ALP Heading For Strip Club?

Wow! What a bit of macho publicity can do for a chap described as a "bookish, intellectual Christian" with "a slightly dull, even nerdy public persona". It's only a matter of days since the press revealed Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's ejection from a Manhattan strip club "for inappropriate behaviour" while on an official visit to New York to attend the United Nations. And lo and behold, Newspoll in "The Australian" newspaper has Labor's primary vote jumping five points to 51 per cent, with the ruling Coalition trailing on 37 per cent, down two points.

Whereas here on the other side of the globe, however, the news is far from rosy. Tommorrow's edition of "The Times" reveals the tragic news that the "Brown bounce" is well and truly over. The Populus poll, undertaken last weekend, shows the two main parties level-pegging, with Labour on 37%, down 2 points on a month ago, and the Tories on 36%, up three points on the last poll. On these figures, Labour would have an overall majority of about 20 and a hung Parliament would be a distinct possibility. The answer is obvious as soon as you think of the word "poll". We need to urgently dispatch the dour, pragmatic, Presbyterian control freak to the other side of the globe to visit some gyratory artistes with a pole or two. And make sure the paparazzi are there in force.

Gordon Brown after being evicted from strip club

Kevin Rudd after being invited to strip club