Double Take

ODD COUPLE, OR TRIO: Former mayors John Mitchell and Darryn Lyons, perhaps meeting to plot council comebacks in partnership with Andy Richards.

Has Darryn Lyons revealed the most unlikely council ticket in Geelong’s history?
It’s certainly something for declared council candidates to consider after he posted on social media a picture of himself with fellow former mayor of Geelong John Mitchell and the hashtag #thedreamteam.
Dazza’s former Liberal membership and Mitch’s alignment with Labor make the pairing unlikely enough but the idea entered the twilight zone with another accompanying hashtag – #andyrichardsphotography.
That could only be former councillor Andy Richards, another Labor man and one who publicly butted heads with Lyons all the way until their council’s sacking in 2015.
Lyons, Mitchell and Richards – talk about odd bedfellows!
With the trio yet to confirm their intentions for next month’s elections, the Andrews Government’s $1200-a-day council monitors might really have their work cut out for them.

And speaking of the monitors, they seemed to have exposed new thinking in local socialist ranks.
Socialist Alliance candidate for council Sue Bull, a school teacher, was surprisingly among the first to slam the additional level of state control.
“It is ridiculous to have state-appointed monitors,” railed Sue, who went on to suggest the appointment was a waste of ratepayers’ money.
No to more state control! No to government spending!
At the risk of outdated stereotyping, Double Take can only say they sure don’t make socialists like they used to!

Forget boardrooms and pay packets – a Surf Coast arts event has established possibly the smallest front yet in the battle for ‘gender equality’.
Lorne Sculpture Biennale took up the cudgels this week when it trumpeted an initiative “aimed at supporting female sculptors”.
“Many women sculptors struggle with equitable access to capital in what is a very expensive field of practice and we would like to help even out the playing field,” explained biennale curator Lara Nicholls.
As such, the event had launched a bid for cash on an Australia Council Cultural Fund website to help women knock up their 2018 entries, Ms Nicholls said.
“The initiative will focus the public’s attention on the achievements female sculptors make and help achieve gender parity in the 2018 Biennale.”
Given the event once featured a sculptor on all fours digging sand on the beach like a dog, gender parity should be its greatest achievement yet!