I tell Ken my daughter’s suggestion – that he be sent to brat camp. We are in Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall having a jolly good spat over CrossRail funding. Ken is going on about how fab it is that the hybrid bill for CrossRail is at last going through.

I merely point out to him that having first worked on CrossRail feasibility about 27 or so years ago I won’t get excited until the government puts its money where its mouth is. Ken, the way only Ken can, says that I must have been still at school when I did that work. I wish! Much hilarity in chamber.

I ask him if he knows how much the government is going to pay up for CrossRail and does he have it in writing?

Once again he tries to joke – so I say to him, “Do you know what my daughter suggested last night? That you should be sent to brat camp.” More hilarity.

But more seriously – it still looks as if the government has not firmly committed itself to funding CrossRail. Ken wasn’t able to point to any firm promise.