Andrews to Go?

Rumours of a reshuffle on the Government benches is again circulating, with Industrial Relations Minister Kevin Andrews now being mentioned. John Howard is said to have (finally) admitted in the Party Room this week that the industrial relations issue is a point of concern, and Andrews is hardly what you'd call an attack dog. Will Howard bring in his most prominent attack dog, Tony Abbott, who has never really seemed to fit in the Health portfolio? I've always thought this was possible. Of course, the danger in this approach to is that it implicitly justifies Labor's position and strength on the issue, in that an attack dog is required to defeat their argument.

The Abbott theory is lent credence by Beazley's attacks on the Mad Monk during today's Meet the Press (the word `bully' was mentioned not a few times). If there's one thing the Government doesn't need, it's a human symbol of those hard-headed unforgiving Big Businesses who the public are increasingly fearful of taking away their rights.