Gillard should go!

[Media Park]

Kev, you've got as much chance of me winning as I have of pushing a pound of butter up a parrots ar5e with a hot needle.

I may just steal that one!

[mickey]

What channel is covering the parrot experiment am??

[dedja]

LOL at Rudd.

Only a man of his megalomaniac tendencies can almost single handedly destroy the Labor party and with those actions deny any hope of avoiding oblivion and then somehow claim the mantle of victim.

I dips my lid to you ...

[Grahaml]

LOL at Rudd.

Only a man of his megalomaniac tendencies can almost single handedly destroy the Labor party and with those actions deny any hope of avoiding oblivion and then somehow claim the mantle of victim.

I dips my lid to you ...

Read Andrew Bolt's article and before his article headed in the usual direction. Rudd really isn't "doing" much at all. The unpopularity of the government is doing it all. Members in marginal seats are doing the panicking and whether it was Rudd or someone else there would be speculation about someone. Rudd has just only had to sit back and let the speculation continue while the polls show him being massively more popular than Gillard. Really, he's played this superbly by not engaging in anything specific because everyone else is doing that for him.

Personally, I just want a new government. I'd rather Labor with a majority so they can govern properly than the mess we have, but I'm disappointed with the current government generally so I'd prefer to see what the Liberals give us now. Hoperfully Rudd wins a ballot soon so the independants are put to the test to dissolve parliament (as they have threatened repeatedly but I don't buy it since they know they'll likely lose their seats). Not that I like knifing PMs, I think they should only be replaced at elections or in extreme circumstances (unpopularity not being one) because that's our job .

I am intrigued why Labor though think a ballot will end this. If Gillard really does have the numbers as clearly as it seems, Rudd would be foolish to run. Gillard's backers seem to be basing their entire argument on her winning against Rudd. But what if he refuses to stand? You can't beat someone who doesn't enter the race. It would simply give the polls, media and the backbench more time to do their work until he does get the numbers.

[heater31]

Personally, I just want a new government. I'd rather Labor with a majority so they can govern properly than the mess we have, but I'm disappointed with the current government generally so I'd prefer to see what the Liberals give us now. Hoperfully Rudd wins a ballot soon so the independants are put to the test to dissolve parliament (as they have threatened repeatedly but I don't buy it since they know they'll likely lose their seats). Not that I like knifing PMs, I think they should only be replaced at elections or in extreme circumstances (unpopularity not being one) because that's our job .

Would like nothing more than a snap election to end this crap! Hopefully either Rudd quits altogether or the independents walk on him so then we can end this debacle once and for all.

[Cambridge Clarrie]

What an absolute f***ing rabble...

Will Australian's never learn?

[southee]

What an absolute f***ing rabble...

Will Australian's never learn?

Never will learn ......you know what I told you when they got in "I shall sit back and wait"

Very typical labor all this ... Nothing changes !!!

Such a self destructive party !!!

[GWW]

Almost like the Libs during the Peacock, Howard, Peacock, Howard years

But yeah it is a mess. I guess it was going to end up like this with a minority (Labor) Govt.

[southee]

Almost like the Libs during the Peacock, Howard, Peacock, Howard years

But yeah it is a mess. I guess it was going to end up like this with a minority (Labor) Govt.

Definitely ..... Knew it was always going to happen .

Rudd has got this all sussed out ..... Interesting days ahead

[Hondo]

I think Abbott would prefer that the infighting went on longer because what we haven't yet seen is the Labor Government operating without this background distraction including deliberate leaks to the media as confirmed by a journalist on the ABC radio tonight. That journalist described Rudd as using his own "faceless men" to work closely with the media to destablise the Government.

The Liberals must have felt they were being gifted the next election.

It's time the infighting stopped for everyone's sakes. I'd be surprised if Rudd has the numbers next week. He only lasted 3 days or so of public pressure from Gillard's supporters before quitting his ministry at 1.30am this morning in the middle of an overseas official visit. It feels like a last, desperate gamble.

Rudd was elected in a massive swing that lead to Howard losing his own seat as well as the Prime Ministership. Within 3 years the Labor had lost all that election momentum and faceless men acted. Rudd should and could have ensured that his leadership was never in question. But he didn't.

[kickinit]

I will never vote for the labor as long as they have marine parks on there mind. SA tourism will take a massive hit the amount of people that will lose there jobs and you can kiss goodbye to yorke and eyre peninsula. And what for, still no research to justify there claims just made up garbage. Just like the recent change to fishing laws, which doesn't stop you from fishing for sharks, doesn't stop people from illegally fishing, and want fisheries officers to to police the restriction when they already have trouble policing current issues. The funniest thing about the whole shark issue is that 95% of shark fishing is done in the hours which no restriction have been put on so what is it going to change?

[Gozu]

This mess goes all the way back to June, 2010 when the 'faceless men' decided to bring down Rudd despite his positive polling at the time so they could install someone they could control (Gillard) who effectively became their puppet. The BS excuse at the time was that they didn't think he could win the 2010 election on the contrary, they brought him down because he would've won that election and then would've effectively told these powerbrokers to go and f themselves. It was no coincidence all of the 'faceless men' were promoted after the disaster that was the 2010 election for Labor resulting in minority government.

Rudd has wanted revenge ever since and it's no secret he's always been known as one of the biggest leakers in parliament even the Libs used to feed him bogus leaks back when Labor were in opposition which would be dutifully leaked. Supposedly he's been leaking trying to destabilise Gillard for awhile now and IMO you can't really fault him for that given the treachery of Gillard & the 'faceless men' who did the same thing to him when he was PM (Gillard passing around caucus bogus internal polling, Feeney leaking to Bolt etc) and ultimately knifing him because he wouldn't get on his knee and kiss the rings of the 'faceless men'.

The lot of them should be taken out behind the shed.

[Magpiespower]

Payback's a biyatch!

Combet is Labor's only hope "moving forward".

But I'm pretty sure Shorten will kneecap him first...

[Wedgie]

I'll vote Labor if Kev is in charge of Labor.
I'll vote Liberal if Julia is in charge of Labor.
Hopefully theres enough people like me to get rid of the ranga.
Probably only need someone half human to go up against Abbott and I'd probably vote for them as Abbott really doesn't appeal to me despite the Libs being more appealing as a party.
Why are 2 of the most unappealing leaders in charge?

[Media Park]

If the Leaders were Joe Hockey and Stephen Smith, I think it would be tough.

[gossipgirl]

bring back Norman Gunston as PM

[Q.]

Rudd and the media: playing them like a Wii

So is there a Labor leadership crisis as journalists at this stage routinely say? There well may be, but surely we can all see that that status can only exists because of the way the media reported the issue in the first place. And by reporting it as such, they have in turn caused the politicians to behave in a certain way, which in turn has fed new stories, which in turn has caused further political reaction, and on it goes.

The point is, "crisis" was not a preordained outcome, but an end that developed because of the way politicians and media interact with each other. Everyone made choices that had consequences. And then momentum. And pretty soon, contingent outcome had hardened into indisputable fact. Maybe even reality.

The three articles I've highlighted are important because they pull back the curtain on the professional process and show us how the decisions journalists make affect the way we the public are made to understand the issue.

It isn't clear that the three journalists meant to do all this, but that is the net effect of their articles and they are better articles for it. My question, then, is, why can't journalists write articles like this on purpose?

Really, my plea is for more articles like these. More articles that make transparent the judgement calls that journalists have to make in order to do their jobs. More articles that consciously address the fact that they are not just reporting the facts neutrally but are actively involved in a process that helps shape events. More articles that call the bluff of politicians like Kevin Rudd who manipulate these processes for their own ends.

In short, more articles where the journalists take us, their audience, into their confidence, rather than treat us as "outsiders" who somehow can't be trusted with the information the journalists themselves have.

Is that too much to ask?

[mighty_tiger_79]

my god she is the queen of spin

[Jimmy_041]

Any wonder the likes of Stalin and Mao controlled the media and I bet she'd like to as well
Having said that, the media in most western countries set out to be destructive
Bambi had a baby doesn't sell papers

[Sojourner]

Stephen Smith is the only person in the federal ALP I feel anything positive about at all.

Ever had the chance to meet MP Tony Zappia Psyber?

The ALP went mad for Mark Latham who was an ex Mayor and not a great one, Tony Zappia is also an ex Mayor and to be blunt a very good one at that, he turned Salisbury around in terms of dealing with crime and issues at the Salisbury interchange that no one could ever seem to resolve, he encouraged and used strategies to gain expansion and investment into the local manufacturing industry and oversaw a water recycling programme that is the envy of other local councils and even our own state government. He was easily one of the best local mayors S.A has ever had and I have no doubt that he has more capacity to do the job at hand than either Rudd or Gillard largely because it’s a totally clean slate. He won’t be picked as he is from SA and rumour has it also a Rudd supporter. A shame because someone like Zappia might actually drag them back to being the actual Labor party and not the Greens or the Conservatives.