Day 41, and the Terrorists move the delcon party to a backyard barbie ...

The pond is outraged. How did First Dog get such an excellent service? How can the pond sign up?

The Optus The, and if you have 30 minutes to spare, check out the First Dog cartoon here.

Never mind, the pond is as wildly excited as it is outraged.

For too long the pond has just been coasting along, recycling easy copper jokes and wild-eyed tales of subs in the shape of croissants.

The Terrorists did their best to revive the pond's spirits by introducing Mark Latham, but this day came most excellent and heart-warming news ...  talk about hitting the jackpot ...

Yes, the drinker - Maiden voyage in the dock, thanks to a reader - got down to it with the shaker and the fixer, and blessed the pond with an in-depth probing interview that transfixed the entire full to overflowing intertubes ...

Look at the splash:

You do the delcon math!

Now in lieu of an actual column - first tell the punters what you're going to do, get around to doing it later - the drinker's penetrating insights stirred the pond to rapture ...

Next week? It's the dance of the seven veils? Okay, first question, are we winning the picture war?

Are there enough photos of Peta to attract the clicks? Or is that the chicks? Or the blokes?

The picture war! And the rest was of a similar 'strangle me before I get too deep into the shallow water' kind ...

Talk about a great promotional interview, insightful, pungent, witty, provocative ...

Ah the backyard barbecue ...

And thank the long absent lord she didn't rule out a return by the real leader of the opposition ...

But the pond is aware that sensitive souls will be asking what of the Devine? Where does this leave the Devine?

Well sadly, the Devine seems to have suffered a blow and a bit of a demotion ... lurking alongside a penetrating piece on hair crimes ...

Haircuts, stars ...

About the only thing to note about the Devine's column was the way it roused a late night owl to indignation ...

Sheesh Pete, don't hold back like that, tell the Devine what you really think ...

Oh and there was this poignant note at the end of the Devine piece, mysterious, yet evocative, which the Devine cannily turned into an extra blog posting ...

Hmmm, new star meet fading, ageing old star ... meoowww ....

Did the Devine just refer to herself and Niki Savva as chicks? Has she gone full hipster?

But what fun to see the delcon wars continue apace ... and to see that the Terrorists have done their patriotic duty by Peta ... and hired her.

But how poignant it was to be reminded of Paul Sheehan's existence. And what of Akker Dakker?

The pond rushed off to check, but in true delcon style, yesterday he was still raging about the subs and the French...

Ten Anzac frigates of German design were built at the yard in the 1990s, with production technology support from Germany, to a fixed price, with about 80 per cent Australian (and New Zealand) content to German standards of productivity and quality — arguably the most successful naval project in Australian history. It would seem that the German bidders offered much the same deal on the planned submarines: a fixed price, efficient digitalised shipbuilding controls, about 70 per cent of Australian content and German quality and productivity levels. The Japanese were so eager to enter the weapons export business, they would have agreed to meet anything that the others had offered. Perhaps the only thing that can be said in favour of the ­arrangement with the French is that at least some decision has actually been made. Labor was paralysed for years, the Abbott-Turnbull government pushed for a ­resolution. What can be said is that the French know how to milk Australian politics better than most Australian politicians. The idle but expensive ­desalination plants we bought from the French are now joined by their submarines as testimony to their diplomatic skill at extracting taxpayers’ money from Australian politicians.

Sad to say, the fulminating Akker Dakker has been given a low profile of late. Another fading, ageing star ...

His column attracted one comment; his blog no comments at all. Well, you know how hard it is to get the Terrorists to moderate on a weekend... and just try getting a Sunday coffee from them without talk of loadings.

Sad to say, Akker Dakker isn't the Billy Bunter of yore. Yaroops, garooar, and the fat owl clearly doesn't generate the clicks ...

In fact the pond only ran Colonel Blimp so we could feature this trailer ...

 

The pond's really looking forward to the full movie.

And now it seems that the trend is to provide a soupçon at the end of a piece, and it has to be said that this pond outing - thanks be unto the drinker and Peta - is already full of astonishing substance, and so is ripe for a soupçon ...

Oh noes, internet meme, did Barners really say that in his best 'kill the dogs', hundred dollar lamb roast voice?

Tony Windsor seems to think he did, as per a piece in The Land here:

Those who have read my book Windsor’s Way will be aware of comments made by Mr Joyce after the 2013 election where he says: 'You know, Tony, until you had decided not to run I had the money for the Armidale Hospital as well as funding for the Legume to Woodenbong road.’ 
He then went on to explain that the removal of funding had been ordered by the Prime Minister’s office. As soon as the seat could be taken for granted attention to local issues ceased. 
These behaviour patterns have been going on for years and perhaps country people should learn that the only seats that get any attention are those where real competition prevails. 
We can see this scenario being played out in the seat of Indi at present. 
Loyalty in politics is not rewarded but taken advantage of to such a degree that those seats are ignored. 
Country people are particularly vulnerable and we see constant examples where the Nationals in particular are drinking their blood. 
The inland rail is a classic example - announced 15 years ago by John Anderson but nothing has happened other than dragging it past consecutive elections. 
And still the faithful thank them for doing nothing - blind faith.

PM's office? Drinking their blood?

Hang on, hang on, is Tony saying that the Peta chick is a vampire? Is that why the Terrorists have hired her?

Never mind, it's just another meditative Sunday and now the pond has to spend thirty minutes getting somewhere, anywhere ... that drizzle's telling the pond it's the right day for a barbie (and to see the full First Dog cartoon, follow the link above).