Do The Hokey Pokey

Lack of updates, partly because there's less going on as it isn't election time, the next one is so far away, and lastly because all my spare time has been taken up reading the final Dark Tower book. I'm about 100 pages out from the end - feels weird to be reaching the end of a ~3800 page story I started reading 11 years ago.

So what's news then? Hrm.

Piers Akerman, the fuckstain I love to hate, has managed to hork up another 32 sentences of bile that somehow doesn't dissolve the cheap paper its printed on. It's a rare talent to be able to drool words. I hope the Libs lose in 2007, if only to see what it is that someone would write whilst their head is exploding.

"The primary problem is that, to a quite extraordinary degree, the Government really set the terms of engagement both for itself and for the Opposition. It's as if (the Government) said, 'Let's concentrate on the economy'. 'Right,' said Labor, 'don't raise the Iraq war, refugees, Aborigines - don't mention any moral issues, let's just talk about money.' Once they decided that, (the Government) really had Labor on toast."

- Barry Jones

There's big rumblings going on inside the ALP at the Federal level (although Carr is saying some major stuff too). Lots of shuffling and fighting going on.

So far there's been seven frontbenchers that have stood down. Simon Crean, Kim Beazley, Bob McMullan, Lindsay Tanner... bollocks I can't remember the others. Wait... John Faulkner, Craig Emerson and Daryl Melham maybe.

Friday is the big caucus day, and we'll find out who the new frontbenchers are.

Dems - nice knowing you.

Interest rates are likely to rise substantially in the next three years while the economy heads for a downturn, the economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel has warned.

BIS Shrapnel made the forecast in its latest Long-Term Forecasts 2004 to 2019. The report said it was a myth to think that Australia's moderate growth, low inflation and low interest rates could continue forever.

...from Interest Rates Tipped For A Substantial Rise.

I'll try and post more stuff over the next few days.

Finally - Howard Vows To Take On Unions.

Slave Labour: Get More For Your Money!