superb manoeuver by howard...

Howard's use of the word trust in his opening speech in reference to whether the Australian public should have faith in Laor's economic credentials was a brilliant move.

He has inexorably linked the word trust with Labor's key weakness, and as a result blunted the effectiveness of any attack by Labor on Howard's trustworthiness.

Howard is on key. Latham is out of tune - still talking about the ladder of opportunity. There is still lots more to be revealed - such as what colour the ladder is painted, the number of rungs, whether it can be folded, how much it costs, and what happens when you reach the top... will Latham push or kick you off?

If the ACCC were a fair dinkum institution they would bust open the Lib/Lab duopoly, but until that day arrives (hmm...), i am inklined to favour the lesser of the two evils...