Gaps In The Traffic

"Lest we should see where we are,
Lost in a haunted wood,
Children afraid of the night
Who have never been happy or good."

WH Auden


This is a phone picture taken of one of the paintings, well reproductions, depicting early Sydney Cove. It hangs on the walls of the government offices in Sydney, where we end up all the time for press conferences; watching the pollies strut themselves. An air of decay and deceit has attached itself to a dying Howard government, but the other side aren't very impressive, let me tell you.

I have to give a speech at parliament house next month on all this separated dad stuff; it's only 15 minutes but its making me nervous. It's not even all that controversial; well not amongst those who have followed the whole thing. I guess I have a bit of objectivity; not just being a decade away from the split but having done so many many stories for radio on it. An hour, or lately an hour and a half, is a lot of time to fill; and we've managed to fill it. Moving from being a bunch of unreconstructed Neanderthals, obsessive, angry, unlovely, to the most successful community radio program in Australia and the longest running fathers program in the world. One door shuts and another opens never more true. It came about when I used to drive work mad with endless story ideas; and in the end they wouldn't listen; thought I might be biased, as if!

I cry easily lately; even at Evening the other day; the old woman dying; Meryl Streep and her daughter were wonderful; my generation has been in love with her, watched her with fascination and admiration and enjoyment, for decades. Lots of change in the air; hold tight dear one.


THE STORY CONTINUES:

"It's nice to have their mother away; I needed the space," he said, a little pissed from the champagne. Buttering up to the boys who always like to hear stories about how badly any relationship with a woman was going. "Now I've got the mother-in-law."

"The gathering reached a point where no more champagne could be got, the kids grew grizzlier and grizzlier, and he had to go. Stephen helped him get the kids into the car, and he knew he did not go unnoticed - he saw Martin standing glass in hand on the pavement chatting to famous-author Dennis. He struggled the kids into the old bomb he'd outgrown but couldn't afford to replace. Martin, pretending not to watch, watched every move, taking in the cool air, his head at that particular, arrogant angle he had learnt to dislike so much.

"He dropped Stephen off at the house in Erskineville he shared with his boyfriend, dropped the kids off with the mother-in-law and went out. He had every intention of getting completely pissed. The babble of the bars, the deep darkness of bourbon and cokes, could always be guaranteed to distract him. In losing himself, he found himself, perched on bar stools, gossiping to new acquaintances or old."

THE BIGGER STORY:Heading into an election, for Howard the news is all bad, decay and deceit:


No nuclear dumping, Howard vows
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 4 hours ago
Speaking after the Herald Sun revealed that Australia was in talks to join an exclusive nuclear group, John Howard reiterated his determination to develop ...
Downer open to talks on nuclear pact with US Sydney Morning Herald
Of haste and waste Melbourne Herald Sun
PM says no to nuclear waste dump suggestions The Age
Melbourne Herald Sun - The Australian
all 109 news articles »

The Age Howard-Costello rift hurting nation - Swan
The Australian, Australia - 18 hours ago
TENSIONS between Prime Minister John Howard and his deputy Peter Costello risk damaging the national interest, federal Labor economic spokesman Wayne Swan ...
The end game The Australian
Readers' Comments Howard backs Costello ambitions Melbourne Herald Sun
Who follows the leader? The Age
The Australian - The Australian
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Young voters desert Howard
The Australian, Australia - 4 hours ago
Younger voters see John Howard as losing his nerve and not reacting well to pressure, the research says. Mr Rudd, on the other hand, is rated as energetic ...
Security gives Howard poll swing The Australian
Australian politics Economist
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The Age - Brisbane Times
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The Leader - St. George Sutherland Shire Leader Howard's army at war with itself
The Australian, Australia - 19 Jul 2007
FOUR months out from a crunch election, John Howard's home division of the Liberal Party is in disarray. As he fights off Kevin Rudd on one side, ...
Towke future on hold Daily Telegraph
Liberals block Towke's candidacy The Australian
Lib candidate a Right mystery man The Australian
Daily Telegraph
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The Age The clear view of hindsight
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 4 hours ago
Some have proved winners for John Howard, while others brought him close to disaster, writes Phillip Coorey. Given the cut and thrust of politics, ...
City rivalry blamed in Lib tensions The Australian
The boy who would be PM The Age
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Public doubts Howard's way
Courier Mail, Australia - 5 hours ago
The answer might decide if John Howard, against mounting odds, wins an historic fifth term. Queensland magistrate Jacqui Payne was left red faced on Monday ...
Balance rights with security The Australian
Mockery won't make sorry better than safe Sydney Morning Herald
Howard promises proper trial Hindu
all 12 news articles »

The Age Howard's predicament
The Age, Australia - 19 Jul 2007
Paul Keating and Bob Hawke. Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Peter Costello and John Howard. The latest Costello-Howard crisis is very Paul-and-Bob. ...
A peek into the secret past of our Prime Minister Brisbane Times
all 4 news articles »

The Age Take one Tube of vitriol, bring to boil
The Age, Australia - 5 hours ago
Prime Minister John Howard's foray onto the video-sharing website this week has backfired badly. Scores of rip-offs of his climate change announcement began ...
PM's YouTube foray 'a hit' The Australian
YouTube Howard parody not as popular as original The Age
Howard was YouTube hit before debut Border Mail
Australian IT - Kalgoorlie Golden Mail
all 37 news articles »

The Age Lost in cyber-flaming hell
The Age, Australia - 5 hours ago
JOHN Howard dipped his toe in some murky cyber-waters this week when he posted his first YouTube video. The piranhas that scour the web soon dragged the ...

Howard and Costello Not Even MySpace Friends
The Spoof (satire), UK - 8 hours ago
Australian Prime Minister John Howard's relationship with his treasurer has taken yet another beating today. It now appears that, not only has he never ...