Having already stolen the thunder of "beer, smokes up" headlines already, the Rudd Gov is about to hand down it's pre-electoral budget. Promising there'll be no sweatheart deals, and with the most public-painful cash-grab already fading from non-smokers' memories, Treasurer Swan intends to portray his team as sober, conservative leaders that can continue guiding us through the ongoing crisis.
With Greece in chaos, and Spain and Portugal not far behind, not to mention disastrous opinion polls, there's a lot riding on tonight
Have Labor succeeded in proving themselves the better financial alternative? Let us know after the show!
The cost of living.
"The cost of living has just gone up by a dollar a bottle" -W.C. Feilds.
Paying the Piper
The new mining tax seems the latest fiasco. In principle, it sounds like solid left wing policy. In practice, as we approach an election year, and the big heavy-weights moving against a government facing another economic slow-down, we are going to see Kevin making back-room deals with the miners while maintaining the façade of the legislation so as not to lose face.
And guess who is going to end up losing money on the deal? Public tax-payers, of course - the one stakeholder who can be and usually is successfully ignored.
All quiet on the economic front
There's a great piece by Fran Kelly on The Drum explaining the controlled quietness around this year's event:
This looks like being the most micromanaged election campaign ever!