Ding, ding, ding. Live blogging Insiders

Here we go folks, the Smackdown is on. Mmmh this chair is not very comfortable and the tele reception isn't very good.

Tim thinks NSW election results could swing by as much as 15%. Over on the couch of solidarity, token chick Fran and Dave laugh. They're warming up slowly here. The Timster looks a bit restrained, no doubt after a night of vandalising cars following the Collingwood game. Dull interview with some dude. Blair and Dave eye each other off.

The dude talks about uranium to India - my estimation rises.

The people give their opinion. Tim and Dave contemplate metaphorical grapple holds - Dave perhaps, the not-so metaphorical.

"At the moment being opposition leader is like being a Collingwood supporter - it's something you don't want to be." Confirmation - Blair is effected. Blair interrupts Marr before he gets into stride then Cassidy cuts Marr off - good tactics.

Paul Kelly was better in the early days. Fran says "It's an awful phrase, 'cutting through'" before using it repeatedly.

"Is this man (Costello) really a leader?" asks Marr. "Howard looked into his soul and saw he would not make a Liberal Party Leader." Interesting how the left don't make judgements, they look into others' souls.

Blair: "I agree with David." We pay our taxes for this? C'mon Timster.

Marr: "Tim, you're right there." C'mon guys, why not everyone just move on over to the couch.

"There's no way the Nationals (in WA) will get into bed with Labor," says Fran - there's a quote that could come back to bite her.

Talking pictures is a good idea for a segment, and Michael Bowers is amiable enough - it's just not very interesting.

Come on Tim not long to go, fire up!

Wish granted - Sarah Palin gets them going, Marr melodramatic as usual. Blair cuts him short, "Sounds like a documentary going on in your head." Marr's point that you can see Palin has no idea if you look at clips on youtube is neatly segued into Blair's point that the same can be said about Obama and a clip showing Obama stumbling.

A cutting remark from Blair at the end as Fran plugs her book "Your taxes at work!" Ouch.

Blair says Geelong and Hawthorn will not make the grand final - Fran says Nationals in WA will not join up with Labor. Who will be proven right?

Summary: They were slow to get going - too much common ground talking about state Labor governments - nobody likes them, so nothing to argue about. Blair's interrupting tactics unsettled Marr who found it hard to get his head wobbles happening. Blair, certainly a bit sheepish following the football. Not really the definitive smackdown we were hoping for, but promising signs when they started talking about US politics.

Hey - commenters! Thanks for coming over, folks.