THE much touted release of the business case for the Gungahlin to city tram line was not terribly convincing; and that’s the easy one with a ready made track down Northbourne Avenue.

It was supposed to be just the first stage in Canberra’s light rail network; but if the controversy it aroused is anything to go by the whole project will stop right there.

So that, I suspect, is what we really must decide before any further money is spent or contracts let.

KATY Gallagher’s fight for the Mr Fluffy victims clearly took its emotional toll in the struggle against the Feds’ Senator Eric Abetz. There was clearly no artifice in her distress in the Assembly this week; and when you read what they’ve been through it was thoroughly understandable.

The former asbestos removal taskforce head, Keith McHenry was shocked by the Feds’ unfeeling stance. It was “improper for the ACT Government to have to pay for what was a massive failure by the Commonwealth,” he said. That was putting it politely. And Canberrans, stuck with a shortfall of up to $500 million in repaying their billion-dollar loan, will not easily forget.

A THOUSAND thanks to “CityNews” editor Ian Meikle for stepping into the “Seven Days” breach during our recent trip to the UK. We sampled village life in Derbyshire for several weeks before descending to the crowded theme park that is London 2014.

Not even a night at the Reform Club and lunch at Claridge’s couldn’t make up for the chaos of the British capital. And most of it is now owned by bent Russian oligarchs, oily Arab sheiks, bloodthirsty African despots and a handful of British aristos who made their family fortunes in the black slave trade of the Indies and the white slaves they called “convicts”.

Give me our own Bush Capital every time!

THE British media in the last 50 years have not changed one whit in their attitude to Australia. The only stories worth printing, it seems, are of shark and crocodile attacks, bushfires and sport. Typical was a “Daily Telegraph” story of 10 inspirational British events: Winston Churchill’s “We shall fight them on the beaches…” was prominent, together with Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile and Henry V’s speech at Agincourt. But right up there were England’s victory over Australia in the Headingley Test of 1981 and the Rugby World Cup in 2003! Fair dinkum…

FORMER Oxford boxing blue, Tony Abbott, did rate several mentions, but sadly as heading the most recalcitrant developed country on earth in the battle against the ravages of climate change. This week’s decision to embrace the insultingly named “direct action” coincided with the EU’s commitment to cut emissions by 40 per cent by 2030. And Clive Palmer’s turnabout showed we’ve all been sold a PUP.

HOW dare ABC boss Mark Scott and his panjandrums even consider chopping our local Friday evening “7.30” program. The brainchild of the brilliant Patricia Barraclough, who invented the heart-warming “Australian Story” series, it’s been run on a shoestring by her, host Chris Kimball and a tiny team who work round the clock to get it to air. Hands off, Scotty!

robert@robertmacklin.com