Exciting Times

[saffronlie]

I was in England when Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister of Australia, and by the looks of things I will be in England when the Labor caucus votes him out. I adore Julia Gillard but question whether she can bring enough unity to the party in time for the election that must happen within the next six months. It would be an inauspicious start for

Comments

[ozfille]

I was reading some comments by Eva Cox in this article about Julia this afternoon -
Reins get passed after horse has bolted

It reflects my fears that she is being used by the boys to clean up the image of the party before the election and if she fails at the next election her career will be sunk.

In contrast this was Annabel Crabb's review of Kevin's farewell speech. It was brutal listening. It was the first time I really felt sorry for the guy and as Annabel has commented, listening to that long list of achievements, why the hell was he dumped? Surely someone could have pulled his wife aside and advise her to get him a counsellor to teach him a few tips on how to deal with his colleagues in a better way.

The long, sad, long, long goodbye

[saffronlie]

Yes, I am feeling even more pessimistic now that I have read lots of analysis and really digested the news. It does not look like a good situation for Julia, and certainly not ideal circumstances for our first female PM.

I thought Rudd's speech was very moving, graceful, and charmingly self-aware. He has always been a good speaker, if not a good leader.