Loose cannons

Issue 

Right credentials

"He has shown more than most politicians a good understanding of how business works and would certainly have most of the credentials that a board would look for." — A representative of an "executive search" company on the further career prospects of Paul Keating.

His father's voice

"I'm sure for some I may have not been the first choice, but I certainly was for my father and his board of directors." — Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy, about his appointment to succeed his father as head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, annual turnover $110 million.

What kind of day?

"The public has a right to expect that police are turning up to do an honest day's work, that they are drug-free and sober, and that they are not taking bribes. We need to do a lot of work to restore that public confidence." — A "senior officer" of the NSW police, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 6.

Like the voters?

"I think I did a good job in both [industrial relations and transport portfolios], but that is for others to judge." — Former federal minister Laurie Brereton.

Or anything else

"Our natural constituency is the blue-collar worker, but they're not there for us now. They just didn't believe us about Telstra." — A defeated ALP candidate, quoted in the March 12 Bulletin.

Frozen out

"Because I was perceived not to be totally the way of the Coalition during the election campaign ... now the story is that there are some people in John Howard's office who are saying, well, we'll just forget him, freeze him out now." — Sydney radio talkback host John Laws, upset that John Howard's first radio interview after the election was given to Alan Jones. Howard's campaign blunder of not knowing details of his family tax break policy was made on Laws' show.

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