Kevin Rudd

[Calliope]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

No not really. I don't like the prim and prissy mouth and his schoolmasterish way of talking down to everyone. He won't answer questions, but spouts boring cliches. He loves being photographed with celebrities. Those in the know say he does have some human qualities. When upset he has a foul temper and a foul mouth.

 

[gav]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

No, the Milky Bar kid does not inspire me...

 

[2020hindsight]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

well, compared to Nelson, bugs bunny would inspire confidence

 

[agro]

Re: Kevin 07 or Kevin 747

anyone else find it surprising that there is a liberal backlash among state governments now..

WA for example,

NT was a close call..

must be telling people something, as one would think that those who were in favour of rudd would be in favour of a labour state government too :S

 

[Happy]

Re: Kevin 07 or Kevin 747

I noticed that when federal government is Labor, state governments gradually drift toward Liberals.

What surprised me is that this happened so soon.

 

[Julia]

Re: Kevin 07 or Kevin 747

Yes, I was a bit surprised too. Interesting, isn't it. And even more interesting to see what W.A. comes up with in light of the election result.

When you think about it, though, it's not so surprising. There is a great lack of confidence in the electorate, people are doing it tough on the whole with rising cost of living, then there's the forecast of a further 40% increase in the price of electricity, thanks to Prof. Garnaut, no sign of the sharemarket and therefore superfund balances improving, depressed property prices and a general mood of pessimism.

Gotta take it out on someone. The gummint is an easy target.
(Not that I disagree with Labor getting thrown out.

 

[BIG BWACULL]

Re: Kevin 07 or Kevin 747

Obviously there's minimal long term investors?

 

[Julia]

Re: Kevin 07 or Kevin 747

Obviously there's minimal long term investors?

In what?

 

[Calliope]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

All the back-slapping and glad-handing with celebreties and world leaders cannot transform a bureaucrat into a statesman. Parkinson's Law will always kick in. You can blame the Party.

 

[Duckman#72]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

well, compared to Nelson, bugs bunny would inspire confidence

Off topic 2020!! If you can't build up the left without taking down the right don't post.

 

[noirua]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

well, compared to Nelson, bugs bunny would inspire confidence

At least Bugs Bunny is a very happy bunny and come to think of it, Rudds Bunny is also a happy looking bunny. Both have good teeth, one bites and one doesn't, out of sight that is.
Nelson is perched up on his column and is only plopped upon by passing pigeons. Poor old Rudds bunny is continuously plopped on by all insundry, but carries on regardless.

 

[Calliope]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

For a politician who would like to be able to inspire confidence and respect. one great drawback is to have the looks, mannerisms and speech patterns which make it so easy for cartoonists to lampoon him. Howard also had this handicap - in spades.

 

[robots]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

hello,

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24332566-661,00.html

another one of Rudd's about to fall over the edge, next will be the NARS

thankyou

robots

 

[Julia]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

hello,

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24332566-661,00.html

another one of Rudd's about to fall over the edge, next will be the NARS

thankyou

robots

I'm surprised about this. The article describes the accounts as being too expensive. Does anyone know what expense is associated with them?
Seems like a wasted opportunity to me.

 

[rhen]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Thought I'd pass this on...
No hard feelings...
:
Israeli doctor said, 'Medicine in my country is so advanced, we can
take a kidney out of one person, put it in another, and have him
looking for work in six weeks.'

A German doctor said, 'That's nothing! In Germany , we can take a lung
out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in
four weeks.'

A Russian doctor said, 'In my country medicine is so advanced, we can
take half a heart from one person, put it in another, and have them
both looking for work in two weeks.'

The Aussie doctor, not to be outdone, said 'Hah!. We can take an
******** out of Queensland , put him in Canberra and have half the
country looking for work within twenty-four hours.’

 

[Calliope]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Does Rudd have confidence in Bill Shorten? Does Shorten's move to dump his wife Deb Beale for Chloe, the daughter of the G-G indicate a move to raise his status in the labour hierarchy? Shorten plans every move he makes. His marriage to Ms Beale helped his elevation in the union movement. He rushed back from overseas to the Beaconsfield disaster to boost his image for election to parliament.

Can Rudd trust him? His wife couldn't. Following his election he said;

Above all others - and I can say this on Valentine's Day - I thank my wife, Deb Beale, an endlessly intelligent, supportive and loving woman. I knew this instantly from my first outing, when she agreed to visit a picket line with me.

Rudd is no fool. But it gets curioser and curioser. Rudd's wife and Quentin Bryce are great mates from way back. Would Shorten as a prospective vice-regal son-in-law fit into this cosy relationship?

 

[2020hindsight]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Off topic 2020!! If you can't build up the left without taking down the right don't post.

You're right duck, nelson really inspired confidence.

Gotta feeling the approval rating of the leader of the opposition is up from 15 to 28% since Turnbull took over. Mind you Rudd is around 58% I believe.

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2008/09/21/galaxy-rudd-58-turnbull-28/

Galaxy: Rudd 58, Turnbull 28
Sunday, September 21, 2008 – 1:10 am, by William Bowe

Findings of a Galaxy poll published in today’s News Limited papers from a small sample of 400 (nothing on voting intention):

• Kevin Rudd leads Malcolm Turnbull as preferred leader 58 to 28 per cent. The last federal Galaxy poll in March had Rudd leading Brendan Nelson 69 per cent to 15 per cent.
• Twenty-three per cent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote Liberal with Turnbull as leader than they would have been with Nelson, against 11 per cent less likely.
• Fifty-three per cent believe Turnbull would give the Liberals a better chance at the next election against 35 per cent for Peter Costello.
• Forty-eight per cent of respondents considered Turnbull “arrogant” against 23 per cent for Rudd.
• Fifty-one per cent considered Rudd a “strong leader” against 30 per cent for Turnbull, and 49 per cent thought Rudd “decisive” (surely much the same thing) against 30 per cent for Turnbull.
• Fifty-six per cent of respondents believed Rudd had a “a vision of the future” and 52 per cent thought him “in touch with voters”.

 

[r34ztune]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

1. fuel watch - fail
2. Grocery watch - fail
2. Alcopop tax - fail
3. first home buyers account - fail
4. laptops for school kids - fail
5. 20/20 summit - fail/ still no outcome
6. apply downward pressure on inflation - fail
7. promise to ""end the blame game" - FAIL

and the list goes on.....

 

[2020hindsight]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

1. fuel watch - fail
2. Grocery watch - fail
2. Alcopop tax - fail
3. first home buyers account - fail
4. laptops for school kids - fail
5. 20/20 summit - fail/ still no outcome
6. apply downward pressure on inflation - fail
7. promise to ""end the blame game" - FAIL

and the list goes on.....

so who you blaming for 1 and 2 (and 2)?
as for 3, perhaps it was inflationary ? had to be / is being reviewed

http://www.crikey.com.au/Election-2007/20071105-Rudds-first-home-owner-saver-account.html
Instead, like the Howard Government’s economically idiotic first home owner’s grant, Rudd’s solution is to attempt to give first-home owners more money so that they can afford a deposit. The obvious problem with Rudd’s plan is, like the first-home owner's grant, gifting people money (albeit in the form of reduced taxes on savings) has a direct inflationary effect. A first home owner’s grant of $12,000 doesn’t save the purchaser any money, rather, allows the vendor to receive more when they sell their property.

4. it is being rolled out. try a bit of patience.
5. will report later this year.
6. Downward pressure? all relative. Simply by the fact that Labor promised less than Howard means that relatively speaking he has succeeded.
7. He's mainly blaming the world economic downturn. Do you disagree?

I mean, are we talking blatant "core and non-core promises" ? or just a need to buckle down the hatches for a massive storm?

 

[2020hindsight]

Re: Does Rudd inspire confidence?

Good article by Michelle Grattan in today's Sun Herald, (and other interstate papers)

1. Rudd leaves for NY after tomorrow's parliamentary question time.

2. Objectives:-
a. discuss possible seat on the UN security council
b. discuss global financial situation - advertise Australia's relative stability
c. global warming
d. discuss with UN Australia's progress towards millenium goals for 2015, where Johnny Howard signed up in 2000 for less than 0.5 % of GDP. Tim Costello pressuring for 0.7%, Rudd holding firm for 0.5%.
e. possibly others

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/opinion/pm-ready-to-wit-to-woo/2008/09/20/1221331280806.html

Michells Grattan
September 21, 2008

WHILE he is in New York for three days this week, Kevin Rudd expects to have formal meetings with about a dozen world leaders and informal ones with another 10 to 15. ...

Rudd is in New York primarily to lobby for Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

But with the global financial crisis, he is packing into his program as much economic discussion as he can. .... as the international financial crisis has worsened, it has given Rudd some political cover. He's able to point out that he'll have meetings with the New York Federal Reserve, the Treasury and the World Bank. Being in New York gives him the opportunity for timely and face-to-face briefings.

The financial crisis potentially has big implications for Australia and the Government because it's very much one world, although the message of Rudd and the Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens is that our financial institutions are well placed to cope. It is a credible, if convenient, argument that it is no bad thing for Rudd to get a first-hand feel for the situation.

It makes it harder for the Opposition to mount a case against Rudd, especially as Malcolm Turnbull pointed to the implications for Australia of the financial crisis as a reason for a recent trip to the US as shadow treasurer.

Overseas trip to discuss international financial crisis (just as Malcolm Turnbull just did as shadow treasurer to USA.

Also Rudd and Swann did a similar trip prior to the budget, and Saul Eslake agrees gave them early warning of global downside risks - allegedly taken into account in the budget.

ANZ chief economist Saul Eslake backs up the usefulness of the PM's visit. "Trips Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan made to the US this year gave them a sense — which not too many in Australia had — of the global downside risks then. That meant the May budget wasn't as tough on spending as originally planned.

They didn't want the budget to be seen to be contributing to an Australian downturn," Eslake said. "It will be useful if Rudd can assess whether what the US Treasury has been announcing — especially the plan for a public institution to absorb bad debts — is a turning point for the better. If the trip also gives Rudd the chance to spread the message about the stability and strong capital base of the Australian financial system, that would be a good thing too."

The financial crisis will be one of Rudd's themes when he addresses the UN General Assembly.

Another will be climate change. On Friday, Rudd proposed an Australian Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, in which other countries would be invited to participate. This initiative, to which the Government will contribute up to $100 million a year, is designed to strengthen the international credentials of Australia — a mega-coal producer — on climate change in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate conference late next year. An activist climate change stance is also useful for the Security Council lobbying.

John Connor, CEO of the Climate Institute, was among the industry executives, scientists and representatives of non-government organisations Rudd met on Friday before announcing his carbon institute. Connor was encouraged by Rudd flagging that he saw strong international targets "as necessary"; Connor hopes that in speeches and private talks Rudd will press other leaders to focus on ambitious targets and to make moving to low-carbon economies one of the levers in the push to international economic recovery.

The purpose of the UN meeting is to review progress towards the millennium goals for 2015 - including tackling poverty and disease and promoting education - that were set in 2000 at a UN gathering John Howard attended. Progress is lagging; this meeting will involve a call for countries to make good on money.

Australia is on track financially, having promised low in the first place. Last week, Rudd was asked about a call from the Make Poverty History co-chairmen, Tim Costello and Andrew Hewett, to increase Australia's aid commitment to 0.7 per cent of gross national income. Rudd replied that the Government's position "is to aim to, by 2015, reach 0.5 per cent and we have made no commitment beyond that. Secondly, we have many other huge competing priorities … on the Australian budget".

.