Be prepared for a $230 fine, even if it was just to say hello to a friend. Yet these same governmental do-gooders somehow fail to stop youths carrying knives. They have no control over cultural elements in society who are intent on destroying our way of life. Nonetheless they insist on reigning in our freedoms.

This is the crux of the matter; pacifying much of the populace with ‘Milky Bars‘, while giving free reign to immigrants to remake this country in their image. That the Danes manage to send Carlsberg Beer across the world, while enjoying a lager or two at lunch time, makes a mockery of our nanny state imposing baby rules of behaviour, rather than policing the issues that many Australians are concerned about.