Julia
In Memoriam
- Joined
- 10 May 2005
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The following is a letter reprinted in "The Punch" from a Brit re our Kev's current globetrotting.
From here in the UK I have for sometime observed this oddball with a kind of bewildered sense of awe. Australia is lucky that the world doesn’t pay it much attention. If it did then this man would be a major liability rather than the minor one he currently is. Mr Rudd’s recent displays, allied with your Prime Minister’s cringe-making performance in Washington, is for me the perfect example of how mediocrity can rise easily to the top Down Under. Aussies enjoy feeling smug and superior to what they believe is a still class-riddled Britain and think of themselves as a meritocracy. In truth Australia is a mediocracy. Rudd not only suffers from acute Greg Sheridan-itis (primary symptom: an inflated sense of Australia’s place in the world). He is also quite clearly a narcissist of the highest order. Did Australians think that President Obama cancelling his trip to meet him in Australia THREE TIMES a coincedence! I find it remarkable that the highly impressive British Foreign Minister William Hague - regarded as one of the best parliamentary brains in Westminster - has been under pressure of late for a slight mis-step in Libya. In contrast Rudd has been tearing round the world like an utter madman and is rewarded with rising poll ratings! To be fair, most of Mr Rudd’s big-noting is comic. But this rudeness to a devastated Japan is beyond the pale and brings shame on Australia. I fear it won’t be the last time you are embarrassed on the global stage by this strange little man.
And later, which did not engender much warmth towards the Obama administration, in fact (if true) it is a craven way for them to act:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...oses-her-frailty/story-e6frgd0x-1226019971330
Having tried to back away from her position, apparently because she was scared of contradicting Obama, Gillard then started to get heat for contradicting Rudd.
At this point, either a Gillard staffer, or someone close to her, tried to spin the story so that it was Rudd's fault. As a result the Fairfax press came out with stories yesterday to the effect that Rudd was out of control. They quoted an unnamed Gillard adviser as saying that Rudd was "out of control", that he did not co-ordinate foreign policy with the Prime Minister and that "a no-fly zone over Libya is not the Australian position".
Every word of those sentences is a provable lie. If that briefing was indeed given on Gillard's behalf, or with her knowledge, she is a Prime Minister in a very desperate position indeed.
Whatever the Americans decide to ask Australia for, they have made this straightforward calculation. It will be easier under a Gillard government than under a Tony Abbott government. This is no reflection on Abbott. Rather, the Americans believe that if a Labor government does this kind of move, the Liberals will support it in opposition.
“The Greens are going to ultimately enhance Labor's position in the polls. If Labor keeps taking our policies I think they'll keep doing alright.”
...
30% 2PP is hardly enhanced. Is their strategy to take the ALP's place as one of two major parties ?
“The Greens are going to ultimately enhance Labor's position in the polls. If Labor keeps taking our policies I think they'll keep doing alright.”
The Greens are destroying the Gillard Government and Bob Brown seems rather happy about it.
if the Greens were extremists, why had she entered into an alliance with them? Good question.
The lesson is that the more Gillard criticises the Greens, the more she condemns her own judgment.
"If he wants to debate political honesty in this place, then bring it on," she said.
"Did he go to the Australian people before the last election telling them about his $11 billion black hole?"
Amid roars from the Opposition benches and futile attempts by Mr Jenkins to restore order, the Prime Minister went on.
"Did he go to the Australian people before the last election saying [Pauline Hanson's] One Nation would write his economic policy?" she said.
"Did he go to the Australian people before the last election saying senior members of his frontbench like the shadow treasurer would agitate for the return of WorkChoices? No he did not.
"So if we want to have a debate about political honesty then bring it on, Mr Speaker, bring it on because we have the most hollow man with the least conviction sitting in the Opposition Leader's chair we've ever seen in this Parliament."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/9062519/gillard-abbott-trade-blows-over-carbon-tax/A question from Opposition Leader Tony Abbott attracted rare applause from the public gallery during today's Question Time, leading to a robust exchange on the floor of Parliament.
"Does the Prime Minister honestly believe she would be in the Lodge today if, six days before the last election, she had been straight with the Australian people and said up-front to them, 'yes, there will be a carbon tax under the government I lead?'" Mr Abbott said.
He was referring to Julia Gillard's pre-election promise not to introduce a carbon tax.
Ms Gillard has said the nature of the minority Government caused her to break the promise - remarks widely interpreted as relating to pressure from the Greens.
But Ms Gillard did not canvass those issues today, instead using the words of Mr Abbott's mentor, former prime minister John Howard, before launching into a no-holds-barred attack on her questioner.
Gillard serving it up to Abbott
IFocus, I really can't believe you are silly enough to quote this idiotic rhetoric from Ms gillard!Gillard serving it up to Abbott
What on earth is the basis for such a stupid comment. Pauline Hanson has been a non-event for years now, has made zero public commentary (thank god) and has only now poked up her head because she smells the chance of making a few more taxpayer dollars by standing for the Senate.Amid roars from the Opposition benches and futile attempts by Mr Jenkins to restore order, the Prime Minister went on.
"Did he go to the Australian people before the last election saying [Pauline Hanson's] One Nation would write his economic policy?" she said.
Oh for god's sake, Tony Abbott has said over and over that Work Choices is dead."Did he go to the Australian people before the last election saying senior members of his frontbench like the shadow treasurer would agitate for the return of WorkChoices? No he did not.
Excellent question. For once Mr Abbott got it exactly right.Does the Prime Minister honestly believe she would be in the Lodge today if, six days before the last election, she had been straight with the Australian people and said up-front to them, 'yes, there will be a carbon tax under the government I lead?'" Mr Abbott said.
Indeed.Excellent question. For once Mr Abbott got it exactly right.
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