Savaged By a Dead Sheep

One of my favourite political sayings came after an attack on Denis Healey, the Labour politician and fomer Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the seventies by Sir Geoffrey Howe when Healey likened it to being 'savaged by a dead sheep'.

The phrase came to mind as I watched Alexander Downer, Australia's Foreign Minister, last night questioning Labour's fitness to govern.

The smear tactics are not working according to the latest polls.

Labour MPs say the electorate is not interested in the Federal Government's smear campaign against Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd.

An AC Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax newspapers today, shows Labor would easily win an election on a two-party preferred vote of 61 per cent to the coalition's 39 per cent.