Influencing the Influencers

Today is  a quiet day on the Australian election campaign as both leaders attended the funeral of our latest young soldier to lose his life in the Afghanistan conflict.  In deference to the young man, his family and fellow soldiers, a brief truce has been called in the campaign. 

So that left former PM, Kevin Rudd, some space to land a few  punches and settle scores (with his own side) through a ‘will he or won’t he’ media game.  That is, ‘Will he leave politics and take up a job with the UN, or won’t he?’   Apparently he will take up the gig if it is offered.  But he won’t stand down as the local member and ALP candidate for the Queensland seat of Griffith.    Our Kev, can do both it seems.  At the last election (which he won, you will recall) he said he liked playing with his opponent’s mind. That opponent was the former Liberal PM, John Howard.   This time Kevin appears to be playing with his own leader’s very brainy mind.  So take that all you rotters who turned on your former leader!   

Which brings me to another bloke with a mean punch and neat turn of phrase.   Our media has turned its attention to World Title Boxing Champion Danny Green, and his knock out punch only seconds into his fight with a man he called ‘not even a canine’, Paul Briggs.  The fight has mesmorised many and made it to the top section of our news programs with speculation the bout was not all it seemed.  Danny is adamant that he definitely landed the killer hit (he felt the crack of the man’s head, he swears) within seconds of the bell ringing.  What ever forced Mr Briggs to the mat and then an ambulance, the fans went mad and demanded their money back.  Danny appeared to agree, breathlessly shouting into the microphone that Briggs should not be paid for his pathetic performance:  “He dogged it. My chihuahua Rocky has got bigger balls than him.”

Now elections in this country do get brutal, but I am hanging out for our candidates to land some real punches on each other and say Danny Green style just what they think.   And I can’t wait to see more of  Rocky the chihuahua.