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realpolitik in the street.
It had been a stand-off. Neither of us had given ground but we had tested each other's defences. My tactics had been successful, in that I had not devulged my personal attitude to the issues raised by Cohen. In fact, I was generally sympathetic to relaxing the law on "victimless crime", which concerned private sexual behaviour. But I judged that it was not then expedient or necessary to declare my individual position.
David Cohen and I were to continue our verbal sparring over a number of years, and, despite our differences, we became friends.
The major local event of the campaign was approaching. The Premier had decided to attend a fund raising dinner at the Manly-Warringah Leagues Club on September 28, just nine days before the election day. Each of the Peninsula's four ALP candidates would be involved, and would receive a pro rata share in the proceeds for campaign expenses, according to the number of tickets his supporters bought. It would be our main fund raising activity.
Since in theory only members and their guests could be admitted to the club, our advertisement was in the form of an invitation:
"The Board of Directors of M.W.L.C., on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, invites all citizens