There was an interesting piece in by Michael Stutchbury in yesterday's Australian. It referred to the work done by Alan Brown and his Federalism Project team at Griffith University. Brown argues that local government needs to be strengthened so that it can handle an increasing role in service delivery. Stutchbury picks up the theme of stronger regionalism pointing out that a Griffith University survey found that 42% of voters favour some new form of regional government.

On the day before April Fool's day Jack Waterford wrote an appraisal of “Ahead of the Game”, the Moran Committee's report on the reform of the public service. As Jack pointed out it was a document mired in sludge. More than that it squibbed on making any real recommendations for change in the public service.

I feel sorry for the young jazz fans who attend concerts these days. They have never heard the greats.

I have just finished reading Waleed Aly's interesting Quarterly Essay, “The Future of Conservatism”. Aly strikes me as one of the more interesting thinkers in Australia, particularly in the way he is trying to reconcile the Western intellectual tradition with Islamism and Multiculturalism.

Tony Abbott lost the health debate comprehensively. I suspect it was not because he had no health policy of his own, but rather that he was limited in the attacks he could launch on the Rudd policy because his policy would, in the end, be much the same. He was therefore limited to the “Kevin couldn't run a chook raffle” argument. The Prime Minister countered this with a combination of focus group tested language and a statesman-like demeanour. It was very effective.