According to The Age yesterday, "The new monthly topical forum, Political Asylum, has been attracting great crowds".  And The Age would be correct. Last Sunday Political Asylum was, again, full to the brim with comedy loving punters, and they weren't disappointed as the Political Asylum crew provided another two hours of topical jokes, straight off the presses.

A big thank you to all the people who have made Political Asylum possible this year:
- Kevin Rudd
- Tony Abbott
- Steve Fielding
- Barnaby Joyce
- Sarah Palin
- Bill O'Reilly
- Stephen Conroy
- Wilson Tuckey

We couldn't have done it without you.

Take it easy over the break, and we'll see you all in the new year for the January edition on Sunday the 10th. Expect more details on our exciting New Year lineup of performers a bit closer to the date.

See out the weekend with the Christmas (Island) Special, from Melbourne's home of political satire, Political Asylum.

Guests Micheal Chamberlin and Zubin Pratrap bring the funnies, along with brand new topical material from regulars Mathew Kenneally, Courteney Hocking, Aamer Rahman, Toby Halligan and Jon Brooks. The liberal leadership spill, Copenhagen, Tiger's 38th mistress, we're gonna get to the bottom of it all. And to top it off, The Hounds are bringing their sketch comedy magic to the political arena in a brand new piece of slapstick brilliance.

Sunday 13 December, 7:30pm
The Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Road, Brunswick
$10 Full, $5 Conc.

Join the facebook event here.

In order to help people better understand the last week, an anonymous Liberal front bencher has made available excerpts of their private diary. Compiled and edited by Mathew Kenneally and Toby Halligan.

Read them here: http://diaryofaliberalfrontbencher.blogspot.com

Also published at The Punch here and here.

The Age
First things first, check out the great plug that Political Asylum got in today's Age!!!
   Link: Crusaders of a lost art

This Month
Now, for those of you who missed the show at the Brunswick Green on November 8, a recap:
It went great! Another full house, and a completely fresh batch of hilarious topical humour from the Political Asylum regulars, along with great guest spots by Toby Sullivan, Tom Ballard, Scott Abbot and Rob Quantock. The only challenge for the evening was trying to stay cool! 80+ punters completely packed out the Green, making it a bit of a sauna on a very hot November night. Fortunately the improptu Toby Halligan: Waterboy delivery service helped keep the audience refreshed.

Next Month
Next month's show is of course the Christmas Island special.
The lineup:
- Michael Chamberlin
- Aamer Rahman
- Courteney Hocking
- Toby Halligan
- Jon Brooks
- Zubin Pratrap
with a special appearance by The Hounds,
and hosted by Mathew Kenneally.

Sun 13 Dec, 7:30pm
Brunswick Green
313 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Come along, and discover the lengths we've gone to to cool down the room.
- Will there be complimentary ice helmets?
- Are we installing a slip 'n slide?
- Have we SOLVED GLOBAL WARMING?
You'll have to be there to find out.

Here's one more reason to swing by Political Asylum tomorrow night. In addition to Tom Ballard, Rod Quantock, Mathew Kenneally, Courteney Hocking, Ben McKenzie, Toby Halligan and Scott Abbot, we can now add the fantastic Toby Sullivan to the lineup.

Sunday 8 Nov, 7:30pm
The Brunswick Green
313 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Full $10 / Conc $5 At the door only.

Along with a special message direct from the Prime Minister's office, everything points to a great night out! Hope to see you there.

Sunday 8 Nov, 7:30pm - fb
The Brunswick Green
313 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Full $10 / Conc $5

Following on from the spectacular full-house launch show at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, POLITICAL ASYLUM returns with a brand new batch of topical political comedy. If it's social/political news and it happened recently, odds are we'll be telling jokes about it on the weekend.

This Sunday 8 November we have for your comedy pleasure:
- Tom Ballard [triple j, Best Newcomer MICF 09];
- Nazeem Hussain [Fear of a Brown Planet, Best Newcomers MICF 08];
- Mathew Kenneally [Best Comedy Melb Fringe 07];
- Toby Halligan;
- Scott Abbot;
+ a special message from the Prime Minister's office.

Hosted by Courteney Hocking,
and with a return appearance by the fabulous Rod Quantock.

Thursday 8 Oct, 9pm - web - fb
Fringe Club, North Melbourne Town Hall
521 Queensberry St North Melbourne
Free Entry!

Are you tired of the nightly news? Find trawling through the newspapers a tad dull? Sick of getting your topical humour from the same old network approved “stars”? Why not let the Political Asylum team bring you news-comedy that’s hot, razor sharp and other things that make it sound like a burning sword.

Launching their new monthly show at the Melbourne Fringe Festival Club, Courteney Hocking and Mathew Kenneally are joining forces to bring you the finest topical and political entertainment Melbourne has to offer. Featuring:
+ topical stand-up from the best and brainiest political comedians in Australia including Aamer Rahman (Fear of a Brown Planet), Jon Brooks (former journo and former political staffer), Toby Halligan, and the brilliant Nelly Thomas;
+ a special problem-solving focus group led by political comedy icon Rod Quantock;
+ audience challenges; and
+ surprise political guests.

This is not cookie-cutter comedy – this is entertainment for people who have brains and know how to use them. It’s topical, political comedy from a new generation of stand up comedians.