Humpty Dumpty looked on the net,

Some topical stories he saw I bet,

Have any of the blogocrats found new stories too?

If so then this threads for you.

Yes yes yes - a poor poem, but hey - at least I try! Here is an open thread to bring up the stories we might have missed.

I have been reading the UK comedian Mark Thomas' new book, The People Manifesto.

With the utmost modesty I can claim, with the aid of audiences up and down the country, to have created the ultimate political manifesto. Each night audience members are asked to suggest policies, which are then discussed and voted upon, the policy that wins the most votes joins the manifesto.

One of the manifesto items that I thought was great idea was as follows:

MPs should not be paid salaries but loans, like students. MPs often get highly paid jobs on leaving Parliament as a consequence of having attended Parliament, they should therefore repay the loan.

Seems only fair to me.

The Australian reported today that people who are unknown have answered a question that was probably not asked. The question not asked being "Will Rudd change his style?"

After two opinion polls released yesterday confirmed Labor was in electoral strife, government insiders said last night the Prime Minister would stand his ground.

Rather than seeking to reinvent or repackage himself, Mr Rudd would argue his case for reform of the tax, health and superannuation systems across the nation in the lead-up to the election, due later this year.

The story seems to be just another attempt to try and portray Rudd in a bad light. For me it just gives me an opportunity to use my new Kevin Rudd cartoon.

After all, if we have a cartoon for Abbott we certainly need one for Rudd.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why shadow treasurer Joe Hockey, widely popular, often jovial  - when he's not blowharding it in parliament - would decide time & time again to create a wrecking ball and inflict it on himself like some kind of political masochist?...by carrying the can for the likes of a compulsive foot-in-mouther like Tony Abbott...and previously putting his hand up to be the salesman for WorkChoices after PM John Howard sacked the unpopular & lacklustre performer Kevin Andrews.

In his heyday - the end of last year just prior to being outmanoeuvred  - Joe Hockey was considered as a real contender for the Liberal leadership:

The poll finds 33 per cent of voters want Mr Hockey as leader, compared with 31 per cent for Mr Turnbull and 21 per cent for Mr Abbott. Mr Turnbull beat Mr Hockey by 35 per cent to 33 per cent among Coalition voters while Labor voters clearly preferred the shadow treasurer by 35 per cent to 27 per cent. This finding is consistent with Herald/Nielsen polls in August and June that also put Mr Hockey in front.

Observing Joe last night on the ABC's Q&A I thought him to be a bit out of his depth at times on  the economic issues compared to Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner. He's even been referred to as "Sloppy Joe" during less than inspiring parliamentary Question Time slip-ups.

I'm beginning to think Joe should've shifted to the backbench during this Abbott era...or at least asked for a less taxing portfolio (no pun intended).

In November of last year Joe Hockey posted an article in the SMH that was titled:

God is good, but just be sure not to take Him too literally.

Perhaps Joe would now say of the new Liberal  messiah Tony Abbott?: 

“Tony is a straight-talker, but just be sure not to take what he says as gospel".

N'