Gunning For The Mayor

The Prince Edward Yacht Club boasts one of Sydney's premier locations. Right at the end of ritzy Point Piper with commanding views of the harbour, it reeks of old world charm with it's wide verandahs and commanding views of the harbour.

Any excuse to visit the club is taken but the opportunity to wish council aspirant Deborah Thomas well for her bid for a seat on the Woollahra Council couldn't be turned down.

Malcolm Turnbull & Deborah Thomas

Andrew & Penne Peacock

Really, the folks of the Eastern Suburbs should be so lucky to be represented by a quality candidate like Thomas. Deb's day job is the Media Manager for ACP Magazines. She used to be editor of the Australian Women's Weekly, the magazine that is the basis for the Packer family fortune. Kerry Packer knew the top selling magazine would be in good hands when he handed the reins to Deborah. After all, her mother and grandmother had been editors of the Weekly in their days.

Joining us for the launch was Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull (they say he talked Deborah into standing) and former Liberal party leader Andrew Peacock with wife Penne. Penne Peacock is a great pal of Laura Bush (Andrew famously had a long affair with Shirley MacLaine who will star in the next series of Downton Abbey)
Also there to wish Thomas well, Christine Foster (right: who just happens to be the sister of Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott) who will be challenging Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
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 DESPITE SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS and radio shows claiming noted private investigator Frank Monte would be standing for the Mayoral elections in September, the Shuttle can reveal he has dropped out of the race at the very last moment.

Frank Monte & fiancee Sharon Sargeant

Monte says he had to make a quick decision last week on the day nominations closed and decided against throwing his hat in the ring:
 " I had great feedback especially from business owners in the City and Kings Cross who are fed up with Clover Moore. However there are good reasons I decided not to run at the last moment. I had  information that both Labor and Liberal would be throwing big bucks at the election as they perceived Moore is vunerable. It takes at least $30,000 to mount a reasonable campaign and I would rather wait until the General Election next year and run as an Independent. And I have to travel for business in the next 3 weeks which would complicate any campaign"
"To Rome by any chance?" the Shuttle asked. Our spy disguised as a humble gaffer at the famous Cinicitta Studios in Rome tells us Monte is booked in as a consultant for a new Italian TV series about the Mafia.
"I have nothing to say about that" replied Monte before the phone went dead!

A revelation from Russell Crowe in the Green Room

Don Spencer & daughter Danielle aka Mrs Russell Crowe

With the ABC 702 Radio riding to the top of the ratings charts, mainly to the efforts of morning host Adam Spencer, perhaps that is why his wife and a good pal have splashed out and opened a new wine bar in the boom inner-west suburb of Enmore.

Mel Spencer has bought an old betting shop and tarted it up as the Green Room, conveniently located just a short walk from the Enmore Theatre which is now one of the last inner city live venues and which is packed most nights with it's line-up of international acts.

About 30 of us trotted a long for the opening night, mainly a clutch of Adam and Mel's show-biz pals like TV hosts Kylie Gillies and Tracey Spicer, top rating Gruen Transfer's Wil Anderson, actor Russell Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer (no relation) who brought her dad Don and our favourite crooner Kamahl.

Wil Anderson & Deborah Hutton

Kamahl & Adam Spencer

Never forget: Kamahl was the Queen Mum's favourite singer and she had all his albums. Which is just as well as few other people do. But he's actually a great singer and once headlined at the Carnegie Hall in New York City so he can't be that bad !.

Tracey Spicer & husband Jason

And Russell was able to put to bed the recent rumour that he and the family had visited the home of the late Lady Sonia McMahon which is up for sale with a view to buy.

"Not for us" said Russell." Not even interested". Asked if the $42M palace Altona was more his style, Crowe replied:

Tony & Kylie Gillies

"Altona would be wonderful for the kids but it's a bit open and accessible. I need something more private but I am looking. You can't bring up kids, especially 2 rowdy boys, on a wharf ".

He was referring to his $12M penthouse at Wolloomooloo Wharf where he has lived for the past 8 years.

Co-incidently the Shuttle lunched at Ottos on the Wharf today after the General Election shambles the night before. At adjoining tables, PI Frank Monte and guest. 

At another- retired radio host John Laws and wife Caroline who lunched with guests former Liberal Party leader Andrew Peacock and his wife Penne ( who was a  former Texas beauty queen and is Laura Bush's best pal ).

See why  HRH Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was enraptured with Kamahl !

# Those Tweets so you don't have to bother !

 

justinbieber 

3 years ago I was on the side of the street busking in Stratford for anyone who would listen....2nite we sold out the ACC!! NEVER SAY NEVER! ( busking at 12 ??)
 

DalaiLama

 

Unfortunate events, though potentially a source of anger and despair, have equal potential to be a source of spiritual growth. 

Alastair Campbell's "hate lessons" from Paul Keating

In his new book The Alastair Campbell Diaries Prelude to Power 1994-1997, released in the UK on Thursday the man regarded as the mastermind behind Tony Blair says he travelled to Australia in 1995 to get some tips from then Labor Prime Minster Paul Keating on how to handle Rupert Murdoch and how to "hate" the Conservatives.

Keating was PM from 1991 to 1996 when he was defeated by John Howard who set about on a 10 year campaign to return Australia to the 1950's before he was finally booted from his own seat in 2007 by Labor's Kevin Rudd.

Paul Keating : 'hate lessons'

Keating's defeat in '96 sent him into a huge mental decline where he disappeared from public view for a  year. Not because he lost but he hated Howard so much. Keating's quips and put-downs in Parliament  were legendary. Parliamentary Question Time has been dull from the day he left.

On John Howard :

"What we have got is a dead carcass, swinging in the breeze, but nobody will cut it down to replace him."  

"He's wound up like a thousand day clock..." 

"He has more hide than a team of elephants." 

On former Liberal leader the perma- tanned Andrew Peacock who was dating actress Shirley MacLaine:

"...what we have here is an intellectual rust bucket." 

"I suppose that the Honorable Gentleman's hair, like his intellect, will recede into the darkness." 

"It is the first time the Honorable Gentleman has got out from under the sunlamp."  

 On the Liberal Party when they were in Opposition:

"I'm not running a seminar for dullards on the other side."

"Those opposite could not operate a tart shop"

"These intellectual hobos"

Our favourite was during the 2007 General Election when the Murdoch media was getting stuck into Kevin Rudd on the campaign trail and printed a facile story about Rudd having lunch with 2 political  lobbyists  -the former premier of West Australia Brian Burke (who spent time in jail) and his partner Julian Grills .

"the Arthur Daley of WA politics"

The controversy raged for days ramped up by Murdoch's tabloids until it was defused by Keating  when he described Burke & Grills as the

" Arthur Daley and Terry of West Australia politics-no-one takes them seriously"

 He then went on to describe the flailing Howard as like a " little desiccated coconut under pressure and attacking anything he can get his hands on". 

 Howard lost the election 2 months later in a massive swing to Labor.

P.J Keating on the attack: