Two for twenty-two

And so another state election comes and goes. Bracks returns. A Brackslide, as I heard coined. Which is not entirely appropriate as the Brackslide came when he beat Kennett; now he's just riding on the back of a poorly performing and completely impotent opposing party.

I don't like the ALP in either federal or state flavours. However, while I have good reason to dislike federal Labor, what's the impetus behind my steely glare towards state Labor? - beside the obvious things. And, after all, Bracks seems a charismatic enough guy to kind of push them over the line of being acceptable, right?

It wasn't until I received a letter requesting support on election day from my local member that I was able to really clarify why I despise state Labor as I do federal.

It turns out that it was under my nose the whole time. The issue is fundamental to state as it is to federal: they are without genuine leadership.

Carlo Carli writes to me proud as punch about Labor's movement on climate change, indigenous issues, securing water for our state, public transport and just about everything I have an interest in. His joy at being able to point out examples of Labor action on these items was not only obvious, but completely over the top.

The problem is, Carlo, you've only done it because public awareness on these issues, and their accompanying disgruntlement, has reached critical mass. To pretend you give a fuck about the climate, or indigenous issues is just plain old-fashioned disingenuousness: you care because votes balance on these issues now.

And so we come back to leadership.

Leaders recognise issues before everyone else, or at least at or around the same time as it becomes an issue for those individuals that are affected. Everyday, common, garden variety politicians only pick up on issues when the newspapers have run them front page for a year.

Both Bracks and Beazley follow this course of watch and see, and wait and wait some more. It's why they're both disappointing and useless respectively.

Beazley is just plain average, so he can't really help himself. Bracks on the other hand, though, is a disappointment because he could be so much more. He is devastatingly popular and he could use that mandate to become a genuine forger of progress at a national level. But he doesn't. He doesn't because he is not a true leader - a leader willing to take a risk on something that could be even marginally risky. He really would rather get back to business at Spring Street; steady as she goes, continuing to obfuscate the path of FoI requests and making excuses for shoddy-as-fuck ministers.

Lost opportunities. Nothing new to Labor, really, but a point of heartache for those of us that want change and realise it can probably only come from a major party.

It's nice to dream that the message from voters this election is that we're done with Liberal thinking and ready for a change. But we know this not to be true after a decade of Howard and a dominating Labor at a state level for most of that time.

The simple truth is that Howard is better at reading and manipulating the community than anyone in the Labor party. This is his brand of leadership and it only works because there is a vacuum of real leadership on the other side. The fact that Howard's ability to lead in this fashion is revered by the press and sections of the community disgusts me to the point of wanting to hand in my passport. What bothers me more, though, is that the ALP have accepted Howard's omnipotence and now don't even bother to get out of bed in the morning and try reverse-engineering him.

But never fear, Bracks is here.

Well it's better than Brackslide.

If it's good enough for Mr. Perry

You know you're eating well when the experience is such that you can successfully block out a table of drunken racegoers during Spring Carnival in Melbourne.

And so it was that I sat with friend in the bistro section of the Hotel Lincoln in Carlton last evening, enjoying smashing food amongst almost unbearable, raucous carry-on. That will learn me for brazenly marching towards a very good venue without a booking.

Why I would treat the booking system with such contempt is shameful: The Lincoln has received praise from day one several years ago, culminating in this year receiving a hat and 15/20 in the Age Good Food Guide. Serious marks for a place with - what I know for myself now - serious food cred'.

Perhaps my approach came from a broader problem; where, the honest truth is that after years of eating out I've become quite picky, perhaps a little jaded about restaurant fare. When you cook well at home, and know what's involved it's hard to be excited about a roast chicken wrapped in prosciutto etc. But the Lincoln has reminded me what it is all about; reminded me that chefs can very much still stand up and punch you fair in the taste buds.

So on this evening both partner and I had the duck ballotine and liver parfait with mango jelly starter. I've eaten similar dishes all over Melbourne, right through to one of the best ever at three one two, and this right was up there. Very generous portions, but not too much. The parfait was incredible; you wanted to call it foie gras, and when mixed in with a sliver of the sweet, slightly edgy mango 'cubes' it was really a taste sensation. The ballotine was chock full of all your usual duck-many-ways pieces, and studded with pistachios, which was a nice touch and textural difference, but I can't say I tasted them.

Main was two generous portions of lamb rack delicately wrapped in filo, served with an eggplant and ricotta stack. The lamb was an impressive visual feature with the pastry cooked just right and the lamb tender and very tasty, having held the majority of its juices intact. While I would have liked the lamb just a little rarer it couldn't have been easy to cook this dish and as it was it was really a treat. And even though we all thought we were out of the stack-phase in Melbourne, I have to say the eggplant and ricotta was terrific; and after all, no one can question the delicious taste of smokey eggplant and baked ricotta.

Friend had twice cooked pork stuffed with cotechino sausage and he was certainly well pleased when staring down at a clean plate.

Dessert was also great, surprisingly I suppose because we were expecting a fault by this stage - as the revellers on the next table were breaking into the Flipper theme song. Mango semifreddo for my partner and a trio of chocolate for me: white chocolate panna cotta, rich chocolate ice cream and thick chocolate sauce, and a baked chocolate cookie wedge sitting on fresh cream, offset with fresh raspberries, whose juices ran around the three items providing a perfect tart , acidic edge to the chocolate. Brilliant!

By the time a very good coffee made its way to the table we were not only sated but back-and-forthing about just how good the food had been. I'm not sure why we were surprised, really, but we were, me so in particular because it's been a while since I've really been excited about a meal out.

The deal-sealer was the bill. A mere $140 for 3 courses, a very decent Gembrook Hill pinot noir (note: the wine mark-up here is perhaps the lowest I've ever seen) and couple of coffees. I don't think I've seen value like that in action for years.

I think you know what you have to do. Just don't go without a reservation during Spring Carnival.