Strewth: Nats’ duo lingo

After Nationals leader Michael McCormack’s strange antics, Barnaby Joyce had a hold-my-beer moment.

Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce having fun after a touch football game in in Canberra.

Nats’ duo lingo

“We did have a script, but it didn’t consist of the routines and gags,” Stan Laurel once explained of his work with Oliver Hardy. “It outlined the basic story idea and just a plan for us to follow. But when it came to each scene, we and the gag-men would work out ideas.” This may double as insight into the Nationals. As yesterday’s Strewth went out, it carried a description of Nationals leader Michael McCormack’s latest antics (warnings that renewables would end night sport and melt pensioners) and this conclusion: “We really don’t see how Barnaby Joyce can top that.” But Joyce doesn’t shy away from a challenge and a short time later he was on Radio National having what might be termed a hold-my-beer moment. “We have a fantastic leader … in Michael McCormack and there will be no change to that,” he said, possibly thinking of a certain definition of “fantastic”.

Laurel and Hardy.

Abbott and Costello.

On he went: “If there was a spill, the position’s vacant, I am the elected deputy PM of Australia so I’d have no … guilt at all at standing. ” Putting aside some small issues, among them (a) the way leaders are elected here, and (b) Joyce’s dual citizenship at the election, it does almost sound like a cry of “Come back, Malcolm!”. Then it was time to do what any comedian would do for their partner in japery: complete the set-up. In this case, an assertion of the Nats’ independence: “We are not married to the Liberal Party.” McCormack came in right on the beat: “I understand what it takes to have a successful marriage.” While we’re confident MickMack was addressing the topic and not just taking a veiled crack at Joyce’s personal life, it drove the audience wild. And that’s how it goes; as Bud Abbott said of his time with Lou Costello: “You never heard of a comedy team that didn’t fight, did you?”

 

Swept under the bubble

Speaking of mirth, you’d think Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds would rest on her laurels for the rest of the week following her Sky News encounter with David Speers, an amazing interview (or colloquium mirabile for those envisioning it immortalised in marble) that should forever rub shoulders with Bill Shorten’s “I haven’t seen what she said, but let me say I support what it is that she’s said.” But Reynolds was not quite done. Yesterday, invited to contemplate the open warfare in the junior Coalition party this close to an election that is rolling towards a government that’s tanked in 50 Newspolls, she dismissed it as “Canberra bubble”. Five stars.

 

Hound wins round

In NSW, Opposition Leader Michael Daley was snapped with a golden retriever called Ellie gripping one of his campaign posters ’twixt her jaws. “Ellie wins the day,” Daley tweeted. Shortly after the photo was taken, Ellie ripped the poster to shreds.

Slogan’s run

Following our look at political slogans, Matthew Abraham has alerted us to Sergio Ubaldi, the ALP candidate who had a pop at the federal seat of Sturt in 1983. His slogan? “Ubaldi Ubewdy”. He failed to topple the Liberal incumbent, Ian Wilson; in the end that would prove to be a job for a young chap called Christopher Pyne.

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