Spare a thought for those remaining journalists left to report on this year’s state election campaign after Labor and Liberal continue to lure top names into the spin doctor fold, says Mike Smithson.

It’s all about the optics with a bit of policy thrown in.

The Premier’s carefully orchestrated weekend gathering of the faithful caught the Opposition by surprise, which is a rolled-gold Labor campaign tactic that will continue for the next 11 weeks.

What does Labor have that the Liberals sadly lack?

Firstly, the sheer weight of elected members who were very visible in the foreground of a sea of red-shirted supporters at the Pennington Gardens campaign rally.

The battle cry was an impressive sight, which Labor knows the Liberals won’t try to replicate.

The Libs are in rebuilding and survival mode, laced with simmering factional division.

A call to arms for a similar gathering would be unlikely to muster more than a quarter of the 200 rank-and-file supporters who dropped everything to be seen at Labor’s media event.

In reply, the Opposition trotted out Deputy Leader Josh Teague, who is a loyal foot soldier but never leaves a lasting impression of being totally up for the fight.

Labor would have been delighted that new leader Ashton Hurn wasn’t the........

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