Day 23- Adults Only

So ch 9's CEO David Gyngall apologised for the Latham intrusion that coats the front pages of today's papers. Hollow words considering that Latham's 'piece' will still run on 60 Minutes (more on that later...), but it goes some way to confirming one thing- Latham is an unimpressive nutter (and full marks to the walrus for having a crack at his own network on the nightly news- full marks, but Laurie is running at a serious deficit). The look of it however, after the awkward Rudd/Gillard sit-down, made for perhaps the worst day of the campaign, so we're told. And yet, why? No gaffes, no announcement based mistakery. Just bad images. Which tells us much of how we read campaigns, and what campaigns are based on, what they're motivated by. Considering that imperative, Labor are losing not only by playing small, but by playing the modern game, not giving good positive picture. It's a game of ambient, unquantifiable inches, and if you're not on top you can look super stupid super fast.

So the government receives what is essentially a good report card from the BER inq, and yet can't find a way to spin past Chris Pyne's whines. Paid parental leave murmurings threaten to destabilise Abbott, but instability is currently owned by the ALP. And Abbott drops his major clanger of the campaign, but it's nothing compared to the Rudd circus. Now Abbott can continue to knock the offer of a debate back and look like he's in control. The office of Prime Minister is looking a little shaky.

On Insiders George Megalogenis mused on whether this campaign  has boiled down to a bunch of men roughing up a woman. Barrie Cassidy slapped the press pack down for its performance yesterday, and then proceeded to ask a collection of questions to his guest, Gillard, about Latham, Rudd, the mood in the camp. Of course the journalists are performing badly. But their source material remains poor. Neither are winning, but no-one is losing as much as the voter.

So Rudd has been re-introduced to quiet the naysayers, maybe plug the leaks, and shure up Queensland. Ecept that polling indicates Rudd is a loser in his home state. As 'unpacked' by George Meg on Insiders, the Labor primary in Qld is at 26% or thereabouts. Horrifically low. And in a two name battle, Abbott is preferred PM to Rudd something like 46-33. So, to be at 50-50 nationwide indicates how well Labor is doing. Will Rudd help up north? Or is it a case of having him 'in the tent' is less ruinous than outside it?

Putting it quickly and quietly, Labor seems fucked. 

On the other hand...

RELEASING THE HOUNDS

Today is the day where Tony Abbott makes his pitch that little more concrete. He does well by all reports. Money is not thrown around. Infact, nothing is really promised. It is, indeed, an action plan. A plan for stuff to happen. Which kinda differs from vision, or even policy really. Just Tony, saying he's gonna fix it. Roll up his sleeves. Roll up his pants. Fuck it, get rid of the pants altogether- who needs em? They just contsrict those vast swinging balls of his, balls he's gonna put behind putting the nation right. And the biggest bit of good luck? By comparison, this bunch who looked like the most ridiculous outfit just 9 months ago seem watertight compared to Labor. Howard introduces Abbott. Abbott refers to his predecessor, Malcolm, as a 'friend'. He announces a 'debt reduction taskforce' to get to work in the first week of Government. If this was Labor, it'd be ridiculed as more bureaucracy. Out of this mouth, it sounds like action. 

Tony's ladieez in tha house. Real action. All images via Fairfax.

Boat people will be jailed, then burnt. It'll be on TV, probably hosted by Laurie Oakes. People smugglers will be tarred, have their eyes gouged, and put on sticks around the coastline. The Murray-Darling? Fixed. Afghanistan? Tony's gonna drop in, do some training. He'll lift the 'mining tax threat'. He'll lift the 'carbon tax threat'. He'll lift 4 times his bodyweight and introduce casual Thursdays to Question Time  so he can ponce about in lycra, or no pants(QT doesn't sit, normally, on a Friday). He'll do it all, cos this election is the most important since 1975, when that other mob of Labor incompetents needing ousting. 

Something else from George Mega on Insiders this morning- he thinks Abbott's figures are out- way out. Illegally so almost. But can Labor pounce? No. Because whatever Abbott says sounds about right, sounds planned, not the stuff of chaos, of Labor. He sounds more like a Prime Minister. The tide has turned, and it seems to be turning some more. 

There are those of us who find this hard to believe. But so it is, so it is indeed going. Remember, Labor's launch is Monday week. Too late to stem the bleeding? Maybe.