Beating up non-issues. Pretending to care about the downtrodden masses. Completely hypocritical calls to support things they only ever did for politics. Proposing policies without the least regard to consequences. The co-alition is getting the hang of opposition quite quickly. Last week they looked like they were having more fun than they’ve had in a decade. You’d almost think they prefer it this way. Playing politics without the distraction of running the country and hiding their own screw ups.

Lindsay Tanner went very close to unloading on Sundays,”Insiders”, but just seemed to just hold back. I am in wonder at the patience that Labor has shown towards “The Australian” and that this trenchant critique should come from within the Newscorp camp is extraordinary.

Making up stories is what Laurie is effectively accusing the company flagship of doing. He is, of course, completely right. Blaming labor for not dealing with it well looks mighty like blaming the victim for their own abuse.

The carers’ and seniors’ bonuses were poor decisions by Howard’s mob, taken for completely opportunistic reasons. Welfare and community support programs should not be cobbled together in such a piecemeal fashion.

Now of course every special interest group in the country will be trying to get their favourite bit of pork on the front page in “Will the minister deny?” type stories. Rudd should declare that no comment whatsoever will be made about rumours, gossip, alleged leaks or any other speculation about the budget and make his ministers stick to it. Sure there will be some short term political pain but if it ends the games and allows some decent considered policy-making it will be well worth it.

I would have bet a lot of money on it being the 2nd one, except for the lack of any response from the rudderless Lab party over the few days in question.