Yet there are, for example, still feminist activists adamant that former PM Julia Gillard was given a hard time, and eventually the steel-capped boot, because she was a woman.

Rather than the cold truth that she was no good at the job.

Our own former premier Lara Giddings, herself nudged out of office by Will Hodgman's Liberal mob, once offered a quizzical note on the amazing power of male politicians to fascinate the ladies.

"For some reason, men in politics seem to have a bunch of charisma and women drop at their feet, I haven't noticed that so much for me and men," remarked a rueful Ms Giddings.

Such statements need verification, of course, so was she thinking of young Wills as a chick magnet or recently retired House of Assembly Speaker Michael Polley?

A close female source points out that some male politicians "ooze charisma running off the Richter scale".

She cited former US prez Bill Clinton. Yet according to a "sex and charisma" survey conducted by this correspondent, Australia's current PM Tony Abbott drew only pained expressions from the ladies.

Maybe something to do with Abbott's views on women, which the same female source described as "a bit on the Neanderthal side, don't ya reckon?"

We suppose so with: "I think in many households it is still much more common to see the woman of the house with an iron in her hand."

Not quite knowing when to give up on that one, Abbott continued: "And I'm afraid in our house that's the way it works out, because Margie, my wife, she wants me to look neat and if it was up to me, the honest truth is I wouldn't iron my shirts very often."

And if you think Godzone's Speedo-wearing, mining truck- driving Dear Leader goes for a macho image, there's proof in a small tome entitled Tony Speaks, compiled by Russell Marks and published by Black Ink Books.

Granted, it's easy enough to pick out the odd quote in the sheer volume of words spoken by politicians to the media on every subject, every day.

Yet, with Abbott at least, a pattern has emerged.

"I've always been very wary of debates involving women," a wary Abbott once said among many quotes selected by Marks.

As well he might be when we recall the celebrated (some would say notorious) spruiking on behalf of election candidates Fiona Scott and Jackie Kelly in August last year when he described them as "young, feisty, I think I can say [they] have a bit of sex appeal."

That throwaway line certainly had ideology-raddled feminists steaming from both ears.

Your columnist's favourite quote in this collection is from 1977, the height of the battle of the sexes, and the bridled response from Abbott to Sydney University student representative council head Barbara Ramjan when she demanded to be referred to as "chairperson" rather than "chairwoman" or even just "chair."

Abbott named Ramjan as "the chair-thing." Abbott obviously saw which way the ideological battle was headed as, by August, 2010, he perhaps misguidedly conceded that "no one respects women more than I do."

The ladies, God bless them.

And if former premier Lara Giddings had it right about male charisma, Abbott has kept plugging away as when he commented: "But what if men are by physiology or temperament more adapted to exercise authority or to issue command?"Granted that little gem was uttered way back in August 1998 but Tone's conservative world view hasn't changed a lot, has it?