Sunday, July 9

It's almost lunchtime here and the temperature outside hasn't risen above 3 degrees; there is still a heavy fog hanging around.  The people across the way have lit a fire but the smoke can't get away in the heavy air so the building is shrouded in a grey cloud.  I hope no one there suffers from asthma.

The 'gentlemen you refer to', as Mr Turnbull calls Tony Abbott, is still in the news as he continues his sabotage mission, aided and abetted by his media mates.  Clearly their aim is to undermine Malcolm Turnbull and they don't seem to care what damage they cause to their party along the way.  Bill Shorten must be ecstatic as he sees his political enemies doing his work for him: self inflicted instability in the Libs, the Greens and, as always, One Nation.  Barnaby Joyce seems to be doing alright but you can never tell with the Nationals.

Mr Turnbull's refusal to use the name of Mr Abbott has the commentators in a lather, with frequent references to Harry Potter where it is forbidden to speak the name of the dreaded Lord Voldemort.  The ancient Hebrews, of course, had a superstitious fear of saying the name of God and used a code name, YHWH, instead.  Does Mr Turnbull fear that calling his tormenter by name will rain fire down on his own head, or is it simply a snide way to de-personalise the enemy?  Or is he just providing copy for the media to distract them from real issues?

Isn't it time we had a new High Commissioner in London, or Reyjkavik?  Mr Abbott would be ideal.