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As Alan Ramsey dangerously observes: Almost always, in politics, money is at the root of the greatest grovelling: This is the greatest election lucky-dip as billions in bribes aimed at handbags, not hip pockets...
You can often get a sense of how political parties view their own prospects at an election through their advertising in the final week of a campaign. Clearly the Coalition is worried. The premise of an ad that began screening on Sunday, in which it ironically wishes voters good luck if they vote for Mark Latham, contains a powerful subtext.

Eye on Politics & Governments of Hardlineres: The issue politicians hope will just go away
No wonder the Australian Greens are booming. John Howard v Mark Latham? Expiration v aspiration. Readers, however, may notice an absence of inspiration. No hint of lofty ideals with these blokes - any notion of nation-building is left to wrecked, wracked Iraq. Check the policy speeches of Lib and Lab and you'll find nary a mention of Australia's soul-destroying issues - not an Abo or a reffo in sight. It's the economy and Medicare, stupid, not the blots on the copybook.
Just before the last election in 2001, in response to a column on refugees, I was flooded with letters from all over the country. From people enraged by the response of both parties to the poor wretches fleeing the tyrannies of Iraq and Afghanistan. Many switched to the Greens.
• PHILLIP ADAMS a small group of us establish an organisation to challenge the brutal policies proposed by Howard and appeased by Kim Beazley; [andrew.leigh@anu.edu.au: Labor a 12 per cent chance of winning... ;
Twelve seats stand between Mark Latham and life in The Lodge. They are neatly scattered around the continent. They are city and country. Coastal and inland. Richer and poorer.
Some are grey with a high proportion of elderly voters. Some are buried in nappies with young families the dominant demographic. Life in the hot seats]
• · Keeping Australia in the dark: Liz Jackson follows the leaders' trails during an election campaign that's gone from truth in government to billion dollar give-aways and old fashioned fear tactics - as the parties battle to win over middle Australia
• · · Michelle Nichols gives Swiss readers a taste of the the Political Cheese Down Under Fifth Estate: The Feeding of the Mice ; [ There would be no bloodbath in the bureaucracy ]
• · · · Refugees Swept Away
• · · · · Fox News Keeping America scared...Read the genesis of the Trail scandal at Josh Marshall's website
• · · · · · Back to the Future 2005: Multinational force and no Poland?! You can't have a multinational force and no Poland!