Gillard to get media makeover from a whip-cracking spinner

Julia Gillard's latest Blair government appointee may just be the man to help her office better cope with the relentless 24/7 news cycle, given his extensive experience under difficult circumstances.

Seen Malcolm Tucker on the British political satire The Thick of It? The character may have been at least a little bit inspired not only by Alastair Campbell, but also the real life John McTernan, a Scot known as the "enforcer" in the Blair government and the man set to spin Julia Gillard's new media strategy.

Recently McTernan had a thing or two to say to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and urged him to bring in some "leg-breakers" in order to toughen up Downing Street.

"All governments need head kickers," McTernan wrote in a recent opinion piece that The Telegraph's Julian Astle described as a "Malcolm Tucker soliloquy".

For those unfamiliar with Tucker's antics on The Think of It, the modern day answer to Yes Minister, The Power Index recommends this YouTube overview.

The Power Index also wonders just what McTernan's underlings are in for when he starts in the new role in November.

Still, he could be the best man for what's likely to be a very difficult job. The Financial Times describes McTernan as among the "brightest and most effective" UK spinners who "have brought intellectual as well as political challenges, and their own insight, into government policymaking".

McTernan's also got plenty of experience locally, having helped the ALP during the 2007 Federal election campaign and consulted to the NSW and Queensland Labor governments.

He's most recently worked with the South Australian government as a "thinker in residence".

And, via his writings in The Guardian and The Scotsman, he's also had a thing or two to say about the state of Australian politics.

When Gillard ousted Kevin Rudd in June 2010, McTernan wrote in The Guardian that Australia's new Prime Minister could "almost certainly" turn Labor's fortunes around, noting her work with the education portfolio and her raised profile as deputy prime minister.

"She is a robust parliamentary performer, more than able to hold her own in what is a far more rowdy chamber than the House of Commons," he wrote.

"And she is a very effective communicator who more than has the measure of the Liberal leader, Tony Abbott."

He credits the day Gillard called Tony Abbott "a snivelling grub" as a "towering performance".

With McTernan set to take up the role in early November, Gillard's staffers can only hope their boss stays around long enough to give McTernan's media makeover a fighting chance.