Another Midwinter Ball – “Canberra’s night of nights” – has come and gone. Flicking through the photos, past the political pageant dresses (please, it’s been done) and senior men who seem to want to kill off the bow tie, it was a nice reminder of the Laurie Oakes-ian tactic of the value of staying outside that room.

The off-record ground rules have been loosened. But look, this is still the bubble. There’s little courage to publish the speeches (let alone live-tweet proceedings) or risk a stern talking to by some self-important member of the Press Gallery Committee.