Oakeshott’s threat to bring down the government if they do not sort themselves out no doubt reflects his weariness with his life, and the threats that come in every week against his children. He is a possible assassination target if he stays in politics and he knows it
But it is not in fact a threat he can carry out. Bob Katter will never vote no confidence in this government and so risk his income and the time he has to build the Katter Party’s appeal. He must extend the time he has to do that as far as he can, for he is not sure he could hold his seat against, say, Clive Palmer or Barnaby Joyce in an all-out mudfight in the North for the vote of the peasants who are now worse off than ever before.
He will keep a Labor government there whoever its leader is. He is ‘Labor to the back teeth’ as he says in his book and hates the Newman Tendency with a socialist passion that would surprise you.
So Labor is safe I think for fourteen more months.
And the leadership joust can begin.
Name:
I’m glad that Tony Abbott did not form government and be beholden to these vain, grasping idiots.
Classic Labor - tell the suckers what they want to hear, just for their vote - then jettison them as soon as they become surplus to requirements.
Exhibit A: Wilkie
Thankfully the voting public have woken right up to the ALP. NSW, QLD then the next Federal election. Julia and her cohorts should get a going-away present… the ALP Mirror of Blame.
He won’t pull the plug on the govt so why say it. He’s just a hypocrite who loves the limelight.
I think he said as much himself with that 45 minute speech explaining why the independents went with Labor after the election.
That was 17 minutes which SEEMED like 45
Gillard is the one. Get behind her excellent government.
Look at the opposition front bench and then tell me that they deserve to be in government.
To your second question, no they don’t, they are laughable.
But to the first no matter what some in the party think,it’s all a matter of perception by the punters.
With J.Gillard RIP ALP I fear.
I ascribe a somewhat selfish motive to yesterday’s incursion: change leader and honour your agreement to run full term, or else.
If course the “or else” is a rather empty threat. Rob wants to stay in his seat as long as possible. Only then may a miracle manifest.
If Labor try again to unseat Gillard they deserve all they get. I will wash my hands of them. May Anna Bligh’s fate await the deserters.
Rudd is pure poison, and those with memories better than a goldfish may recall that Abbott saw him off comfortably last time around.
In my view Labor need to change their policies not their leader. I’ve said so before, going so far as to detail which policies I thought might make a good start. Nobody argued against me.
Sure Gillard hasn’t been the best but she’s a darned sight better than Abbott. And I for one don’t want Rudd back either. I think we’d get a very small policy shift, and nothing like the chance of winning the next election.
And boy am I over the infernal media speculation!
What Oakey doakey was saying, I think, Is he would not support the right of the ALP, changing the leader of the party for purely poll driven reasons but would evaluate developments at hand. As they develop.
There are a multitude of directional changes that can be easily made and Rudd is not the only figure.
Interesting piece by Dr Robert Manne in today’s Fairfax;
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/labors-choice-is-obvious-reinstate-rudd-rapidly-20120720-22fni.html
And this;
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-must-go-or-the-party-will-be-over-20120720-22fcl.html
Whether you love or hate K.Rudd you know it makes sense.
Whatever you do if you have to be Machiavellian then get it right and do it after Parliament retires for the last time before the election!
Well hanging on while the band plays ‘believe it if you like’ might be the ‘done’ thing in a gentlemanly world, but time is of the essence to avoid a complete rout.
It wouldn’t be the first time Manne has been wrong. Nor will it be the last.
Possibly that’s true of us all.
Speaking for myself of course.
I can hear the chant bellowing through the city and town streets, roaring through the eucalyptus trees of the outback—RUDD RUDD RUDD WE WANT RUDD SAVE US ALL MIGHTY MESSIAH save us from the remains of a sick once great union movement and archaic political party. Down with the reds (head) RESTRUCTURE AND JOIN THE MODERN WORLD with a deafening roar.
or are they all in need of hearing aids
They certainly need programmatic specificity.
Fair crack of the sauce bottle
Shove Shorten in there, or Carr. Maybe even resurrect The Beaz. We need glamour. Gillard represents the ordinary in an extraordinary situation. I think there will come a time, probably December 12 if the prophecy is correct, when that will need to be turned on its head in order to regain equilibrium. We need swagger and bravura at a national level to allow Australia to get its ordinary back on.
If a new person means an opportunity for a change of policy direction then the sooner the better, but if it’s personality politics we’re to be playing at then leave it ’til the very last moment and then shoehorn in a fresh face in the run-up to the election.
I’m not from NSW so I only know of Carr what I see. What I see I don’t much mind except that I think he’s a tad chummy towards America, and the last bloke we had like that got us in deep shit. Shorten’s good in front of a microphone on Q&A and what not, but whether he stands for anything different remains a mystery. I think we’re all over Ruddy, and from that point on its pretty much turtles all the way down.
But of course anything’s better than Abbott! If who’s the leader is your game of choice I think I’d even prefer Bob Katter.
If ‘we’ are all over Ruddy you need to tell us how you worked that out.
I might be boring repeating, but it isn’t what the punters think and it will be too late waiting til the last gasp.
Also, over on The Drum fascinating stating the obvious opinion piece by MP Nick Champion about Labor actually reconnecting with the people.
He’s already on the back bench so I’m left wondering what his demotion will be.
The people can’t lead, the people can’t think, hell the people can’t scratch themselves. What do they want? What the fuck do they know? When do they want it? Yesterday.
Labor have got to do a bit better than the pack of morons we call the people, otherwise it’s all over red rover anyway in terms of intelligence and decency. At any rate, Labor itself is more Australian and has a more defined history that that disconnected troupe of squatters and blow ins. You only need to show up on the doorstep and vote Liberal to be considered mainstream in this country.
Labor needs to remind Australia what Australia means. Or in many cases, teach it for the first time.
So very true Reader1. Too many have sucked up the ‘aspirational’ bullshit which drags voters to the conservative side - as if that makes sense!
“Labor itself is more Australian and has a more defined history”.
It is that history which current ALP machine puppets have spat on and deny.
Champion and two or three others seem to realise that the current ALP treats it old base as the enemy. The so-called progressives are all-Green and wealthy and it is they who are the real enemy, the fear, contempt and loathing of the old working class base is driving it (and them).
Is someone paying you or do you do this out of love?
Chris,
We’re just far enough out from the next election to give people time in my view to remember why they we’re more or less happy to see Rudd go the first time around. Once bitten twice shy.