PM's on-air raid

IN this age of political spin and media manipulation, it is always a pleasant surprise to witness a pollie get caught off guard by an ordinary punter.

IN this age of political spin and media manipulation, it is always a pleasant surprise to witness a pollie get caught off guard by an ordinary punter.

And yesterday, Kevin Rudd copped a hiding from the great unwashed. During an interview with 3AW's Neil Mitchell, Rudd was first given an uncomfortable grilling over his nephew Van Thanh Rudd's comments about Australia being a racist country, before the PM took an open line call from a 60-year-old listener named Richard. The caller questioned the PM about superannuation tax but was none too pleased when he perceived that Rudd was not taking his situation seriously. "Excuse me, it's not a laughing matter, Mr Prime Minister," Richard snapped, quickly bringing the Prime Ministerial giggle to an end.

Warne spins again

IN his Test debut Shane Warne was grievously assaulted by Indians, and at the height of his spinning powers his mistrust of the subcontinent extended to travelling with a store of baked beans lest the local food upset his sensitive belly. Yet, according to Victorian Premier John Brumby, Warnie can help do what a conga line of political leaders has failed to do so far: convince Indian students that Australia in general, and Victoria in particular, is a safe place to study and live. Brumby met Warne yesterday to discuss what role the legendary leggie might play as a "goodwill ambassador" for the Big V, a state portrayed by the Indian press as a cross between Mississippi and Mogadishu after a series of violent attacks on Indians living in Melbourne. The ex-cricketer has experience in conflict resolution. He managed to coax his long-suffering wife back to the family home after his well-documented liaisons, and he once stood before the MCG's notorious Bay 13 in a bid to calm an angry mob. Warne was circumspect when quizzed about his potential role yesterday. "There are lots of important issues. I'm sure we will discuss them," he said of his meeting with Brumby.

Recipe for disaster

IT'S enough to send Gordon Ramsay into another foul-mouthed tirade. The British chef whose bully-boy antics in the kitchen have earned him fame and fortune has been dubbed "a disgrace" by the godfather of British cuisine and, worse still, an inferior cook to longtime rival Marco Pierre White. Michel Roux Sr, the Frenchman awarded an OBE in 2002 for his services to the British food industry, who with brother Albert Roux has trained more than half of Britain's current batch of Michelin-starred chefs, said Ramsay and White passed through the brothers' Le Gavroche kitchen, and it was obvious where the real talent lay. "Marco Pierre White is a very good cook, one of the best I've seen in training," says Roux. "He's got palate, he's got flair [he's on] another scale to Gordon Ramsay." Roux, whose The Waterside Inn restaurant in England's Berkshire countryside broke Michelin records recently when it became the first eatery outside France to hold three stars for 25 years, labelled Ramsay's expletive-ridden TV antics a disgrace and "totally unacceptable". "I find Ramsay's behaviour appalling. He worked for my brother and myself for over two years and he never behaved like that, ever. He was a very docile young man. He's a good chef but he's certainly not one of the best we've trained, certainly not. That guy is not better than anyone else, but he behaves badly so people love him. We create monsters sometimes." Ramsay was not available for comment but we imagine that if he came face to face with Mr Roux, he would tell him to go and get . . . lost.

Abbott rides high

TONY Abbott's "direct action" on climate change road show hit Sydney yesterday, with Abbott addressing a morning Liberal Party fundraiser in the CBD. Standing out somewhat, in an audience of business types and party heavy-hitters, was Planet Ark founder and NSW 2010 Australian of the Year nominee John Dee. Challenged by Dee to outline how he would entice Australians to reduce their carbon footprints, Abbott said he found elements of Dee's 10-point plan for doing so alarming. "I'm not keen to swap my [Ford] Territory for a Prius -- I understand they're currently having a few problems with those," the Opposition Leader said. He went on to swear he was making up the difference by occasionally cycling to work.

Howes that again?

THE Australian's Peter van Onselen's feisty Friday morning Sky News show The Contrarians lived up to its name yesterday when he invited the AWU's Paul Howes on to the panel. Strewth was as surprised as van Onselen when Howes grabbed the opportunity of an appearance on live national television to lay into The Australian's page one story yesterday on perverse effects of Labor's IR laws. "I am not surprised that the third member of the Coalition, The Australian, will be finding any little example of minor inconsequential outcomes in the IR laws," Howes declared. Could he be referring to the same newspaper which only a fortnight ago announced Kevin Rudd as its Australian of the Year? Or could this be the same Howes whose opinion articles were published six times in the past year in The Coalition's Third Member? Surely not.