It seems that Mark Vaile’s run-in with melanoma
is much worse than previously thought. The news is sufficiently bad
that he will not stand at the next election and perhaps even leave
earlier.

On the front page of the Federal Liberal Party website
is an image of John Howard that was originally used with the Tampa
election slogan “We decide we comes to this country and the
circumstances in which they come”. During the campaign it was
determined that the actual photo of Howard wasn’t statesman like enough
for the huge black and white banner posters that were placed at almost
every polling place. So what did they do? An actor was hired to do a
secret photo shoot in the Prime Ministerial courtyard, standing tall
behind the lectern with fists clenched on either side. The Prime
Minister’s head was then Photoshopped onto this picture. The doctored
image still remains on the Liberal Party website. I know this because I
have worked closely with the tactics and graphic design teams in the
Liberal Party secretariat.