As Queensland begins the clean-up, it turns out the flood of donations flows both ways

TONY Abbott wasn't the only one appealing for political contributions during the recent deluge.

Barrie Cassidy interviews Tony Abbott on ABC1's Insiders yesterday:

CASSIDY: How embarrassed were you about that email that went out asking for donations not for flood victims but for funds to run a political campaign against the levy?

Abbott: Barrie, look, political parties in the real world are always appealing for donations.

Cassidy: But to do it in that way, to attach it to a letter detailing information about the floods -- you don't think that was just a little insensitive and in poor taste on the part of the party?

Julia Gillard on the Ten Network's Meet the Press yesterday:

I'VE been absolutely amazed that Tony Abbott somehow thought that it was OK to be out fundraising for the Liberal Party during a national crisis like the one we've been going through.

Gillard on the ALP website on February 2 :

THE people of Queensland have got through some really difficult days in the weeks of this summer, some incredibly difficult days. And we will be with them every step of the way, making a difference as they recover from this cyclone. We certainly won't let go. Sidebar: Donate -- Contribute to the campaign.

More on Insiders yesterday. Which bit of wooden don't you understand?

CASSIDY: You said recently that Julia Gillard displayed a wooden demeanour during the floods. What did you mean by that?

Abbott: Well, I was reflecting comments that have been widely made.

Cassidy: But you talked about her being wooden. I just think it's an odd criticism. It suggests that there's a certain demeanour that leaders should fabricate at times . . .

Cassidy: I'm none the wiser what Tony Abbott really meant when he said her performance was wooden . . .

Tony Windsor: There's definitely a television image problem out there at the moment. The Anna Bligh-Julia Gillard comparison [is] obviously difficult for the Prime Minister.

Lenore Taylor: Clearly Julia Gillard did have some delivery problems over the whole disaster period. Did she sound genuine while trying to talk to grieving flood victims surrounded by television cameras?

Dennis Atkins: Julia Gillard brings a formality which reflects in part her background as a lawyer. In that context it looks stilted and a bit wooden.

Cassidy again on Insiders . . .

LET'S have a look at [the PM's Feb 1] speech. And it was kind of missed largely because naturally it was lost by major events around the country.

The Fin Review's page-one lead on the speech, February 2:

PM's challenge: 2 million back to work

The Australian's splash, February 2:

PM's pledge to harness boom

Can anyone break this circuit? Lyndal Curtis on ABC online's The Drum, July 2, 2010:

OVERTHROWING a PM is a hell of a way to get a circuit-breaker, but that's what the ALP has done.

Katharine Murphy in The Age, July 2, 2010:

LIKE, lump or loathe this [mining tax] deal, it will be Gillard's circuit-breaker, not Kevin Rudd's.

Laurie Oakes, The Daily Telegraph, August 7, 2010:

IN the immediate sense, though, the former PM's intervention was a plus. Gillard needed a circuit-breaker allowing attention to be focused on the Coalition and what an Abbott prime ministership might mean.

Dennis Atkins in The Courier-Mail, January 28, 2011:

IF [Julia Gillard] can convince voters the package is sound and responsible and win the support needed to get it through parliament, this flood response could give her the circuit-breaker her leadership needed after months of doubt and criticism.

Laura Tingle in the AFR, February 1:

A SHAKE-UP in the Prime Minister's Office may be the circuit-breaker Julia Gillard needs.