Plan of action: living the World Cup from home
Farewell sleep my old friend. We shall rendezvous on the other side. For the next 31 nights the dream hours will be filled by the deeds of Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and with an ounce of luck Tim Cahill. It's one thing to follow the World Cup through news clips, radio reports and highlights shows but for the full experience there's no substitute for living the tournament as it unfolds.
Lesson for Rudd: never fight naked
Some in the Government brains trust say the fight with the miners is one the PM is happy to prolong, to show that he is tough. But anyone normal who has been even briefly exposed to real violence will tell you, most fights are best avoided and the unavoidable ones are best ended quickly. The Prime Minister has taken lots of hits and needs to end this brawl quickly because the oxygen is being punched out of his Government's lungs.
Weekly wrap: suck it up
What a week this has been. Well, not really. This week showed that invidious positions are simply something that great leaders must deal with.
What would Gough do?
There appears to be troubled waters ahead for Mr Rudd. And there is no doubt that Whitlam is a hero to him. So surely the PM must think from time to time, what would Gough do?
Italian translations of the truth
The resignation of Queensland Motorways director Luigi Casagrande this week may have come as a surprise to his fellow board members. But anyone who has followed Italian politics in Australia in recent years knows there's more to The Courier-Mail's scoop on Casagrande's academic qualifications than meets the eye. The story is first and foremost one which centres on a bitter feud over pre-selection among Australian-based supporters of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
