Simon MacDonald

She has to show that on top of everything else, being fantastically qualified, she's got to be likeable as well.

And I think that translates to our context.

Did we expect John Howard to be likeable in the same way that we expected Julia Gillard to be likeable?

I don't think we did.

I think it's an added, like a super added requirement for women on top of all the qualifications they need to be political leaders.

They also need to be likeable.

Oh, well, fair enough.

The analogy I think of is the crown.

I think this book's a net plus for Hilary.

I mean, yes, we do see her warts and all and we certainly see some quite intimate details, but I think in the end she comes across as a pretty likeable character.

I would think it's a plus for her in the same way that I think the crown has been a plus for the Queen.

It does indeed, Cathy.

That's the exact word that I've used.

And the other word I've written is pernickety.

So he's 43.

He lives on his own.

He's a bachelor.

He's never been married.

And he runs his own computer repair business.

He's an unusual man, I think.