“Support for Therese Rein’s decision to sell Australian arm of business,” reports The Age. This is a wrong and counterproductive requirement, in Henry’s humble opinion. Any conflicts of interest can and should be handled in some appropriate way, which I am sure The Age‘s brilliant lawyers and editors can advise on. And, it’s not as if Australia has many entrepreneurs of the calibre of Ms Rein. Hang in there, girl!

But wait, there’s more. The German arm of Ms Rein’s company has allegedly been advising on how to get “Section 457” visas. With the possibility of international “conflicts”, does this means she should sell the German company? Or the lot, perhaps.

Now, apparently, a decision has been made to cease the “457 visa” business on the grounds that this involves intersection with the Australian economy. The key word is “globalisation”, Comrades. Follow this path and you’ll have to sell the whole business, assuming your board allows this. Is the decision to sell the Australian part in the interests of all shareholders, one is moved to ask? Or just the Rein-Rudd shareholders?

Still more, according to the Daily Telegraph: “A former employee of Therese Rein … has described her as ‘a bastard’ whose company regularly sacked workers, underpaid him and forced him to provide his own radiator.” One can see it all now — Bastard Girls, the ABC expose of dirty dealings by the PM’s wife.

The relevant decisions made by Ms Rein were, of course, her own. As in the Thornton household, it’s a matter of, “Push me and it’s the couch, Kev”.

In our perpetual search for “balance” — like the ABC — we draw attention to a wonderful anti-Howard rant by Sir Wellington Boot:

“Henry … is he cracking up? JWH’s remarks in the SMH article below which I have underlined seem very strange. Disjointed, absolutist and denialist … he strikes me as realising that he made a huge error of judgement last year (he thought he would be fighting Bomber) and is now caught.

“I am happy to give them praise for the good management of ancillary economic matters since 1996 (made possible because of the numerous economic reforms since 1983); but the tidal wave of money from China is the real standout economic event of the past 10 years. This would have occurred if Australia was being governed by Robert Mugabe, so it rankles to constantly hear Howard et al ignore it while pretending that the prosperity of Australia is due to his Merlin-like powers over the Australian economy. A bit of truth-telling would have gone a long way to solidifying his reputation. Ditto all of the above for Cossie.”

Read more at Henry Thornton.