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September 2008

Spam of the week

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy 2

"She started with nothing, and put the house on the line 20 years ago to get a sufficient loan from the bank, initially it was a private loan and then she had to put the house on the line later on, in order to build up the business.... So, she started from scratch. Built it up. Good on her. And she’s done that, I’ve got to say, without any help from me, which is probably why she succeeded."

- Therese Rein's husband, 18.9.08 (source: www.pm.gov.au)

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy

"I know what it's like to be very short of money. I know what it's like to live in rented flats. I know what it's like to grow up with a single parent, with no support other than a devoted and loyal father." And with that, the Honourable Member for Wentworth, 20th century internet millionaire, barista barrister, BRW rich lister and merchant banker Malcolm Bligh Turnbull announced to the plebeians that he is just One Of Us.

End of a fool

Make no mistake, Brendan Nelson has been a brave man. He took over the leadership of the Liberal Party last November when it was at a low ebb. It had been decimated in the federal election, the previous leader had lost his own seat, and the man many thought to be the natural successor (Peter Costello) wanted to move on. It was Dr Nelson's task to rebuild the party's stocks and to make it a competitive policy force for the future.

Today's Pardon Me While My Brain Explodes story about NSW politics

If ever there was proof needed that the Large Hadron Collider is destabilising the remnants of New South Wales politics, comes today's email from ex-Health Minister Reba Meagher to Australian Associated Press, confirming that she made no attempt to inform Premier Rees on Saturday before telling the media of her intention to quit politics.

Said media outlet takes up the story.

How to upstage a book launch

Breaking news, as His Haplessness The Good Doctor Nelson calls a leadership spill. The parliamentary Liberal Party will vote tomorrow morning, shortly before the Honourable Member for Higgins gives a national-televised book launch on the non-commercial national broadcaster.

The fall and fall of the Labor Party

Today the ALP lost its monopoly on State and Territory governments when the West Australian Nationals ended a week of brinksmanship and renewed their coalition with the Liberals. Colin Barnett is WA Premier. More to the point, Troy Buswell has a government seat to sniff - and it appears he will be State Treasurer.

More council election bits

I was going to preview the other wards in Saturday's Marrickville Council elections. West Ward is pretty boring, as is South Ward, where Maroubra resident Morris Hanna will be among those seeking re-election. It's likely that each of South, West and Central Wards will shape up as Greens 1, Labor 1, independent 1. The question will be which independent, certainly in Central Ward.

Marrickville local government elections

Tomorrow is Local Government election time across New South Wales. I'm voting in the Central Ward of the Marrickville LGA. As in past federal and state elections since I commenced this blog in 2004, I am laying my voting intentions out quite clearly on these pages.

I will be casting my first preference vote for the Greens ticket led by Max Phillips. My second preference will go to the "independent" ticket led by Joseph Capogreco.

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