Australia took one more step down the seemingly inevitable path towards becoming a banana republic with the leader of the Australian Democratics, Andrew Bartlett, getting drunk and assaulting a Liberal Party senator in the senate chamber during a sitting.

Getting pissed and indulging in a bit of "biffo" is more common than it should be, and one of the less positive aspects of Australian culture, but we have not seen it on the floor of the senate before.

Still it is an ill wind that blows no good. The Green Man is quite fond of bananas.