Rudd going going ….
June 24th, 2010 at 12:20 am by David FarrarWhat a day to be in Canberra. The coup against Rudd has taken place at record speed. The moment I heard the NSW Right had gone to Gilliard, I figured it was all over.
Rudd about to hold a press conference, so we will hear soon.
Rudd has confirmed Julia Gilliard has challenged him and he has called a vote for 9 am tomorrow.
Rudd is fighting to stay on, but I know from experience that once a leadership challenge goes to a vote, the leader almost always loses as they are judged so wounded they can not win a general election.
If Gillard wins, she would be wise to not try and govern for a few months as PM, but say she has asked the GG for an immediate election, and asked Rudd to carry on as caretaker PM until the election. She can look democratic by claiming she has been elected Labor leader, but now wants the Australian public to elect her Prime Minister.
Tags: Australia, Australian Labor, Kevin Rudd
June 24th, 2010 at 12:24 am
Gone as of now (8.20 pm Western time). He’s on TV handing over leadership to Julia Gillard.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Actually “Julia has asked me to have a ballot on the leadership tomorrow and I’ve agreed. I’m confident I’ll win it. Sorry if I didn’t make that clear”. Geezus this chump can’t even make THAT plain.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Wahoo. He’s a tool. They are claiming that Rudd can’t win – and Gillard’s too smart to try it without being very very sure of winning.
Can’t work out whether this is good or bad for the libs.
Best case is that Gillard challenges and loses, and Rudd goes to the election as a lame duck. Unfortunately, more likely that Gillard wins, and then we have an Abbot/Gillard contest. Hell of a contest, should be a lot of fun. But not sure it’s fun that will result in a new Liberal govt.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Looks like the factional politics of the ALP have returned. Julia Gillard will be PM. She will have to negotiate her Cabinet with the factional leaders. I suspect the address to the NZ Parliament will now be cancelled. And The foreign Minister (who ever that is) will go to the G20.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:48 am
So DPF goes to Canberra and all of a sudden heads start to roll?
What are you really up to?
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:51 am
I’ve been watching all night (from Melbourne) & thinking of you in Canberra! Good timing
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:52 am
PaulL:
I agree. But talk round the traps is that it’s been precipitated by the NSW Right, who aren’t at all close to Gillard, and that she was reluctant but nonetheless sees it as a chance. Given the option I think she’d have preferred to wait. Some are suggesting a close outcome with, as you’ve said, Rudd hanging on but fatally wounded. Abbott must be thinking those years and years of prayer have finally been answered
Abbott v Gillard will be interesting. Both have strong belief systems, diametrically opposed, and both seem to respect the other. We might see politics being about politics and not personalities for once.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 12:56 am
Looks like Julia Gillard contacted DPF and asked him to come over to Canberra organise the Coup. And Crosby Textor was immediately organised by DPF to get the thing underway.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 1:41 am
Either Gillard really doesn’t want to be PM, or she has mounted a behind-the-scenes leadership campaign that is so passive and unconfrontational it’s like some trippy Zen shit.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 2:08 am
I’ve missed a lot of the press tonight as I was out to dinner. Still, I don’t think David’s proposal will find much favour.
It appeared certain we’d have an election in th coming months, but with a change of leadership, I’d expect the new leader to run things longer… into the new year at least.
If Gillard wins, and I expect she will, it’ll be partly a resurgence of factoins and particularly the right, Victorian right. It’ll make Victorian Premier Brumby happy since he’s been a loggerheads with Rudd this last eighteen months. What it means for NSW is less clear since Ben Kennelley’s wife who is the Premier was very matey with KRudd over the health deal.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 2:08 am
I am with Hurf Durf on this. Are you the queen maker DPF?!?!?
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 2:21 am
Agree Gillard seems to have support of the right. But if it looks like she has the numbers, the left will swing in behind her – they always liked her more than Rudd anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a landslide for Gillard once people see the writing on the wall. Interesting am tomorrow.
I think Gillard could jump either way on date: go fast before people have time to dislike her, and whilst she has a bit of a honeymoon. Or go slow, give people time to get to know her, and get past that awful voice. Either way she has decent excuse. Bit of a poisoned chalice for her – I suspect that’s why she wasn’t keen to challenge until her hand was forced.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 2:47 am
“I agree. But talk round the traps is that it’s been precipitated by the NSW Right, who aren’t at all close to Gillard, ” >> I was watching Sky News Australia who were receiving texts from all sorts of connected people (to the point when all the “I’ve got a text!” interruptions were becoming farcical
) and the NSW right were the last to join the Gillard bandwagon. It apparently started with the Victorians, then SA, then WA then finally NSW. It was the final addition of the NSW support that lead the talking heads to conclude that Rudd was going tonight. Clearly not so!
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 6:04 am
All power to The Penguin! Next thing, DPF will be getting hired by David Cunliffe …
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:21 am
007.2568963 strikes again
Farrar …… David Farrar
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:28 am
DPF is only in Canberra for a few hours …. and look at the result. Next stop Afganistan – that should be sorted by the weekend! Perhaps he can also squeeze in a quick trip to Israel before the end of the month?
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Another pant wearing lesbian?
Vote:Just slightly easier on the eye.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:31 am
DPF, formenting happy mischief in Australia.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:38 am
It seemed to me at the time that Rudd was not elected for who he was, but rather for who he wasn’t, ie: Not John Howard. Now that he has shown more of his true colours, and we see who Rudd is, he’s not the bloke they want.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:51 am
Rudd has been rat-fucked by his Labor caucas a few months out from an election.
I wonder if history will repeat over here.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 7:58 am
A day of reckoning for a vacuous and arrogant man, and another one-term wonder.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 8:14 am
I find DPFs proposal that Rudd stay on as acting PM absolutely stupid. I just hope Bolger was not getting that sort of advice. She takes the Leadership becomes PM fights the election as PM but thinks carefully about timing the General Election. She needs to place her distinctive stamp on the Government.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Kevin Rudd should follow the advice that Gareth Evans gave to Bob Hawke, two decades ago – “Pull out digger, the dogs are pissing on your swag.”
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Good riddance.
‘There is no consulting the electorate. No real democracy. Nothing was mentioned by Kevin Rudd before the last election, yet he proceeded to increase the already high annual net overseas migration level by well over 100,000 to around 300,000 by June 2009 – a record high and three times its recent average.’
http://www.populationparty.com/
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Australia’s first None Term Prime Minister. Doncha just love it?
My bet is that she’ll ditch the resource tax, go early, campaign hard and win.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 8:59 am
As we all know it all started when Rudd canned the ETS. People want to pay more for petrol, electricity, food etc. Don’t you know that! As soon as that oppressive pricing is taken away they want change. “Bring back poverty, bring back poverty”, the people chant.
So let’s see if Gillard re-introduces it.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Whatever happens, it will be hard to beat the record of Francis Forde, who was PM for 8 days in July 1945.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Harold Holt did the bolt…
Vote:Kevin Rudd was a Dud.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:13 am
We’ll see about the latter of course.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Well done DPF. What time are you arriving in Washington?
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Woohoo, seems like a done deal.
Rudd is gormless, just like Phil Goff .
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:32 am
“The moment I heard the NSW Right had gone to Gilliard, I figured it was all over.”
Yep, and its fitting that the NSW right, that atrocious pack of commie bastards, should find themselves with Woody Woodpecker as their best leadership option.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I’m not sure whats funnier.. watching someone be rickrolled… or watching someone get RUDDROLLED!!
see you in hell you mean little fuck
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:38 am
“As we all know it all started when Rudd canned the ETS. People want to pay more for petrol, electricity, food etc.”
Absolutely. Way to go Smith and Key. Give us higher petrol prices, higher inflation and tax us more, because we ALL want to do our bit for Gaia.
Insanity square.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 9:45 am
He’s just always reminded me of Mark Lundy.
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 10:01 am
And the downfall parodies have started already….. One of the best ever:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4799802/kevin_rudds_downfall/
“I could have had my mates in China to have a submarine spirit me away”
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Julia Gillard is part of the new order. Red Power!
Vote:June 24th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Michaels
You’re wrong she is no Lesbian – rather the opposite as she is a well known man eater (a number of them trade union leaders) and is currently living with her hair dresser (male).
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