What honeymoon? “Kevin Rudd, aka Knucklehead, Heavy Kevvie, Pixie and Dr Death, is the fourth leader the ALP has thrown up in the past five years,” Piers Akerman’s column begins today. So much for the honeymoon.

Their turn now. Labor’s moved, so murmurs have now started in the corridors of power about when the Prime Minister will reshuffle his front bench. Fingers are being pointed at the usual suspects.

The numbers man whose number’s up? The bad news keeps on coming for Queensland Liberal heavy Santo Santoro. On the weekend the Forde preselection became the latest in a series of losses for the former strongman when anti-Santoro candidate Wendy Creighton soundly defeated Santoro acolyte, John Wallerstein. Last week he was humiliated in the party room meeting when current member for Forde, Kay Elson, executed what many longtime Liberal MPs described as one of best political ambushes in the party room history, alleging interference from Santoro in the seat. To top it all off, The Age has detailed a recent trip to the United States which cost taxpayers $110,000.