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Go and sip coffee anywhere in Sydney and you realise how tiny the village this divine city really is. In fact, Sydney tends to bring sipping stories from all kinds of antipodean spots. On the sipping lips is still the long running, on again off again saga, of Laurie Marquet whom I met on a number of occassions at a various parliamentary related conferences. For most, attending parliamentary conferences is a viable alternative to taking sleeping pills. We imagine it's like taking an Ambien and Valium cocktail, and diving under a doona in a very dark room. How wrong can some people be! While I have never been fond of the glorified parliamentary clerks, especially as opinionated Marquet, most conferences were rather interesting ;-)

Without any doubt Marquet used to be the star at the exclusive after dinner dos, as this Bohemian slave never developed sufficient taste for French champagne or Mercedeces or Marco Polo travel, ;-( at CPA - Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's conferences. Cahills, Cooksleys, Groves or Kellys have acquired that poshish style Another Surreal Parliamentary Story

Ach, the price of exclusive club friendship: Corruption fighter on corruption charge Talk About Corruption Watchdogs

BY the way, for the first time in Australia's history a woman has been appointed to the position of clerk of the Legislative Council. The Governor signed off on the appointment of 39-year-old Mia Betjeman

THE man who dobbed in Laurie Marquet to the Corruption and Crime Commission has revealed he feels traumatised at having to betray his boss. 'Dobber' grieves for boss