Albo’s Praetorian Guard: Talking on Triple M Sydney the Monday morning after the election, Anthony Albanese put his success right down to having a united workforce behind him and the luxurious of avoiding backstabbing colleagues.
“One of many issues that renders our success attainable is the truth that all through the final three years, I haven’t needed to look over my shoulder,” he stated. “I’ve bought a Praetorian Guard, if you happen to like, who do this for me, and that’s actually optimistic.”
Historical past college students on the market will word that the Praetorian Guard in Historical Rome are fairly well-known for routinely engineering the assassinations of the emperors they have been certain to guard.
The earliest references to Albanese’s Praetorian Guard have been forward of the 2022 election, the place the Monetary Assessment’s Andrew Tillett and Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy (by the way now Albanese’s media adviser) wrote concerning the then opposition chief’s loyalists within the partyroom.
Nonetheless, it could have been a reference to Star Wars, which Albanese stated he deliberate to spend the day after the election watching. The Praetorian Guard in Star Wars, named for these in Historical Rome, defend the emperor… who’s the unhealthy man.
Certainly one of us: Talking of Star Wars, Donald Trump’s, shall we embrace, inventive use of AI continues unabated, offering the 1.7 million individuals who observe the White Home’s X account (sure, that is posted on the precise White Home’s account) with a seemingly limitless stream of unsavoury photos to be eternally burnt into your retina. Could 4, an enormous day for Star Wars followers, provided one other such alternative, with Trump mocked up as a steroid-taking Jedi flanked by two large eagles.
The issue with the image (bar the apparent)? His lightsaber is purple. Worry is the trail to the darkish facet, in any case.
Tip-tie across the topic: It’s Met Gala Monday within the US, however Australia already had its premier vogue occasion — the ABC election-night panel. Grabbing probably the most consideration among the many sartorially savvy was Annabel Crabb’s tie. Was it manufactured from catering ham? A flesh-toned sizzling water bottle? The pores and skin of an unlucky producer? Annabel, Annabel, inform us who’re you sporting?
Seems the leather-based tie was the creation of a small designer primarily based within the seat of Grayndler, Natalija Rushidi. As Crabb defined on Instagram, the controversial hue was a deliberate selection: “It’s solely politically impartial, being one of many few remaining shades of the Pantone spectrum but to be annexed by a political motion.”
Anthony Pratt, vogue icon: Talking of the Met Gala, we’d be remiss to not point out Australia’s most fashionably adventurous visitor. No, it’s not Nicole Kidman… it’s cardboard king Anthony Pratt, a frequent attendee of the unique vogue fundraiser. This yr, the theme of the Costume Institute’s exhibit is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Fashion”, an ode to Black fashion and the historical past of dandyism. The gala’s costume code is “Tailor-made for You”, so naturally Pratt is sporting a lime-green go well with lined within the “100% Recycled” emblem, full with inexperienced bowler hat, blue sneakers, and a cane.
Say what you need about Pratt, he’s turn into extra assured in his signature fashion over time: his brilliant, fairly in pink three-piece ensemble in 2024 was an enormous step up from the traditional white jacket look he wore in 2023.
Madigan’s LinkedIn victory lap: Whereas the deeply entertaining spectacle of Liberal Get together operatives selecting over the entrails of what went unsuitable continues to roll out (together with the finger pointing over Freshwater’s disastrous inside polling) on the Labor facet, an extended line of celebration operatives are lining as much as crow about their half within the authorities’s triumph. And the place higher to humble brag than the gloating hellscape that’s LinkedIn? The newest to get in on the act is Dee Madigan — spruiking her company’s work because the brains behind the “He cuts, You pay” marketing campaign… #gratitude #gloating #thatsecuresthegruentransferslotforanother5years
Political jargon, defined: Generally it’s useful to have a little bit information to all of the jargon utilized by political journalists, particularly at election time. Fortunately for us, Liberal pollster Mark Textor has bought us sorted with a information posted on, yep, LinkedIn, which may additionally double as an election evening bingo card.
A “supply acquainted with polling” is somebody who has “by no means seen an actual ballot examine in his or her life however watched The West Wing as soon as”, whereas a “senior supply” invariably is a “junior staffer I drink with”.
“Get together divisions”, in the meantime, could be translated to “the identical individuals who all the time hated one another nonetheless hate one another and can all the time hate one another”.
The perfect comedy has a lining of reality, and Mark is, regrettably, not as far off as you’d suppose. Some recommendation from Tricks to journos and staffers alike — flip off The West Wing. You’ll be okay.
