ICAC yourself
IF you can’t laugh during an official investigation into corruption, when can you laugh?
Strewth
Joyce the prophet
REMEMBER back in 2009 when Barnaby Joyce pondered aloud the possibility of the US defaulting on its debt?
You’re Nicked
CONGRATULATIONS to Alan “Giant Killer” Stockdale, the federal president of the Liberal Party who defeated Peter “Waterside Warrior” Reith for the plum, presidency by one vote 57-56.
Say it with flowers
WITH Julia Gillard safely on the other side of the continent, Kevin Rudd marked the anniversary of her ascension working the east coast, starting in Brisbane (or Brissie, as we should say) before flying down to Sydney.
The other bogan
THE smile, when first sighted in the House of Representatives, was as vast and luminous as the mothership from Close Encounters.
Barnaby speaks
YESTERDAY’S question time in the House of Representatives was brought to you by “stunt” and “plebiscite”.
She’ll be apples?
CANBERRA rolled out a fine welcome for New Zealand Prime Minister John Key yesterday. What were the odds he would mention the Rugby World Cup?
Year of tears
THE approach of Kevin Rudd’s special anniversary has got plenty of people excited.
Look at moi
WE did admire Lisa Wilkinson’s doomed persistence with Tony Abbott on Today yesterday.
Dungeon indeed
EVEN amid the sturm und drang of yesterday’s question time, with a censure motion being launched against the government before the green seat leather even had a chance to grow warm beneath elected bums, there were moments that stood out.
Ball bidding
BY now it’s possible we’re busy raking over the sudden staff movements precipitated, in the time-honoured fashion, by last night’s federal parliamentary press gallery Midwinter Ball.
Peace no chance
THERE was something about the vision of the Dalai Lama and Peter Slipper yesterday, sitting side by side in the gallery and smiling beatifically upon the House of Representatives, that left us feeling pleasantly winded, as though we’d just been trampled by a stampede of unicorns.
Dig deeper
WITH only a day left, the federal parliamentary press gallery’s Midwinter Ball charity auction is warming up, with one disappointing exception.
MP in bumper
AS a batsman, Test cricket selector Andrew Hilditch was easily sucked into the skied hook-shot to fine leg where he would be routinely caught.
Pat on the back
LET us start on an upbeat note and celebrate Communications Minister Stephen Conroy’s triumph in London.
Poofle piffle
NOW that the caravan has moved on and the dogs have stopped yapping, perhaps we can stop being retrospectively impressed by mincing poodles and move on.
All fired up
WHILE Bob Katter and his disappointingly named Australian Party continue their inexorable rise to global domination, it would be remiss of us not to spare a little limelight for the political aspirations of Catch the Fire Ministries chief Danny Nalliah and his nascent party, Rise Up Australia.
Katter patter
OF all the federal independents, Bob Katter has always been Strewth’s favourite.
Crass roads
GIVEN the British parliament’s regicidal days appear to be far behind it, Blighty’s political observers are obliged to look elsewhere for sources of political horror.
Apocalypse meow
AS the Jackson Five might have put it: Don’t blame it on sunshine, don’t blame it on moonlight, don’t blame it on good times, blame it on the Bushby.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/strewth/page/111