The welfare sector, which has traditionally enjoyed a good relationship with the Greens, is silently fuming about Bob Brown jumping on the Coalition’s pension increase bandwagon. The problem with the pension debate is, of course, that if you only increase pensions, you leave unemployed people (who already receive less than pensioners) even further behind. The Greens know this, so nobody can work out why they’ve been so willing to dump the unemployed for the sake of a few cheap political points.

New President of the Queensland Young LNP expresses his strong distaste for his new friends from the former Young Nationals:

From: Simon Ingram
Date: Fri, Jul 25, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Subject: RE: Call to Liberal Party members to attend Constitutional Convention tomorrow
To: XXXXXXX XXXXX

I want them to go. Go, join the “new political party”. Hope they call it the “New National Party” and Bruce McIver is their President and they choose the colour green. Then we’ll WHIP THEIR ARSE at the next election.

Here’s to NOT being an agrarian socialist bumpkin. Huzzah!

Simon Ingram 
XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X.X XXXXXX XXXXXXX
PO BOX XXXX 
XXXXXXX QLD XXXX
SIngram@XXXXXXXXXXX.com.au
tel: 07 XXXX XXXX 
fax: 07 XXXX XXXX 
mobile: XXXX XXX XXX

Shame on Channel Seven for sneaking in an old episode of City Homicide this week and thinking nobody would notice. And shame on Crikey’s normally eagle eyed Glenn Dyer for not picking it up. Sure the Brownlow was on but not everyone (even those in Melbourne) wants to watch bogans dressed up and hear a role call only slightly more interesting than you’d find at a bingo hall. However more critically did Seven actually lie to viewers? In the TV guide in my house it didn’t get listed as a repeat.

And meanwhile, on the grassy knoll: My Father-in-law goes to the same specialist as Malcolm Turnball (sic). He says Turnball (sic) has a cancerous inoperable brain tumour. The LP leadership win is to allow Turnball (sic) to retire due to ill-health/die on the job (a la John Smith of the UK Labour Party) (Ed: not ala Billy Sneddon we hope) and allow Costello to ascend (unopposed to the throne) it’s not that Costello’s supporters went against his advice at the vote — they were doing *exactly* (author’s asterixs) what he wanted.

Bob Hawke gives everyone the day off this Friday. It’s the 25th Anniversary of Australia’s 1983 America’s Cup victory on Friday. Get a day off work here.