At 6am today, my grandmother breathed her last and mooched on to whatever is next.

While I didn’t spend as much time with my grandmother as I would have liked, I am sad. She was an amazing woman and she died too young, just 69.

Grandma had a challenging life. She and my grandfather worked hard to raise five children. Grandma was a teacher and spent nights sewing clothes for her children, keeping house, and studying towards more qualifications. She studied all her working life, eventually achieving her Masters in her fifties. She had a strong interest in Aboriginal culture and welfare; I still remember the day she introduced me to Geoff Clark and took me out to the Aboriginal settlement at Framlingham.

Summers, when we kids would visit, she stayed up nights with me, watching the tennis and eating jelly and ice cream. She always had a book I ‘had to read’ and when I was around 12, she unlocked the cabinet with her ‘best books’ and opened up the journals of her parents and grandparents to me. She had a very strong sense of family history and always told stories about her ancestors. When I saw her about eighteen months ago, she gave me a copy of of the travel diary of one of our ancestors who sailed a true sea voyage. Grandma had edited and published it, wanting the adventure to live on.

She retired and looked forward to reading, writing and the pursuit of personal enrichment. Sadly, shortly after retiring, her body slowly began to give way. While it took many years to eventually wear her down, her quality of life was limited and she never enjoyed the retirement we all wished she might have.

My wedding in April this year was a big undertaking for her but she made it. She came to the ceremony and the reception, beamed the whole time and even giggled as I struggled to pin a corsage on her dress.

Today I pause and give thanks that I had a grandmother who showed me that to learn is to grow, and that family is everything.

So John Howard is gone and we have a Labor Government. Much joy and excitement. I am looking forward to being a completely proud and true Aussie again, a member of a country that is decent and cares about more than the stockmarket and the latest SUV.

Of all the reflections on the now-former PM, this one is the best.

I welcome Gary Linnell back to the print world.

In this oberserver’s opinion, the Australian political scene lacks a certain air of gravitas and grace from its participants. Too often opportunities to charm and woo the audience are let go and the viewers are dished up more of the bland same.

Compare this with The West Wing, the series that examines life inside the White House and executive administration, created by Aaron Sorkin. In this environment, both the president and his spokespersons alike all have a certain intangible charm, especially White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg who charms a media pack like an old hand.

So – what would happen if Aaron Sorkin was writing a series about the Australian political landscape? I imagine it might go something like this…

Doorstop interview with Kevin Rudd, Leader of the Opposition.

Reporter:
Mr Rudd, the environment’s been a big topic this week and the government say you’ve flip-flopped on Kyoto, how do you respond to that?

Rudd:
They’re climate change sceptics but they’re going after the green vote – as Malcolm Turnbull now knows, you can’t have your yellowcake and eat it too.

Reporter:
Your environment spokesman Peter Garrett’s been quoted as saying that you’ll change all your policies after the election, a bit embarrassing?

Rudd:
Steve Price has form in deceiving the public. In 2004 he went on national television and claimed to have a copy of the Latham Bucks Night on tape – a video that never existed. And we know Peter Garrett has a sense of humour and was joking, he still maintains that he’s a good dancer.

Reporter:
Tony Abbott’s had a shocker in the past week or so, do you see that as arrogance from the government?

Rudd:
Tony Abbott wasn’t being arrogant, that requires careful planning. His brain just lost a few hands of Catholic Roulette.

Reporter:
The polls show voters are increasingly viewing the Prime Minister as out of touch, do you agree with that view?

Rudd:
Mr Howard’s not out of touch – he just can’t see the future for the eyebrows.

Reporter:
The Prime Minister and Treasurer are campaigning as a team in this election more so than in the past, what do you make of that?

Rudd:
It’s a funny old team that’s for sure, with John Howard the Man of Steel, and Peter Costello the Tin Man lamenting “If I only had a spine”.

Reporter:
Your TV advertisements warn of changes to WorkChoices yet the government are adamant there won’t be any more after the election, what do you say to that?

Rudd:
I see Joe Hockey’s offered to quit if there are any changes to WorkChoices, but Kevin Andrews beat him to that a year ago when the Fairness Test was introduced following a series of bad polls for the government. And just on changes to industrial relations, I hear Mr Howard’s scrapping Labour Day and replacing it with “Liberal Day”. It’ll be the best unpaid 24 hours overtime of our lives. Thankyou.