The Prime Minister recently observed that current federal parliamentary terms are too short, needing to be fixed and extended to four years. Apparently this will help the political class better serve the citizenry. Even by the standards of Albanese & Co's brainstorms and rationales this is a very bad idea

Forty years ago Queensland Liberal Terry White broke ranks with his ministerial colleagues, an act that proved the catalyst for an early state election. The result saw absolute control fall into the hands of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen's Nationals, the near-destruction of the Liberals, their former coalition partners and, ultimately, the Fitzgerald Royal Commission's revelations

The surfeit of praise for the 'Kooyong Colt', who never achieved one major reform of worth, is amazing. Of course, for left-of-centre types, just being a so-called ‘moderate’ means everything. The more relevant appraisal is that he couldn't win an election, despite two goes, and was never a threat to the Labor Party

The trouble with the Canberra veteran's memoir is that it has been written too much with an eye for the quick sell, just as his policies were for the quick fix. Amusing in places, occasionally interesting, sometimes clichéd and ultimately disappointing, like its author it could have been so much better