Thanks for the responses :-) I feel that alot of people are so annoyed and alienated from politics and politicians that they don't understand what a full-on, consuming  job and lifestyle it is, and that most of what they do is not reported in the mass media. Some people think that PG joining federal politics was him getting fed up with fighting, and alot of people yelled "sell-out", whereas I think that it was maybe his biggest challenge so far.

Just think- he went in there as a new chum (that's old school Aussie slang), having only just joined the ALP and not being part of a particular faction. It would be a challenge just to win confidence and respect in the party. Not only that but he went straight to the frontline. Remember, it was Mark Latham who helped initiate this and supported his inclusion into the cabinet, and even though PG has always been a "political animal", what a steep learning curve it must have been! 

As much as I dislike certain other politicians, I still respect the fact they have the guts to put their heads on the public media chopping block. hard to stay human and stand in the ring...

Jim.