Headlines Tuesday 23rd September

Nathan Rees 'filthy', Michael Costa flees
By Simon Benson, Rhys Haynes and Lauren Williams
PREMIER Nathan Rees reckons he is "filthy" - but he wasn't one of thousands of motorists demanding answers yesterday as yet another M5 East tunnel debacle brought Sydney to a halt.

More than 8000 cars were diverted and thousands more crawled for three hours in sweltering heat after a second computer glitch in just three months forced the tunnel's closure just after 9am.

Missed flights, lost job interviews, children late to school and delayed appointments were among a long list of woes forced on commuters by what the RTA described as a "circuit board failure".

Yesterday was the sixth time the $800 million tunnel has been shut since it opened in late 2001. Just two months ago a computer server shut down and forced the tunnel to close in both directions for five hours.

All this despite the tunnel shutting for a staggering 45 hours each month for overnight tests to ensure the mornings run smoothly.

"I've got to say I'm filthy about it," Mr Rees said. But in a fortnight that just keeps getting worse for the new Premier, Mr Rees has been forced to play out a twisted repeat of the failings that plagued his predecessor.

And like Morris Iemma before him, there was tough talk as a tunnel executive was marched up to Roads Minister Michael Daley's office, with threats of tearing up the operator's contract.

Today, when Mr Rees fronts Parliament for the first time as Premier, with a majority whittled down to just four after three MPs resigned, he will face a no-confidence motion by Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell - for "general incompetence". And he won't be alone in the sentiment. - Rees shouldn't be too upset. It is no different when a mate calls a strike and inconveniences the public over an ambit pay claim. - ed.
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'Modern Greek tragedy' as MP quits parliament
By Simon Benson
MICHAEL Costa has resigned from Parliament, two weeks after being dumped as treasurer, adding yet another name to the New South Wales Government's growing list of MPs abandoning ship.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Mr Costa faxed his resignation letter to Governor Marie Bashir late yesterday.

The former union boss later told The Daily Telegraph that he was ending his seven-year parliamentary career in the manner of all good Greek tragedies - in failure.

"I've always said politics was a modern Greek tragedy, it always ends in failure ... and I can say my career has fulfilled that adage," he said.

"I measure what I achieved by the amount of stupid decisions I stopped - the public will never know what they are, thank goodness." - we know many of the stupid decisions he made - ed.
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Rudd’s abandoning sinking ship of state
Piers Akerman
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd’s continued rejection of Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull’s offer of a meeting to discuss a bi-partisan approach to the global economic collapse betrays Labor’s determination to place its own shallow, narrow and highly political agenda before considerations of the nation’s financial security.
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JUSTICE DISPENSED
Tim Blair
An American criminal is caught in the act. He wouldn’t try that sort of thing if Australian Dave Edwards was around:
When the man invaded Dave Edwards’ modest flat, Mr Edwards and his teenage son Ewan fought back …

“I punched him fair in the mouth several times,” [Dave Edwards] said. “It was action stations … I had a drug-crazed lunatic standing inside my house trying everything he could to get out.”
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ELECTION DIFFICULT
Tim Blair
Barack Obama isn’t exactly rallying the base:
How tough is it for Democrats to sell Barack Obama in Northeast Philadelphia? Here’s one measure: One of their own ward leaders isn’t convinced yet.
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THIS IS WHY WE NEED FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS
Tim Blair
Anne Davies – the Fairfax correspondent in Washington who believes “Charley James” is a legitimate source – reads a magazine:
First it was the seven houses. Now it’s the Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s 13 cars that are getting attention …
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NOT SUCH A BAD BLOKE AFTER ALL
Tim Blair
A reliable source reports this exchange between former NSW premier Morris Iemma and a football-alert questioner last week:
Q: So what’s the best thing about not being Premier any more?

A: I can stop pretending I give a f*** about the Swans and go back to following Collingwood.