Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Kevin Rudd Restored as Aust Prime Minister


libstaK

Recommended Posts

I'm not really up to speed on Australian politics, but there's something a little sour about all this.

I don't doubt that the party feel they have a better chance to win the next election without Gillard, and this may well be true. But I wonder how much of that is based on the almost incessant misogyny she has had to endure. She may have been unpopular because of her performance as PM, but no man in the same situation would have had to put with the intensely personal attacks that were so often aimed at her.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not really up to speed on Australian politics, but there's something a little sour about all this.

I don't doubt that the party feel they have a better chance to win the next election without Gillard, and this may well be true. But I wonder how much of that is based on the almost incessant misogyny she has had to endure. She may have been unpopular because of her performance as PM, but no man in the same situation would have had to put with the intensely personal attacks that were so often aimed at her.

I agree Arbenol it is a bitter end and the attacks were abominable, we don't seem to be nation mature enough for a female PM, which is truly sad. But what is particularly galling is that the same man who orchestrated her ousting of Kevin Rudd as PM over 3 years ago turned traitor no less than 10 mins before the ballot for the latest challenge and gave his vote to Rudd, after spending the entire day claiming his loyalties had not changed - Shorten is his name and Shorten-ed shall be his career now is my guess, it's obvious he manipulates both sides to further his own agenda now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

She never really won the people after knocking her boss off the throne almost immediately after the Australian electorate chose him, not her, in the last Federal Elections. Add the mining tax, the carbon tax lie, her outspoken opinions on gay marriage and other scandals including calling an election date 6 months prior, all contributing factors that were leading to Labor's demise in the next election.

Worst of all, with her, they were risking to loose against a guy, Tony Abbot, that has the personality of a wet mop and party policies ... uhm, with policies...with (un) certain political policies.

The Libs have no hope now unless they get Malcolm Turnbull back.

Edited by Black Red Devil
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

She never really won the people after knocking her boss off the throne almost immediately after the Australian electorate chose him, not her, in the last Federal Elections. Add the mining tax, the carbon tax lie, her outspoken opinions on gay marriage and other scandals including calling an election date 6 months prior, all contributing factors that were leading to Labor's demise in the next election.

Worst of all, with her, they were risking to loose against a guy, Tony Abbot, that has the personality of a wet mop and party policies ... uhm, with policies...with (un) certain political policies.

The Libs have no hope now unless they get Malcolm Turnbull back.

I don't have any issues with the carbon tax or gay marriage but she wasn't get her message across regarding the achievements of her government.

Have to agree with the bolded part, I would vote in the wet mop before Tony Abbot, I wish all he had was the personality of a wet mop. Unfortunately I think he is far more pointless than the mop - does he actual have any policies outside of degrading Australia and Julia and Co? Honestly, outside of workchoices (gags) I can't think of a single thing he stands for besides pouting and whining.

Malcolm Turnbull would be the Libs best bet, I would not be concerned at a Liberal govt with him at the helm - but Hockey absolutely cannot be in his cabinet, nor Abbot - they are my current deal breakers as far as reconsidering my vote.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll reiterate the sentiments I displayed in a recent Facebook update - the Prime Minister is supposed to represent the average Australian. Yet I can think of not a single Aussie (certainly not an "average Aussie") who can retire at the age of 51 with a $200k annual package, given in recognition of their complete incompetence at their job.

To be honest, the whole issue surrounding her female aspect has been blown out of proportion - I've been keen on politics for several years and only recent spin doctoring has made it out as if Gillard's problems are a result of misogyny. The claim that she has faced struggles a male wouldn't, I think is a load of crud. Her policies have been far greater an issue. And sure, some of it is flow on from Rudd's previous reign. And some is simply towing the party line. And some is pandering to the Independents who made her minority government possible. But at the end of the day, she's the one responsible for any decision made by her party.

Boat people (Rudd's initial problem). Carbon tax, Mining tax, the budget deficit.... Her problem, she literally presided over a government that ran us into the ground.

Not that I support Gillard or Rudd or Abbott. I'm honestly on the fence and an likely going to vote an Independent (or donkey vote). Not that it matters. I'm in one of the safest Labor seats in New SouthWales - my vote matters nothing, for whoever I choose, Labor will win in my electorate.

Edited by Paranoid Android
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I can see.... Same party.... same policies.... different communicator.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest, the whole issue surrounding her female aspect has been blown out of proportion - I've been keen on politics for several years and only recent spin doctoring has made it out as if Gillard's problems are a result of misogyny. The claim that she has faced struggles a male wouldn't, I think is a load of crud.

so, can we expect Rudd's body parts to appear on menus around Australia?

He'll be asked frequently if his wife is a lesbian.

But it's all about the policies?

julia-gillard-faces-sexism.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

so, can we expect Rudd's body parts to appear on menus around Australia?

He'll be asked frequently if his wife is a lesbian.

But it's all about the policies?

julia-gillard-faces-sexism.jpg

Not body parts on a menu, but we'll see recycled material about Rudd's likeness to the Milky Bar Kid. Tony Abbott will have images of his "budgie smugglers" shown over and over.

Do you think people would be saying "JuLIAR" and "ditch the witch" if she kept her promises on the carbon tax? She's not being targeted for sexist reasons, she's being targeted for being incompetent, untrustworthy, and ineffective. If Kevin Rudd had not been knifed in 2010 and he'd done the same things a Gillard, he'd have problems with the public too. As is, he's seen as a martyr, and now a Messiah. If he wins, time will tell if he remains a Messiah or just a very naughty boy (to lift a phrase from Life of Brian).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not body parts on a menu, but we'll see recycled material about Rudd's likeness to the Milky Bar Kid. Tony Abbott will have images of his "budgie smugglers" shown over and over.

Do you think people would be saying "JuLIAR" and "ditch the witch" if she kept her promises on the carbon tax? She's not being targeted for sexist reasons, she's being targeted for being incompetent, untrustworthy, and ineffective. If Kevin Rudd had not been knifed in 2010 and he'd done the same things a Gillard, he'd have problems with the public too. As is, he's seen as a martyr, and now a Messiah. If he wins, time will tell if he remains a Messiah or just a very naughty boy (to lift a phrase from Life of Brian).

Like I said previously, I'm not familiar with the politics of the situation. I know enough to realise that she's presided over a government that hasn't really delivered, and she ended up being ousted in the same way she herself came to power.

I don't think anyone can rationally deny that the attacks on her went well beyond political issues, and became intensely personal. Her gender was an easy target and many were not afraid to use that. I think it brings to an end a pretty shameful episode in Australian politics. I don't want to tar all Aussies with the same brush but, as Libstak said, maybe Australia as a whole wasn't ready for a female leader.

This is a reasonably balanced summary: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23086184

Link to comment
Share on other sites

National Broadband?

A National Disability Insurance Scheme?

An innovation of the Education System (Gonski)?

A new national education syllabus?

Health Care reform?

Avoiding the GFC?

Growing the economy when the rest of the world either stagnated or went backwards?

A Carbon Tax that would become a Emmitions Trading Scheme?

International Trade agreements?

Dragging Japan off to the Hague over Whaling (again)?

Preventing Peter Garrat from singing any more?

The fact Gillard has all the charm of a damp weed isn't something I'm going to argue against, but her government was anything but ineffective.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Home insulation

Carbon tax

Mineral resources tax

40 billion broadband network that only Telstra has the rights too..Telstra fined 18million for slowing Internet competitors networks.

Asylum seeker ( Aka illegal immigration , this is a missive blow out!, rolling back a system that worked and now endangering lives)

Malaysian Solution ..

Nauru solution..

No Solution!

Turning a substantial surplus with a future fund into substantial deficit!

Pork barreling: lining union pockets with excess cash who return it with political donations! Stealing public money legally.

Using public union fund money to sleep with hookers!

International trade agreements that destroyed Australia's manufacturing

Claiming credit for avoiding the 07-08 GFC yet it was liberals reforms and there surplus ( total bs from Labour)

Appointing via nepotism in the governor General position..

Destroying relations with Japan trying to stop them whaling in international waters ( none of Australia's business and will fail anyway)

Climate commission where anybody who disagrees is not allowed to contribute despite there qualifications

Gonski, where dumb kids are sent home.

Pokie reform that never happened

Pandering to the greens, gays and any independent or minority group to get a vote

Plain cigarette packaging ( that has been a complete waste of time)

Not being able to balance a budget to within 20 billion! (, shocking)

Stopping Peter garret from singing and having him in politics instead( nobody was buying his records anyway)

Having that backstabbing lying feminazi rangga as there leader! ( worse than Anna Bligh or Christine keneeley. And that's hard to do!)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, that should be defending a guy who uses union given funds ( public money) to sleep with hookers and defending him, so as to cling onto power and then claiming to be a feminist...??? She was only in it for herself like Bligh and keneeley..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Destroying relations with Japan trying to stop them whaling in international waters ( none of Australia's business and will fail anyway)

yeah, who cares who ****s with the ecosystem?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep..Sad but Minke Whales are not even close to endangered, and that's what there really after as there main Quota/bag limit..Quotas that despite being low there still not even getting close too. Its called sustainable fishing..and its there God given right! just as its my right to go and fish whenever i want, with a spear gun if i choose, as long as what i catch is not on the endangered list or undersize , its on my plate! yum yum..thankyou Lord.

IMO the protesters are nothing more than vigilante, and if i was a captain on a jap fishing vessel that had been illegally boarded in international waters after repeatedly being rammed, having human fess thrown at my crew... id let my crew spend a few moments alone talking with these mindless zombies..

id like to see these protestors get a whooping ( and they soon will in court) for the nonsense they pulling on the high seas and for the lies there feeding the general population about how there behaving out there, and what they are really doing there in the first place...

[media=]

[/media]

here is another one of there lies...you can see the protestors floor it at the last second to get in front of the whalers, then they fed everybody lies they were rammed!! total rubbish.., they purposely did this to try make a point!, there nut bags..and deserve to be locked up!

and sacrificed a nice boat at the same time..political statement. and the media lied to cover up there antics..

Edited by Irrelevant
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like I said previously, I'm not familiar with the politics of the situation. I know enough to realise that she's presided over a government that hasn't really delivered, and she ended up being ousted in the same way she herself came to power.

I don't think anyone can rationally deny that the attacks on her went well beyond political issues, and became intensely personal. Her gender was an easy target and many were not afraid to use that. I think it brings to an end a pretty shameful episode in Australian politics. I don't want to tar all Aussies with the same brush but, as Libstak said, maybe Australia as a whole wasn't ready for a female leader.

This is a reasonably balanced summary: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23086184

Do you live in the UK? Might explain your position, the worldwide media each had its own spin on the issue and the UK media focused on the "macho culture" of Australian politics, a view I happen to find grossly misled from what it actually is.
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you live in the UK? Might explain your position, the worldwide media each had its own spin on the issue and the UK media focused on the "macho culture" of Australian politics, a view I happen to find grossly misled from what it actually is.

No. I'm in New Zealand. And even the Kiwi macho culture thinks her gender was used against her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well as an Australian, I never got that impression. The only thing I ever saw being used against her was her total incompetence. Sure, that was sometimes expressed by the public in other demeaning ways, but if she was actually good at what she did, the public wouldn't have expressed their outrage at her to begin with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No. I'm in New Zealand. And even the Kiwi macho culture thinks her gender was used against her.

it's not a macho cultural thing, it's more like trying to hurt and discredit the other person through vile and dirty comments which they hope gives them a psychological edge over their opponent. A bit like testing their ability to see if they can handle the pressure or ascertain if they have chinks in their armor so they can exploit their weaknesses.

Unfortunately some of these "attempts" go way overboard some times. Like the time they attacked her father just after he passed away. That had nothing to do with her gender.

Sometimes It gets pretty dirty (and childish) in the Parliament and not necessarily only against women.

Edited by Black Red Devil
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Expressing discontent at politicians is fine. It's part of our democratic process to be able to do so. And I'm not going to tell Aussies what's what when it comes to that.

There was plenty of criticism of her that was appropriate. No problem. But there was too much that crossed the line of acceptability. It's also sent the rather unfortunate message that any female politician who wants the top jobs is going to have to be prepared to take all the other irrelevant and offensive flak.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's always funny how they praise our politicians and how our country did during the GFC was attributed to their actions is absurd.

If anything. The politicians have further inflicted upon our country during the GFC. If we had traded places with a country in Europe. We would be in the same position if not worse. We were lucky to be in the position we were in. The politicians put a tax on that actual economy tht helped us through the GFC.

Every other country out there doesn't have a carbon tax as high as ours. Why do we pay the most to cripple our biggest industry?

Thousands of jobs have been lost and there have also been many factory closures as a result of this tax.

Rudds attempt to overhaul the education system resulted in schools being ripped off by contractors due to poor management. The ASIO building also poorly put together costing billions and may even needing to be rebuilt. The NBN. An utter mess. At the rate of this installation there would probably be a lot better technology available.

Our government is an actual joke. We don't even have a Ron Paul equivalent. Or any light of hope.

When I switch on the TV to watch the parliament. I see a bunch of 12 year olds bickering. Constantly interrupting each other or yelling incoherently and displaying regressive behaviour.

Politics is run by ones ego over here. You know it's a mess when that becomes the case. We need a complete reform.

Oh yeh I forgot to mention. They just recently have themselves a $15,000 pay rise.... It is also said there will be more in the near future. Utterly outrageous.

Edited by Orcseeker
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As an Australian female, thank God JuLIAR is gone. If you want to play with the big boys you have to be tough. or maybe I should say play with the little kiddies either way it's still the same.

As for Rudd, I hope the Australian public is smart enough to remember just because Labour has a new face their policies will still be the same come election time. The way we have been run into the ground is disgusting, most people I know have suffered badly under all the taxes Labour has brought us and it's not even like we see any benefits such as updating hospitals or better programs for children in schools.

Bring on Liberal!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.