she sings and sighs as the shuttle flies

 I am very happy about our new Australian PM. Imagine having a national leader who is a woman, who hasn't felt the need to marry her partner* and who has chosen not to have kids** and who is from the left.*** How I fantasise about the kind of social policy she might oversee. Civil partnerships for all???

It's sad that KRudd went the way he did, but I'm deeply afraid of Tony Abbott. He is unable to separate his private convictions from his public policy, and when your private convictions include 'telling my daughters to abstinent' (despite having publicly admitted to pre-marital sex while he was thinking about entering the seminary), then he really worries me. 

Not to mention he thinks it's politically expedient to deny climate change.

And may I just mention? Julia is not only smart ('mouth of a truckie, brain of lawyer'), she's also pretty hot.  If you don't believe me (or want to enjoy) see here, here and here.

It's also interesting to consider that, Australia being what it is, cheap personal attacks may be just as much directed at her hair colour as at her gender. So it behooves us to remember these words of wisdom. (youtube)





* Clearly I'm not anti-marriage, but I am deeply against the 'you must be married to be a respectable public figure' assumption
** Again, kids are awesome. I'm just so so tired of seeing smug career men with a wife and children lecturing me on how to combine career and family, advice which is always predicated on having a wife to bear and raise them. It's refreshing to see someone who can be open about the challenge
*** you know, for labour

If anyone is not watching Stephen Fry in America, I heartily endorse. Enjoy such delights as Stephen tastes bourbon:

"Chris, don't think me pretentious, this smell (sniff) is an autumnal walk in the countryside, probably about seven miles from Aldershott, (sniffs glass) on the fringe of an old wood, a spinney or a (sniff) a copse possibly if not a spinney, it's a copse definitely (sniffs), yes it's a copse. And there's a labrador, a slightly wet labrador panting, and a little bit of that labrador's breath is in here. That sounds bad but it isn't. I think Stevie should have a little lie down."

So after my recent call for British Comedy (to which I already have a leaning of love), we have been thoroughly enjoying Mock the week (Frankie Boyle is awesome) and Never mind the Buzzcocks. Also Mitchell and Webb. I have been getting the news quiz on my ipod to listen to in the car, and am eagerly awaiting the return of The Now Show (and ISIHAC in June 2009!). Tonight I found out who Fern Brittan is.

So these news comedies are a gentle segue into the next gaping hole in my knowledge. Politics. So assume I'm basically competent at keeping up to date with current events, but have very little knowledge of the big figures prior to 2006. (Where prime ministers are big enough to make it onto the australian news radar, but cabinet ministers probably aren't.) Enough so that my reaction to the recent reshuffle was "Mandy who?"

I'd welcome nominations of figures it would be worth googling short bios of, as well as your favourite political anecdotes. (After all, I get to vote over here!)