Boofhead back

POLITICS in NSW has never been particularly elevated so it seems natural for Barry O'Farrell to describe opposition leader John Robertson as a "boofhead".

POLITICS in NSW has never been particularly elevated so it seems almost natural for Premier Barry O'Farrell to describe Labor opposition leader John Robertson as a "boofhead", an appellation that may from time to time have been aimed at Big Baz during his days as a struggling opposition spokesman.

We are sure Robbo has been called worse things and is perfectly capable of shrugging off the insult. If it's any consolation for Robertson, some of Australia's finest have been called boofheads. Shane Warne and Brendan Fevola, both, in their day, supreme at their respective sports, have been called boofheads. In politics Joe Hockey, Mark Latham and Bernie Riordan have worn the epithet with varying degrees of pride. Kerry Packer called David Leckie a boofhead -- apparently with affection. Nathan Rees let it be known that Sheik al-Hilaly was also one. Women, it should be noted, are never referred to as boofheads.

Independent boof

HAS independent MP Rob Oakeshott ever been called a boofhead? As far as we can tell, only by infuriating cryptic-crossword puzzle compiler and word columnist David Astle. Among voters in his electorate, we would surmise that Oakeshott is being called many names and that boofhead would be among them, and would also be one of the few that can be published. Anti-pokies senator Nick Xenophon is in a soothing mood towards Oakeshott because he has told clubs in his NSW north coast electorate that he won't support poker machine reforms if it affects their business. Xenophon is confident of Oakeshott's support, but he shouldn't hold his breath. "Rob Oakeshott's a pretty sensible bloke," Xenophon says with a straight face. "He knows that you've got to do something that's sensible, that's practical."

Caviar with slebs

HORSE racing devotees dragged themselves en masse from the comfort of their pubs to Randwick on Saturday to witness the transcendent Black Caviar, a mare of stupefying pace when it's called for. Plumbers and accountants, artists and retirees, students and perhaps a few off-duty rugby league players gathered to experience the magic that a champion can exude. There was hysteria and joy in abundance. Everyone was smiling, some shaking their heads in disbelief, as Black Caviar returned to be unsaddled. There were some celebrities, but none could outshine this animal. As celebs such as Jodi Gordon, Rachael Finch, Tom Williams and Tinie Tempah (er, who?) paraded their dental work and flash threads, Strewth was reminded of a word coined, we believe, by British journalist Rod Liddle: slebs. It captures the banality of inhabiting celebrity culture while also carrying a satisfying tone of disdain.

Really sad, Silvio

THE Silvio Berlusconi sex-scandal story keeps yielding gold, even as his legal problems mount. And Italian men still quite like him, though his overall popularity has dropped. If he were an Australian politician, he would definitely qualify as a boofhead because he can't stop cracking "jokes". He was handing out prizes at a graduation ceremony at the weekend when he told two young blondes he'd like to invite them to his "bunga bunga" parties. What a gas, Silvio. His Youth Minister Georgia Meloni gave the PM an exasperated look and tried to hide. Then Berlusconi told a young man he was cute and could also come to the party. It seems that Berlusconi is the only one who can see the joke.

Know how you feel

IT'S either an admission of weakness or another example of how Tony Abbott can't tell a lie, or both. Back from his arduous Pollie Pedal from the Gold Coast to Sydney, the Iron Monk, 53, confessed that there were some days when he felt "far too old". What an admission! "There are days when you feel you're far too old for it, but there are other days when you feel your strength coming back. So I think as long as you stay reasonably fit, you can keep doing something like this." Abbott says he'll be back next year, hoping to raise more money for charity along the nine-day marathon.

Royal knees-up

A DIFFERENT sort of marathon is approaching its finale in London where William Windsor and Kate Middleton will marry about 10 years after they met. She was wearing next to nothing at a fashion show; he was in the audience and, legend has it, let out an audible phwoar. It'll be a grand occasion, one that republicans can share with all those ardent monarchists such as David Flint. Economists estimate that about pound stg. 620 million ($960m) will be spent on beer, parties and memorabilia but that spending could have a fleeting effect on an economy that shrank in the December quarter. Others warn that the benefits of wedding-related spending will be offset by lost production during the public holiday for the wedding. Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec, said the wedding could harm growth and that allowing workers a day off "could knock some 0.25 per cent" from GDP. How romantic is that?

Graeme Leech