The late Robert Maxwell once said that if he was a woman he’d always be pregnant because he could never say no to a journalist. Since our story yesterday, dear subscribers, many of you have been in touch about the Treasurer’s ambitions, wanting more on the wannabe wimp.

Well, we’re much nicer than Robert Maxwell ever was, so how can we refuse? Just don’t forget where you saw the story first, as this one comes from fascinating folk.

We first heard about Cossie’s conceits in the context of some goss about the Victorian Liberal leader Robert Doyle. There’s plenty of factional fluff there, but this stood out.

Come December, we heard, the Treasurer will publicly ask for details about the transition. The Prime Minister will have been in the job for 10 years at the beginning of March, remember.

When he doesn’t get a satisfactory reply, Costello will challenge, sulk, go to the backbench – or all three. That’s what we hear from some very good sources anyway.

But it’s fascinating also to keep your ears open up and down the entire east coast. There are some interesting local variations doing the rounds. Why, there’s a bold band in Brissie who even think Malcolm Turnbull would make an excellent prime minister.