Remembering a summit. We might have forgotten but Kevin 07 has an admirer who hasn’t.

Burying the hatchet the Territory way. American Indian chiefs of tribes used to bury the hatchet when they came to a peace agreement. Up in Darwin the political chiefs of the Liberal Country Party are wielding it instead to bring about peace by exterminating unfriendly public servants.

The NT News this morning listed six departmental secretaries given the chop. According to the paper five were got rid of for the sin of being pro-Labor with the departure of a sixth the result of having given the CLP “a bit of cheek” during a parliamentary Estimates Committee hearing earlier this year.

The days of a politically independent career public service really are but a distant memory.

Smoking and drinking to health. They really do do things differently up north. Dave Tollner, the NT’s new Minister for Health and Alcohol Policy, is a cigarette smoker with a conviction for driving under the influence. One of his first tasks will be to decide whether the government should keep a promise made by the newly elected CLP member for Arafura Francis Xavier to allow full strength beer to again be sold at the Nguiu community social club.

The brewers of Victoria Bitter might be hoping they do. Carlton and United Breweries yesterday announced they will be increasing the alcoholic strength of what was once the nation’s most popular beer from 4.6% alcohol by volume back to 4.9%

News and views noted along the way: