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Parliamentary democracy is an experiment and while that experiment is being made, we should be eternally vigilant against attempts by PR spins produced by certain journalists who are on a receiving end of priceless gifts and strings attached donations.
Fairfax Digital Tries the Hardest to Counterspin: Fresh Without Fear and Favour Election Perspectives

Eye on One Day in October: Kafka Style Transformation of Any Creature, Great and Small, Goes
If it was not for my soft spot for anything written by Kafka I doubt I would be able to consider myself a real cockroach. It is not an accident that I was attracted to Sydney from the night I discovered that the best way to morph into a cockroach is to marry one (smile). Still, it is hard to determine whether it is better to be described as a cockroach or a canetoad or a rodent. Sydney born and bred Prime Minister, John Howard, advised his followers today that after 30 years he had no choice but acquire a thick skin. Indeed, in politics as in the publishing assembly lines thick skin is a must. No one faces as many rejections and doors shut in their faces as the pollies do.
What makes politics the toughest business on earth is the fact that your real enemies are rarely in front of your, in fact they tend to be right behind you.
Although Don Arthur is not strictly a cockroach, what Victorian would be, he has some deep philosophical insights to share with us:
Years ago when I was an Philosophy undergrad suffering from a super case of ennui (it was probably depression) I picked up my housemate's copy of Schopenhauer aphorisms and ended up laughing out loud. The stuff was so fabulously morbid and depressing it was hysterical. I felt better straight away. Since then I have always had a soft spot for Schopie... but back to that quote:
Now the nature of man consists in the fact that his will strives, is satisfied, strives anew, and so on and on; in fact his happiness and well-being consist only in the transition from desire to satisfaction, and from this to a fresh desire, such transition going forward rapidly. For the non-appearance of satisfaction is suffering; the empty longing for a new desire is languor, boredom.
• Schopenhauer of Obligatory Instapunditry [Friday 3 September, Peter King Early photo opportunity: 9.30am Bronte Beach cafes, then coastal walk to South Bondi: Malcolm in the Middle of Surf Kingdom]
• · The Economist and Ned Kelly of Blogging: The battle for mortgageville; Rating Interests
• · · The journalists from the land of Abraham Lincoln provide some trully amazing predictions on the likely consequences of a second term for President Bush What if Bush wins? 16 writers who are the walking literary gurus (Amerika ... what a joy to read!)
• · · · As I would not be any man's slave, neither would I be any man's master. This to me is the essence of democracy. - Abraham Lincoln... Southerly Buster on Independent Speakership: Clucking about the speaker ; Mark Kaplan on Election oral viagras: Turkey - If your opponent is criticising the policies of some state you favour demand that he talks about Turkey instead; Pros and Cons of PaPa McGuiness
• · · · · The election debate on Sunday 12 September is shaping up to be a ripper as the terms have been agreed but Seven's plans to run the worm could cause a big brawl Warning the catchy children song: Worms, Worms, Worms ; E(l)ection Ushering of the Black Rod War on Terror hits Parliament: Press Gallery heavyweights Laurie Oakes and Paul Bongiorno Declared a Danger to our Society
• · · · · · · Any opposition that leads in the polls as an election approaches has an informal hit list of government cronies they would like to roll

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Gracia Google! Thirty Seven Days to Google Howard hits the hustings in Brisbane and even more by Good Google Guys Latham Signs Pledge Labour is thanking Russell James for Discovering its Lucky Jupiter who has delivered Kafkarescue humour via General Philip Ruddock of Russia

PS: Kafka the Universal Truth Maker provides the hard core irony of comparing asylum seekers with cats and dogs ...

Is That a cat, dog, or penguin in your electoral pocket? According to Penguin, you’re not good looking—or Good Booking—unless you’re holding Cold River ... What women really want is a man with a Penguin