Laurie - I know we're not supposed to discuss politics, but this is a pretty big development. With our PM being nudged out by his subordinates, mainly the big power brokers & unions, are we moving into dangerous times?
I mean, How will Aus look on the world stage with an elected PM being ambushed into a ballot for a position he already holds mid-term?
I'm not a political analyst, but is it somewhat possible that other countries (power-houses) will look at this whole situation as a country in 'political turmoil' & how will our economy respond?
Another thing that's been dismissed by all political commentators - Did KRudd bite off more than he can chew by going after the mining industry? It seems that his 'fall from grace' (their words) started about the same time he introduced the proposal for the 'super-profit tax'.
Don't get me wrong...I'm all for a move for the better if Gillard makes a better PM, and having a female PM doesn't worry me in the least (even if she is a ranga)
, but I'm a little concerned about the motives, Aus' reputation & the repurcussions.
It's one thing I don't understand about politics here - everywhere else I've lived you vote in a premier/priminister and that's who you get the full term (for better or worse).
The public voted for him, he should have stayed for better or worse and if they wanted to change should have done it for the election.
Wonder who their sending to the G20 tomorrow?
WTF is happening!!!!
Kevin in my opinion is one of the smartest politicians in Australia!
Julia sounds and acts like she's suffered a stroke! Oh and she's also a wranger!
Anyway this is all just a dream Kevin will still be here.
cRAZY Canuk: No, you voted for a party! Same as in UK, Canada, NZ, India, ...................................................................................................................................................................
maybe its chem trails 
It is a fairly simple equation as far as I am concerned. Kev did not toe the line, tried to take some money off the men who own most of it and reaped the consequences.
Anyone who thinks this is a democracy is delusional.
Kev made the mistake of assuming the public (and his party of idiots) could follow his intellect. He also didn't sway enough on the race ticket ride (as he plainly stated prior to be dumped last night) so he was probably too honest to survive. Bloody sad that.
Abott on the other hand is honest about not being honest off the cuff. Er??
Julia will give Rangas everywhere hope for the future.
Brace ytourself for a lick-spittle 'yes to the fat white blokes holding the cash' govt in future (and that is both Lab and Lib).
Different face....................
Same party policies...................
She was one of the 4 that enabled all recent policies...
Nothings changed yet....we will all need some time to see what is going to be different..
if at all.
and I suppose what goes around comes around
Quote> 2006 leadership challenge
With continued weak performances in preferred Prime Minister opinion polls, 2006 was punctuated by a number of embarrassing gaffes from the opposition leader. At a press conference on 17 November 2006, Beazley confused the grieving TV host Rove McManus with President Bush's adviser, Karl Rove, offering his sympathy to the wrong Rove.
Beazley's leadership of the Labor Party came under increasing pressure. Opposition to Beazley again centred around foreign affairs spokesperson Kevin Rudd and health spokesperson Julia Gillard. According to media reports, the New South Wales Right faction promised its support to Rudd for leadership so long as he challenged Beazley before Christmas. On 30 November 2006 Rudd met with Beazley and announced his intention to challenge for the leadership. On 1 December, Beazley announced not only a leadership election but also that all frontbench positions within the Parliamentary Labor Party would be made vacant. Both sides claimed that they were in a winning position.
A ballot was held on Monday 4 December and Kevin Rudd was declared the winner and leader of the ALP, by a margin of 49 votes to 39. After the leadership results were announced, Jenny Macklin withdrew from the contest for deputy leader, which allowed Gillard to be elected unopposed to that position.
Following the ballot, Beazley said of his political future, "For me to do anything further in the Australian Labor Party I would say is Lazarus with a quadruple bypass. So the time has come for me to move on but when that gets properly formalised I will let you know." It was also revealed that his brother David had died of a severe heart attack at age 53, shortly before the vote took place. <Unquote
Makes you wonder if the mining companies are running Australia?
Oh well, at least she is Welsh.
Gawd.. will anyone understand WTF she is writing on paper? Will she understand??
My vote for Fireman Sam for PM (also Welsh).
Vote one moi.
Sure is a sad day for Aus.
I reckon that the government under Kev 07 just couldn't govern anymore. It became way too focussed and micro-managed by the man himself and he was not able to negotiate a position that enabled his policies / legislation to get through a hostile Senate.
Those big fat white guys with money must now be laughing all the way to the bank.
not nice
Kevin had to micro-manage cos everybody in his party was completely incompetent.
People think he flip flop'ed on principals/policies, but in reality he just realised it was a no win "Climate Bill/ETS".
The schools things wasn't his fault, how was he to known contractors were gona rip the state off.
The insulation, wtf!
And what killed his carrier? He want to tax "SUPER" profits of companies raping and pillaging Australia, and distribute the wealth more appropriately... seriously he wasn't going to keep the money in his pocket or buy some dud overpriced F-18 Hornets.
Howard sent the country to war looking for imaginary weapons of MASS destruction.
Oh well, they come they go... we really need participatory democracy over "representative" democracy... cos I just can't stand to listen to Gillard... Welsh woman from Adelaide.
Kev fell on his sword as a last ditch effort to try to keep labour afloat, Julia didn't want to but was convinced by Kev.
I can't understand what the huge voter backlash is against the super profits tax, something that doesn't affect most of us, and there's absolutely no outrage over Conroy's internet stupidity which will affect every single Australian?
nebbian: gillard stabbed Kevin in the back... or as she would have it, she did what she thought was best for the party... what ever.
There was no voter backlash, there was a media backlash fuelled by "resource" shareholders.
Sorry I kinda mucked up what I was attempting to say - bit dopey from watching the Socceroos this morning when I posted that
Was trying to say that you don't see this as often or as frequent as it seems to happen here in other countries (would have been easier to say that) then again I remember the last time this happened in Canada or at least the last time I can remember it happening (10-12 years ago?)
My dad once told me - " at a dinner table never talk about women, politics or money." might enforce that here.
Bring back "Dictators" (who assumes sole and absolute power)what they so goes! and it's only the cost of a bullet to sack them.
I would have thought keeping aus out of recession when everyone else went Down would have been worth a little more???? Aparently not.
I thought it was cuz the mining industry makes up a Big chunk of the economy. Make it less profitable for them and they take there hole diggin money somewhere else, and take that big chunk of the economy with them. I'm sure the guys in wa could appreciate that.
