The song remains the same at Their ABC

Yes, it takes all sorts to make the world, although some manifestations of masochism are milder than others – the Sunday morning sort, for example, when conservatives who know just what to expect nevertheless tune in to Insiders for the latest updates on why Tony Abbott will never move into the Lodge, how Australians yearn for a carbon tax and the wave of misogyny engulfing the entire nation.

Actually, those observations from regular guests haven’t quite worked out as promised. But not to worry, it is Sunday morning and Their ABC’s congregation must have its set-piece sermons, which is what they get from Sister Tingle and Parson Marr, not to mention the perpetually grinning Halloween pumpkin otherwise known as Mike Seccombe of Greens-backing internet tycoon Graeme Wood’s hobby site, The Global Mail.

True, every so often a conservative is allowed to join the choir and sing out of tune – Piers Ackerman and Gerard Henderson the most frequently discordant —  but there can…