I bumped into Major as he was coming out of the office. There is always a chill. As Tories kept telling me, he loathed me, and could never understand how I had helped build him up when he was advancing through Cabinet, and then tore into him once he made it to the top. For my part, I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t understand it, given I’d never hid my politics.

Alastair Campbell, The Blair Years

There’s a media campaign gathering to suggest Julia Gillard is somehow stalking, or should be stalking, Kevin Rudd. Apart from journalists’ natural love of leadership speculation, it is primarily driven by the right-wing media and the Opposition in an effort to destabilise a Labor government, aided by cranky ALP malcontents with a high opinion of their own abilities and the extent to which the party leadership should be listening to them. If and when Gillard replaces Rudd — most likely some time after 2013 — she’ll be savaged by the same conservative spruikers who are building her up now, and the process will start over.

Media games. Some things don’t change in politics, no matter where or when.