Look at the competition: Nelson and Turnbull. Nelson is the stalking-horse for the far right and they would have to be accommodated in some way. Turnbull is a restless presence. Someone who wants it all his own way within the Liberal Party has to get rid of both of them.

I’m not sure Peter Coleman can convincingly shape a post-Howard narrative. At this point after Fraser was defeated, there were two narratives for the Liberals to choose from, which later became known as “wet” and “dry”. Today, there is only the Minchin-Abetz line of reaction (which has led all state Liberal Parties to oblivion, and from which these guys have learned nothing), the personality cult of Turnbull, and not much else. I’m not convinced that Coleman has much to say about Kyoto or Murray-Darling (and because Rudd and Wong have blown their credibility on th latter, their claims for action on the former are increasingly hollow), let alone global economics in a post Cold War age, or that phenomenon George W Bush calls Tair.

Perhaps even Nelson would have a chance with doing this. Its a shame the masses will swallow it.

As long as he doesn’t make a move, he can go down in the history books as a brilliant statesman who terrified Labor with his genius for the bon political mot.

It’s yer classic gutless wonder/bully-boy behavior: bluff everyone into thinking you’ve done them a favour by not bashing them. Pick the odd easy target and humiliate them. Get a reputation as the best fighter in the schoolyard athen pray you never have to prove it, at least in a fair fight.

On Insiders this morning Cassidy flew the “Question Time Pete” flag again. Thankfully the panel shot it down by pointing out that the whole thing was rigged in Cozzie’s favour and always had been. He could wax on all lyrical and biffo because he had a “special” relationship with an egregiously tame Speaker. As Opposition Leader he’d have to deliver the goods against experts, who could shut him up with the gag. Too much like hard work for Pistol Pete.

I think he’s enjoying tearing the Libs apart. I really do. I think Keating called it, “Doing you slowly.”

Shanahan owes a long-standing debt to Costello, for all the leaks he had during the Libs’ reign which made his job so easy, and now he’s using Rupert’s rag to provide the quid pro quo: plenty of free publicity for the imminent taxpayer-funded book.

I wish someone in the press gallery had the guts to tip a bucket on some of their colleagues over their all-too-comfy associations with politicians and staffers. Government-by-media-management-by-leak short-changes the public, both in terms of media product and of governance.

BBB