Just when you think you’ve got the campaign strategies of November 24 2007 – A Nation Does Its Best To Give A Sh-t — all figured out, the major parties throw a curve ball and everything gets instantly and colourfully exciting.

Sunday afternoon I was buffing my nails and predicting tedious mud slinging and a few turgid weeks of men in the awkward suit/hardhat combination standing around talking about infrastructure and economic management. Come mid-week and I’m truly gobsmacked by the out of character behaviour and frankly audacious tactics being adopted by our star players.

God knows what was being smoked at ALP headquarters when some bright spark smacked his palm on the table and said: “Call me crazy, but how about we just screen the Liberals ads and claim them as our own?”, yet it’s a disco technique that seems to be paying off in the PR stakes.

Kevin 07 is ‘relaxed’, and ‘smiling’ – according to some frankly chummy press reports – as he manfully shakes his head and wonders aloud ‘why those devils in the Coalition have to be trippin’, or words to that effect. I can’t think of anything more brilliantly twisted than veering so far into the ‘me too’ realm that the ALP actually end up stealing the entire Howard advertising campaign. If K07 starts pulling moves on Janette I’m going to plotz. Genius.

Less surprising but equally as entertaining is the vaguely uncomfortable physical closeness between JWH and PHC, who are doing everything but hold hands and make out on their current ‘Take our money – no really, please, it’s cumbersome’ world tour. Far from the grim across-room avoidance of previous years, the matey pair are sharing camera shots, press conferences, and warm embraces with factory workers. Give them another week or so and they’ll be changing their Facebook relationship status to ‘no longer listed as single’. Keep it up, campers – I’m utterly hooked.