A made-up story has passed for news in much of the nation's supposedly "quality" media for days now: the looming leadership challenge against Julia Gillard by Kevin Rudd.
In case you hadn't noticed, there hasn't been a spill.
There wasn't one yesterday, there hasn't been one so far today, and there almost certainly won't be one tomorrow.
Syria challenges
Pushes for military intervention into Syria from the Arab League/GCC, NATO forget the strength of the Syrian military far exceeds that of its former Libyan counterpart. More
Greens at the crossroads
In the last decade there has been a dramatic reconfiguration on the Left of Australian politics. More
Fool's gold
The Treasury of Australia should not be a hostage to the whims and political prejudices of foolish public servants in the Reserve Bank. More
No time for promises
Annabel Crabb
Political promises are having a bad season. So both Australia's major political leaders have agreed to stop making them.
Painful choice
Craig McMurtrie
For many Romney supporters the biggest difference between Mitt and Newt Gingrich is character.
Underwhelming options
Barrie Cassidy
As absurd as sticking with the current leadership appears to be there are explanations as to why both sides will do exactly that.
Rinehart's Fairfax
Alan Kohler
Gina Rinehart is likely to find investing in Fairfax Media a deeply frustrating experience.
NDIS no indulgence
Stella Young
An effective disability system is not a luxury item. Whether or not we have the money, this can't wait.
Overdue apology
Shane Castleman
An apology to the thousands of young women pressured into handing over their babies in the 1950s is long overdue.
Losing its steam
Michael Brissenden
A Barack Obama victory might be the one thing that would bring back the steam and keep the Tea Party alive.
Flood memories
Jenny Brennen
The Brisbane floods of 2011 are long gone. The memories have not yet found that great recess.
OPINION
Fool's goldThe Treasury should not be a hostage to the whims and political prejudices of foolish public servants in the RBA, writes Martin Feil.
OPINION
Market quizThere seems to be a lot of misinformation, spin and outright lies peddled about the Australian economy, its markets and policy settings, writes Stephen Koukoulas.
Rinehart's Fairfax Gina Rinehart is likely to find investing in Fairfax Media a deeply frustrating experience, whether she's trying to influence the newspapers or just make money, writes Alan Kohler.
OPINION
Bleak economic outlookAustralians think that physical distance from Europe and proximity to China and Asia affords protection from European debt problems. Think again, writes Satyajit Das.
Facing downturnsIt's hard to avoid concluding that both employment and commercial property returns in Australia are going to come under a lot of pressure this year and beyond, writes Alan Kohler.
OPINION
Roadblocks aheadOver the next few months, the Eurozone faces a number of economic challenges. There will also be complex political and social pressures, writes Satyajit Das.
The Greens are not extreme Left. What distinguishes them from the ALP is that they are absolutely, consistently Left - but not extreme Left. They will not compromise to the Right even slightly - which is admirable but utterly unrealistic. Politics is the art of the possible after all.
Pete Bondurant on Greens at the crossroads: 'Left' and 'Right' matter via story comment
It is only going to get worse UNTIL nursing homes get increased funding from the Government and/or higher payments by residents when entering nursing homes. By the time new residents enter nursing-home care these days, on average, they are far frailer and require more hands-on nursing care.
ex-nurse on neglect and abuse in aged care, via story comment
The usual retort to criticisms of the big mining companies in Australia is 'but mining is propping up our economy!' Well, now it's destroying our economy - its effect on the dollar is killing off Australian manufacturing, agriculture and tourism.
Fred on the effect of the mining industry on Australia's economy, via story comment
Pointless exercise?The panel discuss the leadership speculation that continues to dog the Labor Party. [Insiders]
The world of newspapers Given the events surrounding newspapers over recent months, Clarke and Dawe look at that part of our media world. [Clarke and Dawe]
'I'm Not Concerned About The Very Poor'Forget the very poor, Mitt Romney's focussed on middle America. [Daily Beast]
Water swamps a property in Merah North, as floods sweep across northern NSW on February 5, 2012.
She once promised to unleash the 'real Julia'. This week, Paul Sheehan gave up waiting. [National Times]
"Gillard cannot deliver spin with conviction. This would account for the mystery of the missing spark, the woman in the wooden mask."
Gina Rinehart has the money but she's struggled to wield national influence. That may change now, writes Ben Eltham. [New Matilda]
"...from most business and political angles, Rinehart’s ploy doesn’t make sense. No, a move like this one can only really be seen as the ego-driven manoeuvre of a wealthy amateur."
John Cassidy on the new Mitt: tougher, shinier and with a hint of Nixon. [The New Yorker]
"Romney is taking the Nixon strategy a step further. In his telling, the enemy of the real (read white, suburban, Christian) America isn’t the latter-day descendants of Abbie Hoffman, or Jerry Rubin, or Huey Newton, but Barack Obama himself..."
Once you could say it was better to overestimate the public's mentality than underestimate it, writes Christina Patterson.
"There was a time when you could say, for example, that it was "better to overestimate the mentality of the public than to underestimate it"... and know that people wouldn't frown, but would nod their heads."
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