Dear Christian: For some time now I’ve been puzzling over the ALP policy on the sale of Telstra. Now we both know that the ALP had no compunction over flogging off public assets in the 80s – 90s, so that can be the reason. The main argument seems to be in regard to the telecommunication service levels in the bush. Has someone pointed out to the ALP that people in the bush don’t vote for them anyway? So why does the ALP persist in standing up for the bush which will never deliver a single vote for them? In the words of Julius, “Why is it so?”

Dear Nigel: Wedge politics isn’t the prerogative of one particularly party. Yes, the Coalition uses it very well, but the Telstra sale lets the Labor Party have a bit of fun at the expense of Liberal/National relations. There’s also some economics here. Very basic economics, mind you. What’s the difference between the Hawke-Keating privatisations and this one? Labor’s opposed to the sale of the rest of Telstra because they’re in opposition and won’t be able to blow the proceeds on their pet causes.