Like calling Fox News news. Miss Piggy did not pull any punches with her judgment on Fox News at a London press conference this week.

The Muppets character was responding to a question asking for a reaction to comments by Fox News’ Eric Bolling back in November that the new Muppets movie was brainwashing kids with a radical green agenda.

Kermit the Frog spoke first for the defence:

“It’s a funny thing, they were concerned about us having some prejudice against oil companies and I can tell you, that’s categorically not true, And besides, if we had a problem with oil companies why would we have spent the whole film driving around in a gas-guzzling Rolls Royce?”

Then Miss Piggy delivered the punch line:

“It’s almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of, you know, being news.”

The lads are getting stroppy. The tempers are getting a bit frayed in the Labor Caucus when someone like Simon Crean decides to remind his colleagues just why they got rid of Kevin Rudd as party leader. Mr Crean told 3AW this morning:

“He can’t be prime minister again. He’s got to accept that. Has he? That’s a question that should be put to him and I think every time it’s been put to him he does accept it.People will not elect as leaders those they don’t perceive as team players. I think that part of the reason he lost the leadership is because he wasn’t. There’s no point having a band of prima donnas unless they operate as a team.”

True enough words I would have thought and perhaps those memories of how the Foreign Minister behaved when Prime Minister will prove to be sufficient to stop him eventually mounting a serious leadership challenge to Julia Gillard. And perhaps not.

Like the Crikey Leadership Indicator on this question I’m hving two bob each way.

Huffing and puffing from Wayne. The Treasurer is gearing up for a bit more bank bashing. Wayne Swan made it clear yesterday that he expects the banks to pass on any further cut in official interest rates. ‘

‘We have very highly profitable banks in this country,” he said. ”Their return on equity is unequalled in the world.”

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey, meanwhile, was advocating that the Reserve Bank include in its statement accompanying any rate cut details of what actually is happening to the banks’ cost of funds.

I’m on Joe’s side.

One verdict on those European talks. What happened last night to Portuguese interest rates is a clear sign that the latest talk fest of European leaders has not solved the continent’s economic problems.