Big Doings Down Under

[Minimalist]

And no...this is not another gay marriage thread.

http://www.thejournal.ie/kevin-rudd-labo...8-Jun2013/

THE FORMER AUSTRALIAN prime minister Kevin Rudd has returned to power this morning after ousting Julia Gillard in a dramatic Labor party leadership heave.

Rudd’s return to his old job comes three years after Gillard toppled him in a leadership heave, and just over a year after he unsuccessfully challenged Gillard’s leadership.

[Something completely different]

I know absolutly nothing about Australian politics.

It sounds very english and I considere english democracy to be very rotten.

[Darth]

Labour were desperately lagging behind the Liberals in the polls with Julia leading, Kevin was polling better (not hard to really), so they swapped em (for the second time).

[Minimalist]

Interesting.

[Zen Badger]

Oh goody, Rudd just got the job of captain of the Titanic.

Lucky him.

[DeistPaladin]

And no...this is not another gay marriage thread.

To their east, the prime minister of New Zealand gives a great speech on the subject of gay marriage.

I especially liked his response to the warning that he was going to "burn in Hell for all eternity" at 1:08.

[thesummerqueen]

I actually feel bad for not knowing more about UK and Australian politics (at least). If anyone feels like they can give me concise run downs, I'd be glad to talk about it over e-mail or private messaging. I've no head for politics as a Real Thing - mostly just a comedians' grasp of the players that make up the farce.

[Faith No More]

I'm the same, summer.

[Justtristo]

Labour were desperately lagging behind the Liberals in the polls with Julia leading, Kevin was polling better (not hard to really), so they swapped em (for the second time).

Federal Labor MP's (Members of Parliament) want to avoid if possible the losing of between 1/3 and 1/2 (between 1/6 and 1/4 of the total members) of their representation in the House of Representatives in the forthcoming election.

[Aractus]

Well as your resident Lib-Party member, let me offer a small piece of opinion!

The ALP have now knifed 3 of their last 4 prime ministers: Hawke, Rudd, Gillard. They did it to themselves.

Whether or not the polls would be "better under Rudd" or (in 2010) "better under Gillard" it was the wrong thing to do. I have so little respect for any party that would do this. What is really telling is the fact that there were no clear policy differences that lead Rudd (and his supporters in the caucus) to do this. When Gillard did it in 2010 to Rudd (and yes the so-called "faceless men" like Bill Shorten were behind it more than she was) she announced that the government would pull the Mining-tax advertising, and re-negotiate - then went to the election promising the Australian public "no mining tax" and "no carbon tax". She then went ahead an introduced both.

So I'm not surprised that Rudd hasn't offered his policies - the ones that are vitally different to what the Australian public is currently fed up with, but I can't stress the point enough that the actual policies themselves have nothing whatsoever to do with this. And that I think is what is so corrupt and dishonourable about the whole thing. All it's about is trying to "win the game". Well that's fine if you're playing games, but it's not fine if you're trying to govern a democratic country.