Scandals down under

Here's another difference between Oz and the US. Right now we have a major scandal developing; an MP has been caught spending hundreds of thousands of other people's money on hookers and booze. He's probably going to lose his job, and his seat will probably go to the Liberals, thus changing the balance of power in Parliament. This probably spells the end of the Carbon Tax, since the Liberals are our conservative party (Labor is our liberals. Can you imagine an American political party called Labor? Neither can I.)

The member for Dobell is a former national secretary of the Health Services Union, who is accused of paying for escort services and drawing out more than $A100,000 ($104,000; £63,000) in cash on the union credit card. Mr Thomson has claimed that other union officials had access to that credit card, and denies any wrongdoing. But Fairfax media claims to have obtained documents revealing that phone calls were made to two Melbourne brothels in 2006 from rooms hired in his name.

The scandal that could bring down Australia's government

The difference, of course, is that sex scandals happen so frequently in American government that nobody expects them to change anything.