Is the Labor Party really the big winner from this week?

If John Howard stays on, 2007 will be his all-or-nothing election. But it has always going to be that for Kim Beazley – if he survives to the poll.

Beazley faces hard choices of his own. A winter ministerial reshuffle was expected, yet Beazley is the leader who needs to work on his front bench team before the next election.

Beazley needs to do everything he can to preserve the unity of his team and show that he has its support.

He also has to deal with two deselected shadows and a Latham team selected through what Labor insiders say was animus, revenge by what we now know was a tortured and twisted mind.