The enemy of my enemy is my friend. It seems as if a certain capital city Liberal Lord Mayor with a distressingly Freudian obsession with tunnels has become so sick of Canberra’s rejection of his funding pleas that he has sought out the door-opening skills of a number of prominent ALP lobbyists, including a former Keating Minister with a penchant for cigars.

Squaring the circle. As the air defence debate rages – and news emerges that top brass have been taken in by con men in mess kit  – Crikey hears claims of what happened when Canberra sociologist Dr Stephen Mugford was recently contracted by Air Force HQ to do one of those infamous public service type 360 degree reviews. Senior officials, Group Captain and above, were asked to write reviews on each other and themselves. What came up? Well, someone very senior indeed apparently has told bawdy vignettes in meetings with male and females subordinates, slagged their bosses at every turn, physically ruffled up a subordinate officer and after generally behaving like Napoleon in Animal Farm has ended up the piggy in the middle of this review.

Stalker. Spotted – Bob Ellis, wandering around after Labor MPs in Adelaide with a video camera. Is this the only way they have been able to get him out of Sydney during the NSW campaign?

Send your snippets to christian@crikey.com.au