The true truth on moving forward overload. Everyone knows Julia Gillard hasn’t been backwards in coming forward over the last few weeks, but has she uttered the infamous phrase more than a thousand times in a month? According to The Australian she has. Chris Pash, resident cliche expert at Rupert’s broadsheet, reckons Gillard has used ‘moving forward’ 1500 times in the past month at an average of 50 a day.
At first the figures seem improbable. But after chatting about it in the Crikey office, Pash could actually be pretty close to the mark. Pash’s figures would mean Julia has been running at six ‘moving forwards’ an hour (if you assume she is on tape for an average of five hours a day). Not unreasonable when you consider Gillard once uttered the now immortal sentence “moving forward means moving forward”. — Tom Cowie
Election 2010, NT style. Here’s one for those struggling to really get inspired by the 2010 federal election: a review of the Julia Gillard tribute drag show Primed Mincer!. According to the Ipswich Advertiser, the show — snubbed by the PM herself when she was in Darwin recently — has “blown audiences away” with its elaborate costumes and comic wit. Highlights include female construction workers interpreting the pitfalls of the BER, drag queen Shimmer serenading Gillard as Penny Wong and a glitter-covered couple travelling across the stage in a boat named SS Q-Jump. Drag show aficionados better get in quick, Primed Mincer! wraps up at Darwin’s Throb nightclub this week. — Tom Cowie
Kernot back from the dead. ABC News 24 are reporting this morning that Cheryl Kernot is standing as an independent senator for New South Wales in the upcoming election, nearly 10 years after she was voted out of the seat of Dickson. According to the ABC, the former leader of the Democrats plans to run under the banner ‘Change politics’. A blast from the past, but there’s just one small issue. As Lyndal Curtis noted today, Cheryl’s slogan sounds a little familiar. — Tom Cowie
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unUPkbXtiiQ[/youtube]
Drawing of the AEC balls. In ballot paper news, the AEC has started the drawing of the balls for House of Representatives ballot paper positions. Greens candidate for Brisbane Andrew Bartlett was present at the Queensland draw and published his position on Twitter:
Cheryl Kernot? The picture sure looks like Natasha Stott-Despoja to me.
Wow, Andrew has balls, ie. lucky ones. (trusting this is not a spoof?) This is pretty much perfect and the way I personally plan to vote. Not a lucky break for Arch. As for Gambaro, well presumably she is marking time until the Libs give her a seat she can win.
@Iskandar Yep. That pic is from a Democrats ad in 2001. Seems Cheryl thought she might borrow the ‘change politics’ line.
Meantime, The Ruddster has stolen the limelight yet again! He’s just been admitted to The Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane for an emergency gall-bladder operation.