SSS bought shares in Village Life Pty Ltd since he became minister for ageing. Village Life is a company concerned with “management and development of retirement village accommodation”; Alchemia Ltd is a drug development company with products helping to prevent blood clots, thrombosis having developed synthetic anti-coagulants; Ritract Ltd is a medical technology company; IBA Health Limited – now this is an interesting company: it develops electronic patient databases for hospitals, retirement villages and aged care hospices; Wotif.com is a company that has a portfolio of accomodation facilities of various kinds, including hostels, B&Bs and serviced apartments; Nomad Building Solutions… let them speak for themselves: “Nomad Modular Building Pty Ltd manufacture high calibre modular buildings that are capable of coping with the stringent demands of the resources, construction, retirement, tourism and domestic building sectors” (perfect for building granny a little box down the back yard); Senetas Corporation is a bit like IBA above; finally, the jewel in the crown of any minister for ageing, CBio, tadddaaa – again let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth: “CBio Limited is a biopharmaceutical company established to develop and commercialise treatments for inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The market for therapeutics in this field exceeded $11 billion in 2005, with a growth rate of approximately 20% since 1998. Leading indications include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, lupus and psoriasis.”

EC, as someone not unconversant with such matters, would you confirm that autoimmune disorders become common among the ageing?

Before I go, let us not forget other Ratty ministers: Dr Herron Pharmaceutical and that other Good Doctor, Dr Wooldridge… For those into nostalgia here is a wonderful interview with Barry Cassidy LINK.

Ah, just one litty bitty morsel, just one more…

He must really be worked up.

The Courier Mail is reporting an anonymous Liberal MP accusing Howard of “running up the white flag” in Queensland in his stripping of a ministry from the sunshine state.

But it must irk Ratty even more that all of the leading candidates to replace SS were Costello supporters.

Eventually Ratty conceded that it was in fact true that SSS had deliberately lied to him.

But there’s more…

Ratty twitched and grimaced almost uncontrallably at the proposition that the Qld branch of the Liberal Party may reindorse as a Senate candidate a person who deliberately lied to him.

Ratty evidently to a tardy, on-camera, understanding of the proposition that the Qld branch of the Liberal Party may not place much importance on the quality of probity and truth-telling.

It would appear that Ratty regards the Qld fallout as the most serious aspect of this entire sordid affair.

http://www.crikey.com.au/Media/docs/SantoroList-2206a370-f184-46e8-8975-f964d69e0b09.pdf

Sources close to the PM have confirmed that Mr.Creosette will be dining with Cabinet later this week.

For a student of history, here we have a mean and tricky government unravelling. This is the Pythonesque moment where the fat man in the restaurant takes just one more morsel, just a one more…

Thanks for your reference to SSS’s Balding interrogation.

SSS really did fancy himself as a latterday Torquemada, didn’t he?

He who lives by the strappado shall die by the strappado.

Firstly, it would be useful to discover how the procedures monitoring probity were supposed to operate.

Thereafter, I trust that the Opposition will spend several days asking detailed questions about what SSS told Howard, and when he told him.

Then, some time could be spent on discovering what Howard asked SSS about his share trading activities

Then several days could be spent discovering the details of SSS’s share transactions.

Then, questions could be asked about how Howard’s procedures for monitoring probity proved to be inadequate to discovering SSS’s activities until way too late.

Finally, questions can be asked about the relationship between the companies/share-recommending intermediaries and government policy. How much influence peddling and insider trading was there?

This one has legs.

Senator Santo Santoro does not seem sorry, regretful nor in any way defeated.

We know this because the Triple S has a quote from Bruce Lee in his press release, to wit: “Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as reality in your own mind”.

That is certainly very bolshy of SSS in the face of him being shown to be a prevaricating, weaseling, greedy, selfish little operator. Perhaps he has something on the Rodent by way of riding instructions re the ABC? Perhaps there, deep inside Santo’s carpetbag lies a musty old email, tape or indeed a few notes on the back of an old share certificate in Ratty’s own handwriting?

Flashback. Cut to Senator Santoro’s swashbuckling role as the avenging angel of filthy commie scum scurrying away in the lezzo-infested corridors of the ABC. Who can forget his rapier-like thrusts in the senate’s estimates committee, demanding thousands of answers from that hapless prevaricatring pinko apologist ABC boss Russel Balding. Read all about it and be amazed at the incredible minutiae hunt here: LINK

This must be proof of Intelligent design, surely! It cannot be mere coincidence: another senator, who was Santo’s predecessor in the ABC punishing business in senate’s estimates and at impromptu doorstops, one Richard Alston, also had a near-death experience with share-trading and conflicts of interest that was not declared – though to be fair, the $60,000 worth of Telstra shares were held by a “family trust” for the senator’s 90-year-old mum. I will remind readers that Senator Alson was the Coalition’s choice as Communications minister, and owning Telstra shares was an amazing coming together of two separate phenomena. Explain that, Karl Kruszelnicki.

Shortly after the completelt accidental and inadvertent share ownership by the Alston family trust became public, it was decided that Senator Alston would better serve Australia’s interests as the High Commissioner to the UK.

So, is Santo going to be the next ambassador to Italy? The Holy See? Is a Papal Knighthood in the offing?

(This will be a test of Ratty’s ticker).