Locally, the "Franklin affair" has dominated our web pages.

Many of our online readers are seething with anger because of Wingecarribee Council's offer to the Franklin family. They say the offer is blackmail. They say they want the councillors and GM sacked and ICAC?called in.

This issue has received the greatest response in reader comments on our website of any story for the past 12 months.

One has to wonder a couple of things though:

1) Why was the sewer pipe not noted as being on the block when Mr Franklin's solicitor did the conveyancing?

2) Why has this issue gone on for so long? It should have been "fixed" ages ago.

As I wrote earlier in the week, the matter has not been such a good PR exercise for the council.

Neither has the appointment of the two new deputy general managers, especially so when they have been named while the serving directors' seats are still warm.

And what of the (confidential) cost to pay out the present employees and the costs involved to recruit their replacements.

I'll wager the council won't get much change out of $1 million - and at a reputed saving of about $150,000 a year, by my reckoning they should get their money back and start banking that $150,000 by about 2019.

Federally, at last Joolia and Kevin 07 are going to go head-to-head in the battle for the PM's badge.

Frankly, I much prefer Rudd - I've expressed my views about Ms Gillard here before - and I hope he gets across the line next week.

But the ALP factions will still be at odds with each other - so there will only be losers in this clash, the biggest loser being the electorate.