AFTER a year of politics, politics, politics, the agony is almost over. Four days to go to the election and not before time. I don't know about you, but I'm well and truly over it.

To me, the most interesting part of this election was watching the Liberal Party's internal machinations in The Hills in the two-year lead-up to the poll. A young Turk from the extreme right in 29-year-old Alex Hawke, pitting his considerable wits against a wily old hand, Alan Cadman, MP for Mitchell, 33 years in the job and showing no signs of leaving without a bitter fight.

We know the result of that stoush and at the weekend you will no doubt Vote 1, HAWKE, Alex ... Liberal Party. He will lose a percentage

of votes - perhaps 5 per cent to 10 per cent -but is so confident of winning, young Alex didn't even hold a campaign launch.

I wouldn't presume to lecture you on how to vote, but for me it comes down to simple equations:

A vote for John Howard is a vote for

Treasurer Peter Costello, the Mexican with an arrogant smirk and a great line in smart-arse comedy who would-be PM.

A vote for Howard is endorsement of the continuation, ad nauseam, of the senseless slaughter in Iraq.

A vote for John Howard is for the never-ending war in Afghanistan that a succession of foreign conquerors have never won, with

more Aussie deaths.

A vote for John Howard will be to join forces, yet again, with a dim-witted and insensitive US President on probably another ill-advised

foreign jaunt, maybe after blowing the hell out of Iran.

A vote for Howard is a vote for more cunning lies, deceit, manipulation, lack of acccountability, and politics of the

don't-blame-me-I-knew-nothing-about-it kind.

A vote for John Howard is a Work

Choices issue - take it or leave it,

mate.

A vote for John Howard is a hearty

endorsement of Chernobyl in your backyard - 25 nuclear power stations at undisclosed locations like Wiseman's Ferry.

A vote for John Howard is a vote for a cabinet with 60 per cent lawyers. Unionists associate with ordinary folk; lawyers normally don't.

A vote for John Howard is a vote for Kyoto

unratified and the same old.

Personally, I think it's time for a change. I don't know Kevin Rudd but I for one am prepared to give him a go. He seems fresh, decent and able.

And he's not John Howard.