[unbalanced zealot]

Gandalf and Pugs ... I have to say that I was pretty much nodding my head in agreement with all you typed above.

re: Shorten ... he has a sort of sensible moderate quick thinking charisma, enough so that he is put up front as the face of next generation ALP and rarely seems to fuck it up (except the Gillard thing).

He might be ok, especially if he recognizes that his association with the faceless men gang is maybe his biggest weakness with the public.

And yes ... here we go again on Q&A, Shorten, Richo, Pyne, Turnbull and other usual suspects. There must be some behind the scenes reason why these people are always on that show again and again, above the fact that they are usually good TV performers. Just out of interest - has Xenaphon or Windsor ever been on Q&A?


Swagman - how about Rudd and Katter team up to take on the Nationals in Qld? It's weird that the National Party and it's Qld tangent don't really seem to get as much analysis as the Greens seem to get.

[Swagman]

Swagman - how about Rudd and Katter team up to take on the Nationals in Qld

I don't think those 2 could team up as they are on opposite side of the fence. Rudd would team with the Liberals before the Katters IMO (such as allying with the Turnbull camp)

I lean more to Rudd becoming an independent. I don't think being in a party suits his style.

Also I can't see Rudd forming his own party - thats not going to get him the PM's job, which everyone knows is what he wants - and probably still believes he can get.

He's not going to be PM or a minister via Labor either. They are likely burning effigies of him as we speak....

[unbalanced zealot]

I was actually just joking about Rudd and Katter.

Could you image Rudd (being all serious and self-important) and Katter (just being Bob Katter) even being in the same room together for more than 10 minutes?

[colliric]

Xenaphon appearing on Q&A would probably trigger the ABC receiving a flood of "He's an anti-religious bigot" letters from one single organisation that he has happened to antagonise, followed by Virginia Stewart, or even worse, Kate Cebrano insisting she has a right to appear on an episode of the show and defend her group. If they had the guts to put up with the Audience's jeers of cause.

The ABC would rather avoid that from happening. Don't laugh, it happened to BBC reporter John Sweeney, even recently on channel 7's Sunrise program which he appeared on promoting his book "The Church of Fear".

Xenaphon is an even bigger enemy of that Cult than Sweeney is, as he is currently threatening it's tax-free "religious" exemption here in Australia.

Winsor has appeared on the program in the past. I recall seeing him on it.

It's also likely the CO$(as critics call it) could use it's Intelligence Agency(yes they have their own CIA) to send "Questioners" to manipulate the program(as many other groups have done to other interactive programs in the past). The ABC has no way of stopping that.