Morris Iemma's Best F***king Move?

For most politicians, the idea of a candid chinwag with a fellow pollie being caught on a live mic being caught on a live mic would be nothing short of disastrous - especially when that chingwag contained a smattering of expletives.

The chinwag in question - between NSW Premier Morris Iemma and his Victorian counterpart, Steve Bracks - has now been played ad infinitum, but if you haven't caught it, it features some rather unflattering comments about the new CEO of the Cross City Tunnel Corporation, Graham Mulligan and his inglorious debut in what was, as I reported, a rather brusque media conference.

But has describing Mulligan as a `f***wit' proven the icing on the cake in a week of harsh media coverage for Iemma? Quite the opposite. In fact, it could even be the thing that breaks the ice between Morris Iemma and the public, which has been largely wary of the still-new Premier after a figure with such a forceful personality as Bob Carr. Perhaps Iemma implicitly knew this when he issued an apology for the comments but stood firm on his criticisms of Mulligan's flippant approach. Ahh, think The People, he's one of us - he hates pompous f***wits! And the Cross City Tunnel, too! Never mind that the government signed the deal in the first place - we like people who hate pompous f***wits!.

(Of course, the comments will make it no easier for the NSW Government to deal with the company with whom they signed the original Faustian pact ... but the government hardly needs the votes of a couple of corporate bureaucrats)

It could be Iemma's first show of real political flair. Plenty of Sydneysiders are likely to agree with the assessment of 2UE's George Moore, who suggested that Iemma need not have even made the apology, because most of Sydney is behind him on this one.

(If any more proof were needed of the efficacy of swearing like a trooper to win votes, Peter `Man of the People' Beattie has now been caught doing the same thing. Coincidence, no?