Rudd on the brink

[Blackee]

Labor 'considers axing Rudd'
From: Herald Sun June 23, 2010 7:12PM

LABOR powerbrokers are considering a move to axe Kevin Rudd tonight or tomorrow and replace him with Julia Gillard, press report says.

ABC News and Sky News are both reporting that senior party figures have been canvassing members ahead of a move to dump the Prime Minister and replace him with his deputy within the next 24 hours.

[Lily]

While I don't think K-Rudd will survive the next election, I'm not sure I can see Julia Gillard slotting right in to the top job. Liberals will be loving the uncertainty surrounding the leadership given the election is so close.

[Rivergirl]

Yep I just saw that on the news. I can't imagine Julia as prime minister and I totally agree re Libs Lily

[Karl Lijnders]

Julia!!!!!! Julia Hulia Guila!!!!!

[Lily]

'Tis time to take the gloves off:
Rudd:

"I was elected by the people of Australia to do a job. I was not elected by the factional leaders of the Labor Party to do a job. Although they may be seeking to do a job on me."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 935356.htm

Gillard requests leadership spill
Updated 13 minutes ago

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, backed by factional Labor Party warlords, has made a tilt at Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's leadership.

Mr Rudd has told a press conference that earlier this evening Ms Gillard visited him to request a leadership ballot.

Mr Rudd says the Labor caucus will vote on the party and Federal Government leadership tomorrow at 9:00am AEST.
"Earlier this evening Julia Gillard requested a ballot for the leadership. I will be writing to the secretary of caucus to convene a special meeting at 9:00am tomorrow morning," he said.

"It's important for these matters to be resolved quickly."

Ms Gillard has confirmed she will run against her leader tomorrow.

"I will be a candidate in tomorrow's ballot," she said.

Events have moved quickly today as support for Mr Rudd collapsed around him. Things came to a head this evening as a number of Labor's most senior figures, including Ms Gillard, met in Mr Rudd's office.

This evening the Prime Minister told the media he had lost the support of factional leaders in the party.

[schitzengiggles]

I'm just pasting my thoughts from Facebook, cause I can't be bothered re-typing.
I'm Ryan Marshman, Incase you didn't already know that.

Ryan Marshman She isn't challenging Coady.. I am of the belief that the master plan when Rudd was promoted to leader, was for them to get Howard out, then for Rudd to get them into a second term then for him to waltz off to the UN, leaving Gillard in charge. Now that he's backflipped on the ETS & Abbott is polling well, the Labor honchos have hit the panic button.
22 minutes ago · Like ·

Ryan Marshman I reckon Gillard is being prematurely shoved.
22 minutes ago · Like ·

Ryan Marshman I mean, she's a candidate sure, but I don't believe she's having a crack herself. Someone else pulling strings..
19 minutes ago · Like ·

Chica Corazon Oh I fully agree with your statement of her being primed from the word get go Ryan, yes Rudd was the tool to get them into the second term, definitely a very true statement you have made.. however i dont know if you watch the today show at all with her and Abbott, but what started as initial fluff she has become stronger and more blatant in how she presents herself and she doesnt pussy foot around, however Julia being shoved, I do not think for a minute she would allow herself being shoved and if she was at ill ease with it I am sure we would be looking at 3 candidates on that battle in the morning.... I dont think she is one that would allow herself to be put where she didnt want to be... lol.... Do you remember her union head years Ryan?
12 minutes ago · Like

Chica Corazon I remember once when she was on tv as head of the unions when i was young, that my dad said to me... "she will be australias first female prime minister, you mark my words"
10 minutes ago · Like

Ryan Marshman It's the union ties that'll open the door for a liberal smear campaign. My money is on the dark horse Wayne Swan who has the runs on the board as far as the GFC goes, possibly enough to keep them in government. There won't be enough time inbetween now & election time for people to become at ease enough to vote Julia in again.
3 minutes ago · Like ·

[schitzengiggles]

Remarkable.

Interesting 6 months ahead.

[Joeby]

This was such a shock this morning. Maybe Rudd was just feeling 'down' about the socceroos?

Ah well lets see what Julia can do

[samueliza]

My local member is PM WOW!!!
Personally i think she is a likeable person but what the party stands for is whats wrong. The fact that she is a woman holding such a position is admirable, but the Labor party have made such a mess of things that she wont get my vote. My wife and i will be one of those so called working families that WONT be voting for labor.

Its about policies- not gender.

[Lily]

Wow, she did it! Now watch for people coming out saying, "But she wasn't elected by the people." Fact is, Labor were elected, not Rudd, not Gillard. On the other hand, the fact is, rightly or wrongly, many people vote for the person heading up the party.

Interesting times ahead. I think she'll win points with many people across the country in some respects, but there'll be many people also looking at the party policies and previous track record and making a decision based on that, which is as it should be IMO.

As it stood, Labor were never going to win with Rudd's popularity sliding downhill so fast, so change of leadership I guess was the only solution.

[Blackee]

Gillard offers an olive branch to the Mining Industry, stating that the Govenment ads about the "Mining Tax" will be suspended. Not long after, BHP has announced that they will suspend mining tax ads.

Amazing what happens when communication lines are opened, and not companies are not being dictated to.

[Madmel]

I am just not so sure of how much Julia can mend from Rudd's damage control. In reality I perfer Julia over Rudd, not that she is the local member of Lalor here (to which I was glad to be out of Werribee this morning before 10am before the hordes of reporters came thru) but the fact that she does do alot of hard work to get things going.

We can only see what happens after the media hype is gone.

[Anthony Violi]

Regardless, the worst government in Australian history.

No need to take my word for it though, after GFC MK II and crippling debt for the next 20 years everyone can witness first hand what they have achieved.

But hey..at least they said sorry.

[Joeby]

Worst government in Australian history – for me that is the government they replaced. I would argue that it takes guts to do something, to make a change and challenge past injustices.

Anthony you are a great guy but don’t be fooled. Schools, hospitals and social security matter - under a neo-liberal agenda the cuts to these areas were almost criminal in my opinion. It was all about looking after the rich, not the 'rest'.

Neo-liberals pointed to this utopian idea of a free market with minimal govt intervention and a belief that markets will automatically self correct. Well fact is they don’t, look at the US bail-out plan. Australia surviving the gfc was not a fluke, the stimulus mattered and was backed by sound keynesian economic theory.

I think the main problem with politics in this country is people voting with a 'whats in it for me attitude' rather then a 'lets make Australia a better place' attitude.

With 2% of Australian postcodes having 7 times the poverty, unemployment, prison admission rates etc etc my worry is that what options do we have? A labor government who atm is limiting solutions to national based approaches which sweep some of these 'problem areas' under the carpet or a liberal government who pretends they never existed in the first place?

[Anthony Violi]

That what makes the world such a great place Joel, we all have different opinions on every subject.

[Jake Smethurst]

My personal opinion .... Vote Tony!!

Don't like Rudd or the new PM, though she is a huge step forward from Rudd!

[Joeby]

That what makes the world such a great place Joel, we all have different opinions on every subject.

yeah for sure mate, I was just suprised by the comments and rather then have it sound like a young liberal convention I thought Id balance it

My personal opinion .... Vote Tony!!

Well at least he has been able to work out in the last six months that climate change may actually be impacted by man. This is quite revolutionary stuff.

Australian politics is going to be very interesting pre-eletion that is for sure.

[weathergasm]

Resurrecting this thread to say the moment I read Rudd's sister had quit the Labor Party, I joined.
I can't stand that prick Abbott and will be working my ass off to make sure he doeesn't take us back to the seminary/dark ages.:3