“The honeymoon is over.” —  Glenn Milne, 29 June.

“The honeymoon is over but it’s hard to tell how the Government is doing.” —  Michelle Grattan, 20 June.

“It’s been quite a honeymoon for Kevin Rudd but it is now over.” — Kieran Gilbert, Sky News, 3 June.

“Mr Rudd’s honeymoon was well and truly over.” —  Sharman Stone, 3 June.

“Petrol prices have ended the Rudd honeymoon.” — Dennis Shanahan, 31 May.

“The delivery of the Labor Government’s first Budget was always going be the beginning of the end of Rudd’s honeymoon, but I doubt that even the most optimistic Liberal expected the turnaround to be so quick and dramatic.” — Laurie Oakes, 31 May.

“Kevin Rudd has woken to the reality of incumbency after six months in office, bringing to an end one of the longest honeymoons for a new government in memory.” — Gerard McManus, 31 May.

“Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says the Coalition’s attacks on the Government’s fuel policy are ‘cutting through’ and signal the end of a honeymoon period for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.” — ABC 27 May

“Rudd’s honeymoon‘s over and now … the fight’s on.” — Piers Akerman, 25 May.

“The real political issue to arise from these latest Newspoll figures — and we can’t tell from this survey alone — is whether we are seeing the end of the Rudd honeymoon.” — Dennis Shanahan, 18 March

“The Rudd Government’s honeymoon with the Australian people is officially over.” —  Jack the Insider, The Australian, 13 March.

So, there’s pretty much one certainty in Australian politics at the moment, right? One thing we can agree on — the passion and excitement of the political newlyweds has given way to the one-day-after-another banality of married life. Reality sets in to even the most romantic unions eventually.

Oh, and the 2PP average of the most recent Morgan, Newspoll and AC Nielsen polls, all taken in the last couple of weeks, is Labor 58.7, Coalition 41.3.