A flashy, even spivvy, dresser who likes French champagne, Sam Dastyari brings back memories of the ALP's famous Boy from Bankstown, except he's polite, well-mannered and doesn't yet think he's God.

Thanks to the Greens' position on asylum seekers and a high carbon price, Tony Abbott is set to cruise into government with a large margin and a mandate to repeal the carbon tax.

The lack of information around the carbon tax is not helpful, and neither is the timing of its introduction. Still, Tony Abbott should not repeal the carbon tax when he wins office next year, as he almost certainly will.

Those who support action to reduce carbon output underestimated the impact of rising power prices on public perceptions. Now they face a Gina Rinehart-led backlash and a government that lacks the support to deliver.

The Ashby saga is unlikely to do much damage to the opposition but it will do plenty to Mal Brough, once touted as a future leader.

If Rupert Murdoch goes ahead and cuts his newspapers adrift from the hugely profitable movie and cable-TV business at News Corp, there will be big changes, which will put yet more pressure on journalists and journalism.

Gina Rinehart is threatening to sell her stake in Fairfax and the mining magnate is also busy attacking climate change, foreign labour and the carbon tax. The notoriously shy billionaire has put her views on record in a statement made to the ABC's Four Corners program.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are at war with each other, at war with the wishes of their own backbenchers and, one can only hope, at war with themselves. Until one of them blinks on the issue of asylum seekers, parliamentary point scoring will continue to trump human rights.

On Insiders yesterday, Bob Carr made some very careful statements on Julian Assange designed to give the government cover, but he made some highly dubious and simply false assertions.

Time, popularity, history and a dearth of pythons: these are the reasons why Tony Abbott will backtrack on his blood oath to repeal the carbon tax if he ascends to the prime ministership.