THE Barr Government’s handling of the ACT Budget was a disgrace to our little democracy. Announcing $23 million for bike and walking paths and the $4.1 million upgrade for the Canberra Theatre among other goodies the week before was politics in the raw.

It might have ensured that Canberrans absorbed all the good news rather than have it buried in the Budget coverage. But it’s exactly the tactic used by the Abbott Government who sent the awful Scott Morrison out to set a happy scene for Joe Hockey’s odd concoction; and it seems to have worked…for now.

They call it news management and use all sorts of sophistry to justify it. But it is patently unfair to the Opposition party and it’s time to call a halt. Perhaps there’s no longer any need for an annual budget – the forward estimates are always wrong anyway. Governments could simply announce their new policies as they make them; and update the national accounts twice a year.

The current practice smells of deliberate deceit; and it corrupts the system.

SPEAKING of corruption, the soccer world was stunned when the Americans actually did something about the moral swamp that is FIFA, its governing body. What’s the bet that the FBI is able to persuade one of the men they indicted to drop a bucket on president Sepp Blatter.

Your columnist, an AFL devotee, is no fan of the round-ball game – too few goals and too much acting for free kicks – but it’s a terrific pastime for little kids of both sexes. And they deserve better than the thugs at the top. We don’t much like the thuggish NRL either, but the State of Origin was riveting television.

NOT suggesting our chemists are engaged in corrupt activity – perish the thought – but their lobbyists, the Pharmacy Guild, did another deal with the government this week to protect them from competition from the supermarkets (and other pharmacies) for another five years.

Health Minister Sussan Ley also gave them $3.2 billion while saving $3.7 billion on the PBS scheme. And who pays that $3.7 billion for more expensive medicine? We do.

WHAT a joy it was to see the Irish saying a resounding “Yes” to same-sex marriage and giving their predatory priesthood a poke in the eye. We’ve come a long way since “mixed marriages” meant Catholics pairing with someone of a different Christian sect.

Trust Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to play politics with his aborted private member’s Bill; and PM Tony Abbott was no better with his fulsome claim that if ‘twere to happen then “the Parliament should own it”. Do they really think we fall for that stuff?

SAD to see the Gorman House markets getting the chop. But the truth is we now have more weekend markets than we know what to do with. The Farmers Market out at EPIC is getting very expensive, Fyshwick has gone gourmet, but bargains can still be had at CIT Woden.

However, we reckon good old Trash ‘n Treasure at Jamieson on Sundays is the go – a wondrous range of goodies among a gathering of the entire peoples of the world into the bargain.

robert@robertmacklin.com