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The public stoush between Paul Keating and Bob Hawke seems little more than soap opera for political junkies. Australian Jesuit Fr Frank Brennan longs for a political morality to guide politicians at times of political upheaval, such as Kevin Rudd's emotional departure from the Labor leadership.
Gillard has all it takes to be an excellent prime minister. Her best chance of gaining that position might be from opposition. This would mean Labor losing in 2010 and rising from the ashes in 2013 under her leadership.
Two of the most significant changes in Australian history, the post-war migration scheme and the 1980s economic reform, would not have occurred without political spin. It is no accident that the first teaching to devote itself to the art of spin was born simultaneously with democracy in ancient Athens.
If Hawke and Keating had failed to act on economic reform, the opportunity cost would have been devastating unemployment during the GFC. It is not difficult to imagine the opportunity cost of the priority Rudd is giving to his own popularity over reforms that are now urgently needed.
Kevin Rudd last week talked up population growth, saying he 'believes in a big Australia'. But we are not well placed to deal with the environmental challenges of a population of 35 million. Road use and pet ownership are among the many aspects of our lifestyle that will need careful evaluation.
When the Hawke-Keating Government cut back funding for overseas aid, churches said nothing. Last week, 260 Christian young people set out to lobby politicians about Australia's failure to meet its obligations to developing nations.
Kevin Rudd's visit to Malaysia this week reminds us of stormy bilateral relations under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. With Mahthir's son now serving as an important deputy minister, some now fear a return of 'Mahathirism'.
Good intentions are not enough. Gone should be the days when Aboriginals are marginal to the corridors of power. Perhaps it will not be until we have seen the first Aboriginal Prime Minister that agitators for Indigenous justice will be vindicated.
With typical irreverence we have taken some glee in the conflict between politicians and the military. Indeed in our history there has been tension, not to say a distrust, between the military and politicians in Australia.
Qantas' new chief lobbyist is the Prime Minister's recent former chief of staff. The appointment mocks the spirit of the Government's new Lobbying Code of Conduct, demonstrating that corporate money can buy special access to government.
The lure of leadership seems to have Peter Costello reconsidering his decision to walk away from the Liberals. Whether motivated by serving the community or by personal advancement, once politics is in your blood it is hard to shake off.
All is not well between the Prime Minister and the Public Service, as evidenced by the leak of Cabinet documents related to Fuelwatch. Such a leak may have been avoided had Rudd removed notoriously Howard-compliant departmental heads upon taking office.
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