Joe Hockey the macho-man, with his comments from Europe overnight, has just given me my first doubt about the inevitability of Labor losing the next election.
Articles by Richard Farmer 
Political snippets: Those emissions keep rising for Labor
If voters are largely unaware of how Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions keep rising they are hardly likely to understand why they must start paying more for their own energy use
Political snippets: Where the tax men get it from
The tax men of federal, state and local government collected a total of $357.9 billion in 2010-11.
Political snippets: Labor’s false hopes about the Greens
So the ALP is hoping that the retirement of Bob Brown as parliamentary leader of the Greens will give them the chance to claw back votes from those nasty lefties.
Political snippets: Miners buy the story of the day
I suppose it’s cheap really. Hand over a few thousands for an ad and get the bonus of a page one lead.
Political snippets: A steady employment trend
This morning’s March figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the Australian economy is growing just fast enough to cope with increases in the workforce.
Political snippets: Australia’s lagging economic performance
A cautionary little graph from the OECD overnight as the federal government enters the final stages of its budget preparations.
Political snippets: Labor banks on the Reserve Bank
Labor is clearly relying on the Reserve Bank to be its political saviour.
Political snippets: Too little, too late by the ACTU
The ACTU certainly took its time to wake up to the damage being done to the whole trade union movement
Political snippets: Coalition’s delight on unreleased Thomson report
Not publicly releasing the report by Fair Work Australia into financial shenanigans at the Hospital Services Union is a wonderful result for the federal Opposition.
China’s increasing role in the world wine business
It comes as a bit of a shock when you actually see the figures: the Chinese wine industry has nearly three times more area under vines than Australia.
Political snippets: Getting closer to a leadership challenge story
In my search for the first of the season came this from AAP yesterday afternoon…
Political snippets: Waiting for the first challenge story of autumn
Surely an appearance cannot be long away. I was surprised that last week’s Newspoll did not bring it forth. Absolutely stunned that today’s Nielsen failed to flush it out. But surely, surely it cannot be long.
Political snippets: Will there be an interest rate cut?
The expected speculation about an interest rate cut is underway just as my Crikey colleagues predicted it would be.
Political snippets: The public sector jobs black hole
I did not need today’s Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to know that there is a declining number of jobs going in the federal public service.
Political snippets: Bomber moves to centre stage
For Kim Beazley all this speculation about US spy drones and Australian islands must be manna from heaven.
Political snippets: Raising an eyebrow — and a glass — to ANZAC Day celebrations
So the Australian Defence Force is concerned about “the increasingly excessive use of alcohol during Anzac Day commemorations nowadays”.
Political snippets: Queensland a worry for Federal ALP
Former Premier Peter Beattie wants Julia Gillard to buy a house in Queensland. But what if Queenslanders actually don’t want her?
Political snippets: Bligh’s last desperate appeal
To say anything other than we can’t win would have left Anna Bligh looking quite ridiculous.
Political snippets: Labor’s mining tax super con
Linking the super change with the minerals resource rent tax as the legislation wound its way through the parliament was too clever by half.
Political snippets: Why the House of Reps should always have an independent Speaker
I’m really getting to like this Peter Slipper.
Political snippets: Another of those old fashioned states’ rights battles
The can-do Prime Minister Julia Gillard appears happy enough to have got her mining tax legislation through the Parliament but it by no means marks the end of the problems involved in actually getting the planned for money.
Political snippets: Queensland Labor plays its last card
When politicians are reduced to appealing to the electorate for a sympathy vote to stop the other lot winning by too much then desperation has well and truly set in.
Political snippets: Three Oz unis in world’s top 50
The Times Higher Education has just released its assessment of the reputation of the world’s universities and three Australian institutions have made the top 50.
Political snippets: A Crikey Queensland election tipping comp!
Crikey is offering two ways to test your political skills with Queensland election contests.
