Hey Hey Its Saturday

If the Liberal Party’s campaign HQ is finally open there’ll be some relieved faces there tonight. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott calculated risk in appearing on Hey Hey It’s Saturday turned out to be relatively smooth sailing. (Not so Mark Latham’s appearance on Sky News for Labor, but more of that shortly.)

Abbott broke W.C. Fields’ golden rule - never work with children or animals - and came out unscathed. There were some fleeting uh-oh moments with the acts on the Red Faces talent slot including some dancing dogs in dresses and a group of four girls singing the Troggs classic 60s number Wild Thing.

But as it played out it was all fine entertainment. Abbott was a good sport and looked comfortable as he shared the judging panel with Kylie Minogue and actor Rex Lee, best known for his role as Lloyd, a gay office assistant, in the hit show Entourage. No harm in appearing alongside such huge stars on such a hugely popular television show - when it goes right.

Continue reading "Campaign countdown: Hey Hey, well that was OK" »

It is now clear exactly when Kevin Rudd will hold the election.

I have consulted widely among MPs, journalists and psephologists and there is only one conclusion I can draw: the election will be called between next weekend and April next year.

I do not make this call lightly and some signs are still pointing to the contrary, but this is good mail, and the most accurate that you’ll encounter.

Continue reading "Finally, a column that can predict the election date" »