Hay Blue, I was one of those engineering students throwing eggs at the arts/ tiddlywinks students back in the days of the Vietnam moratorium marches.

Many of those twits were on teachers scholarships at the time. We should have seen where our education system would go in the next 40 years & tried to do something about it then.

I have always believed in education, just not big on propaganda, as "taught" in what passes for institutions of higher education in Oz today. Some of those courses weren't much better back then, but they have got much worse over the years.

Yes I know Abbott has a number of degrees. The one that really worries me, about him, is the economics. Very few of those types seem to get much right.

Dear Hasbeen,

We'll know soon enough about Mr Rudd.
Watch TV around 1.30 today.
What am I doing next week?
What are you offering?

Dear TBC,

Malcolm Turnbull would be great!

Hassie, an engineer eh?

Like I said, doing a humanities degree might broaden your horizons.

Still, you're on the money with Abbott and his economics degree.

Clearly, he had no understanding of what he was taught in it, never mind whether or not an economics degree, as taught today, is of any value beyond the fact that many regard it as valid.

Lexi, I doubt that Turnbull would prevail too much with his colleagues.

Many are as dense as lead, devoid of humanity, prigs, buffoons and layabouts, never mind their leanings to xenohopbia, bigotry, rampant flag-nationalism and witch-burning attitudes when it comes to religious matters but like you I do think (hope?) that were he to prevail there, he'd at least offer a slender glimmer of hope that his cronies could turn the Howard corner and try to rediscover a softer form of liberalism than the neocon claptrap they ingest and leave on our footpaths for others to fall into today.

Sorry Blue, about the only thing I have seen a humanities degree broaden is the backsides of the students & teachers involved.

Lexi, I thought a few months sailing around my old haunts. The Solomons, & the Carolines are nice this time of year. It would be wonderful getting away from all this rubbish.

Don't worry about those health problems, a short but merry life is the best to aim for. Just imagine the philosophical discussions we could have on those long tropical nights.

I was so lucky to be out there during most of Whitlam's efforts, with no satellite communications to keep me in touch. It all drifted by, & was no more important than weather to have the cod, or the corral trout for dinner.

Actually a few months out there on an isolated island alone together would do Ruddy & Julia the world of good. I wonder who would cook?

Hi, please forgive this "ad" but as Kevin Rudd has invoked people power I thought On Line Opinion should give him a hand so have set up a short survey at http://bit.ly/zB9twc.

As with all of our surveys it is serious. It is short, but it is definitely not a "tick and flick".

Apologies for cross-posting.

I say Hassie, how jolly of you to offer to take them both on a cruise. As host, naturally, you'd cook.

Can you take the drinks boy with you too, to serve up a sundowner as yard-arm time approaches?

He needs a worthwhile job and he's had a while carrying the drinkes to learn how it's done well.

In between drinks, why, he could clean barnacles off the underside of the yacht.