Is Joe Hockey starting his run for the Liberal Party leadership and, therefore, the Lodge? Or maybe the run just became more obvious as he goes where Tony Abbott hasn't: into the realm of Liberal economic responsibility.

The politico-economic highlight of the week might have been Smokin' Joe's attack on entitlement mentality, rather than Julia Gillard's attempt to justify the government's surplus-or-bust commitment.

Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey share a moment in Parliament. Credit:Penny Bradfield

Abbott has been extremely successful at the business of attacking Labor, but paradoxically he also remains about the only thing still going for the government – which isn't much. With the anti-Labor momentum having rolled through New South Wales and Queensland and just awaiting its chance federally, somewhere in the Liberal Party is the knowledge that it no longer needs an attack dog at all costs, that maybe it's time to consider the occasional sustainable policy instead of relying on the negative (albeit very successful) slogans and Ju-liar chants.

Enter the member for North Sydney, daring to offend and challenge while his leader prefers to promise everything to everyone: scrapping the new taxes, cutting the old taxes, increasing the handouts while miraculously cutting the spending – quick, give the man loaves and fish.