Fiona Connolly of The Daily Telegraph summed up (more eloquently than I did) about the offensive remarks from some members of the public and media about the ‘new love’ story.

“Sheesh - didn’t take him long!” was the first post on The Daily Telegraph website as the story broke. Those sentiments were echoed throughout the afternoon as talkback callers and bloggers questioned whether Rove was ready for a new relationship and debated just when is too soon to move on after the death of a loved one. Surely we can trust McManus knows the answer to that one. And only him.

While the intensely private McManus has declined to comment on the fledgling relationship, we can assume he knows what he’s ready for and what level he’s willing to commit to in the relationship. McManus is a self-starting 33-year-old with a proven track record of immense inner-strength. Good on him for grabbing life with both hands, for deciding the only way to move on is to live life to the fullest. In fact, he’s behaving a lot like that special soul we farewelled on November 11 last year.