Initial media reaction to Peter Slipper's ascent to speaker was favourable, suggesting that Julia Gillard had pulled-off a real coup. Chris Kenny, writing for The Australian was a dissenter http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/goodlyfabric/index.php/theaustralian/comments/sinking_the_slipper/, but Annabel Crabb was enthusiastic http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-24/crabb-jenkins-resigns-slipper-in-spotlight/3691904.

So where do readers of OLO sit?

its just too clever by half
what events has this event 'hiden',from the news cycle

sure it makes sense if that unionist that gets free booze and hookers gets charged and jailed for fraud...[so there is a certainty..in that which might*..nullify events while parl;ement sleeps

[and the parlementarians globe trot
all over the globe with their elite mates on the corperate credit card]

im still thinking its a plan
deliberated..and destractive

clearly the speaker didnt want to go
[draws his finger accross his own throat]
that alone speaks volumes

so whats being hidden?

Ask arjay he will have a story about that.

I find the whole thing quite delicious.

Scrumptious.

The funniest thing is watching the Lib supporters throwing a tanty, when everyone knows if Abbott pulled it off it would be hailed as political genius.

Glad to see Wilke put back in his box now.

Hope to see the independents and Juliar have a rockier relationship now that Juliar has had one of her arms untied.

Happy to see my prediction about Juliar making a comeback of sorts starting to eventuate. The momentum is really turning here. Pst, things are getting done, that chick is really starting to show some balls too. Sure she's scratched around, looked terrible, and nicked about 100 balls through slips, but she's really building an innings now. I call this her first boundary, breaking the shackles.

It's starting to look like Julair is the tortoise and Mr Rabbit is in fact the hare.

Who needs Home and Away. We have national politics.

Faceless men Shmaceless men, I want all you lib supporters to tip your hat, you would've done so if it was The Rodent or Mr Rabbit pulling this off. Come on, not even a grudging admiration?

In summary, I'm not totally convinced yet, but I cant help admire the heat she's absorbed and she's still there and she's getting things through in a minority government. Some of the things she's getting through cause a bit of concern though. eek!

It's a long time to the next election, and I know Mr Rabbit is an iron man and all, but his No's are really starting to have less umph.

One can only hope he actually does have a plan B. Plan A has been good so far, effective, necessary in the conditions, but the pitch is drying out, the skies are clearing, and the batsman is starting to find a bit of form.

It is a symptom of the moral standards of politicians that they would elevate 'Slippery Pete' as I heard a Coalition member refer to him as, to such a position.

Credibility and integrity were words that might be applied to Jenkins but they are a tight fit on Slipper, if indeed he can pull them past accusations of the usual politicians travel rorts claims.

However, as others have already said in other media outlets, Mal Colston was Howard's Bitch too, so it is wrong to single Gillard out as being somehow more corrupt than Howard.

That said, I did enjoy, relish even, the indignation-writ-large on the face of Abbott as this unfolded.

It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.

And again, I did laugh at Albanese's interview on Lateline last night, as he rubbed salt into Abbott's self-inflicted wounds.

Funny how Craig Thompson's alleged rorting, prior to coming to 'this place' is seen as a massive moral crime by Abbott and Co but they are happy to accuse Slipper of rorting within his time in 'this place' and make no move to rid themselves of him, or did make no move until he had already dumped them.

Crocodile tears are to be seen here from Abbott.

Apparently the Coalition getting the dirt file out on Slipper.Labor are putting on one of the Coalition's rejected slippers.It may be comfortable for a while,but does not handle the mud too well when exposed to the dirty track of politices.

So Labor will have a slipper on one foot and the Jack Boot of the CO2 tax on the other.You either wear two slippers or two Jack Boots.When the slipper fails,it will take the Jack Boot with it.