You don't need a high IQ to know a good thing when you see it.

Was reading Matt Price's latest witticism in The Australian this evening. What a mind numbing post. He seems to think that Rudd and the ALP are much the same as Howard and the Liberals, only better.

How is it possible that a grown man can be paid to produce this sort of nonsense? If anybody knows please tell me, I'm quite certain I could be encouraged to write comparable nonsense under paid conditions.

Price wasn't even accurate,

"They've not yet lost an election but "not fair" is exactly how Coalition MPs regard their routine hammering in the polls"

Of course they've lost elections. It has never been pretty when it's happened, but obviously in Price Land the Coalition has been running Australia since federation. A suggestion that even a toddler could refute on the existing evidence of such offensive institutions as Medicare.

Nonetheless I was mildly interested in a comment by reader Jeremy the realist of Perth,

"I find it absolutely disgusting that one of Australia's most successful and historically significant leaders can be talked about with such disrespect by a bunch of halfwits and fools. I'm more then willing to bet that the average swine who harps on about 'little Johnny' and his ill ways has an IQ far below the average Liberal voter. Not a single one of my hard working engineer/lawyer/accountant/investment banker mates would ever vote Labor because we all paid attention during our economics lectures and know that Labors policies are riddled with holes. Howard has been consistent and skillful in his stewardship and anyone who votes out someone with his record of success is braindead"

That indicates a lot of 'braindead' people around the joint, and shows that Medicare has not only been a terrible economic and social policy but also has failed to provide appropriate healthcare. Unfortunately however Jeremy appears to be somewhat, 'braindead' because, sadly many of my friends (not the imaginary ones Jeremy has) are actually real, 'engineer/lawyer/accountant/investment banker mates' and some of them would never profess to possessing a high IQ.

Poor old Jimmy, I won't embarrass his family by releasing his surname, is so well known as an absolute twit that hardly a chance meeting with him proceeds without at least one absolute clanger. A mutual friend used to freeze a bottle of water during the summer so that, during the day the ice would melt and provide nicely chilled drinking water. Anyway, as the day progressed the ice would eventually end up floating like a large block in the water.

Jimmy noticed this one afternoon and asked, 'how the heck did you get that piece of ice in the bottle?'.

Well, we cracked up of course. Jimmy is a very successful barrister.

IQ has nothing to do with anything here Jeremy. Voting Liberal is about having class and commonsense, you don't need a high IQ to know the ALP and the Greens are little more than factory workers in a suit. And let's not forget that some ALP voters have high IQ's too.

Meet the Campbels. Our daughter.

It isn't easy raising children these days. My eldest daughter is studying her HSC this year, and is doing remarkably well if I do say so myself. I've already promised not to state any of the family names in this blog but all the same she was terribly unsure about me including a photo of her with this post, she agreed in the end as long as I promised not to implicitly identify it as her.

That said, the accompanying photograph may, or may not be of my daughter. And may or may not have been taken during our family trip to Switzerland for last years skiing season.

I sometimes think happy times like those are fleeting. When she was born it seemed like she would be my little girl for ever but now, on the cusp of university and womanhood I have come to cherish the times we remain as a family unit, under one roof.

Luckily we have been spared the problems so many have had to endure with their teenage daughters, but in fairness most of that is down to her good commonsense and Christian values. Of course I like to imagine that the wife and I played no small part in raising her to have the high self esteem and moral values that, the lack of which presumably play a part in teenage pregnancy, drugs and student politics.

As I write this post she is out with her friends from church after a busy morning of fellowship. One of the most uplifting things is to watch your daughter grow into a beautiful woman and we have all been blessed in that respect. Fortunately Miss Campbel has chosen to wait until she finishes university before she enters into a serious relationship with a boy, though I have noticed she spends quite a bit of time with a certain young lad from church.

Totally inappropriate as a potential husband, his father is in the building industry, but the wife says it's healthy for a young woman to experience innocent flirting. If it were up to me I would have a strong word with the youngster, he's not a bad kid, but obviously completely delusional if he thinks he stands a hope with my daughter. Of course, the wife says, she is mature enough to handle him effectively.

She enjoys horse riding, and is still a member of the local pony club, though she doesn't have much time for that these days. A very smart girl, I hope her siblings have half as much academic success. When she finishes university we expect her to find a husband with ease, she is a very attractive young lady after all, and settle down to raise a family.

Just yesterday she put her arms around me and said, "daddy, I'm so happy you are getting into the computer thing finally". "Why's that dear", I asked and she giggled, "so I will be able to email you when I'm in London next year".

Of course, she knows that we aren't all in the family entirely over the moon, so to speak, with her plan to spend a year in Europe on her own. It's hard enough to imagine her leaving home for university, especially since she wants to attend Melbourne Uni. But the wife and I prayed about it and decided that if she really wants to go then we might be able to accommodate her grand plans. She is such a mature young lady, it's heartbreaking yet makes me so proud at the same time to think she is becoming such a responsible and independent adult.