You heard it here first: George Bush and John Howard get hitched!

Sometimes, though, the harshest critics of Mardi Gras are not the likes of radio presenters such as John Laws waffling about gay TV stars being "pompous little pansy prigs" and "pillow biters", referencing Queer Eye’s Carson Kressley or The Block’s Gav and Waz. Sometimes, it is members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community themselves, with vituperative criticisms of the Mardi Gras festival in the gay press, who can be the most corrosive. Sometimes, what passes for queer community debate is shrill melodrama. One foot put wrong by New Mardi Gras and a chorus of shrill shreeks cascade down.

Elsewhere, some Mardi Gras organisers are pre-occupied with the fact some photographers and camera crews seek to obtain images of tits and bums. Yet it seems a strange argument to forbid the photographing of flesh when it is plainly on show. Trying to control the media spin too much is surely anathema to the parade’s own notion of freedom. The organisation is mostly gaining sophistication by realising the opportunity the media presents it to pitch queer political and social messages.

So the buzz is building, an army of workers and volunteers has poured in their souls - often putting their paid jobs on hold - and the creativity is as strong as ever.

The thinking behind the lead entry has been superbly realised. Eighty-four national flags, in a marching dishonour roll, will represent each of the countries that outlaw homosexuality, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to torture to death: Eighty-six, in fact, if you include Iraq and Jordan, where homosexuality is technically legal, but punishable under other laws in these countries.

But the dominant theme to emerge from the community floats this year is the freedom to marry. “George Bush” and “John Howard” will get hitched on several floats, while the Prime Minister will also be depicted as a very long snake in the official gay and lesbian marching group.

But come 7.45pm on Saturday night, one suspects Mr Howard would be welcomed with open arms if he came along and joined the fun, even if he can’t bring himself to send his best wishes year after year for the official Mardi Gras season guide.