Sorry, No Meet The Press Live Blog today ...

... even though I had hoped to do a big `YAAAAY!' when I noticed that not only was Lindsay Tanner the special guest but Malcolm Farr was on the panel ... unfortunately we were beset by technical difficulties. Amongst interesting things Tanner brought up was pushing Nick Minchin for reforms to the Charter of Budget Honesty to stop things like the blowout in the Medicare Safety net slipping through the budgetary safety net.

Meanwhile on Insiders I notice that both Virginia Trioli and David Marr are on the couch. Does it now take two lefties to balance the almighty right wing heft of Piers Akerman? (Hey, I didn't say no!)

I must admit I have a soft spot for Malcolm Fraser, the star of today's extended Talking Pitchers. Yes, even though he toppled Gough. Perhaps it's because he's the first politician - the first currently serving Prime Minister, in fact - that I saw in the flesh. Or maybe it's just because he gives the current Liberal Govt the shits in such a major way ...

Not to turn this into an Insiders live blog, but it will be interesting to see where the issue of the two Sun-Herald journalists who look like facing jail for publishing leaks of unfavourable elements of former Veterans Affairs Disaster Danna Vale's policy (not hard - it was all unfavourable). Were it not such a serious issue, I would be the first to call it Dannagate. However, as David Marr points out, the government would never pursue leakers with as much zeal if they were leaking favourable elements of a policy, as is built into the Howard Govt process via such lackeys as Mr Akerman himself. More info at The Media Arts & Entertainment Alliance ... I reckon this story's got a way to go.