Rudd vs Gillard reprised: The Killing Season, ABC TV

[geelong_boy]

Shorten completely outplayed him. Organised for himself the economics route into cabinet and left Combet marooned with climate change.

You reckon. Combet was a highly regarded and competent minister in an important portfolio - well important to those who aren't stuck in the 19th century - while Shorten was a deputy minister (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, yeah?). To use modern Liberal parlance, Combet was a lifter. You have to respect that.

 

[geelong_boy]

He has got crippling osteoporosis and is on horse tablet pain medication - stress makes it worse. That illness is a tragic thing for Australia - the good thing about Greg is he thinks and acts in moral terms - he would show Abbott up to be the moral pygmy he is - the thing about Billy is he is ambition over ability and if you take "politics is the art of compromise" as your mantra you end up standing for and representing nothing.

IIRC he also had alot of family members (esp. males) who died in middle age, ie. around his age now.

 

[Contra Mundum]

You reckon. Combet was a highly regarded and competent minister in an important portfolio - well important to those who aren't stuck in the 19th century - while Shorten was a deputy minister (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, yeah?). To use modern Liberal parlance, Combet was a lifter. You have to respect that.

At his book launch he said he takes full responsibility for the fact we don't have an ETS - who else would do that!!!

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Well. It's now undisputed. Greg Combet is a tough guy, who could have been the leader of the ALP and become PM. Either before or after Shorten has his go at it. but his health has prevented him from making such an attempt.

Also I think "The Killing Season" is a bit of a **** title.

 

[Lebbo73]

Him and Albo were the only ones who were consistent the whole way through. Even Kim Carr was more moral than the fookwits of the Right. The whole thing made me feel sick and the failure of Gillard to own up to her own ambition and immoral behaviour was sick making - Rudd just was his usual ******* self. It also reminded me what a grub Abbott was as an opposition leader there was no floor to what he would say or do

Please tell me you don't think Gillard was right leaning? That is just crazy talk if I have interpreted that right.

 

[camsmith]

Please tell me you don't think Gillard was right leaning? That is just crazy talk if I have interpreted that right.

? He was referring to the ALP Right in NSW.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Gillard was a conservative, whether you want to call that right or not I don't know.

 

[Contra Mundum]

Please tell me you don't think Gillard was right leaning? That is just crazy talk if I have interpreted that right.

Life long left faction operative - even you should know that Lebbo but she was installed by the worst arseholes in the Right faction. They might as well call themselves "Blue" and "white"

 

[geelong_boy]

At his book launch he said he takes full responsibility for the fact we don't have an ETS - who else would do that!!!

I take it you mean the carbon tax repeal, yeah?

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

This is either an impressively poor understanding of the tax system, or an impressively good rewriting of history.

Actually you must misunderstand the tax system as much as you love over-the-top rhetoric, if you think that my analysis is "impressively poor".

You agree with Kohler, and Kohler doesn't disagree with anything I said. A mining tax was a good way to deal with the two-speed economy (helping the slow-moving sectors in Australia, including via a large cut in the corporate tax rate, by skimming off the mining sector that was profiting beyond high expectations). Kohler's central complaint in that article is that the second version allowed more tax write-offs and was tied to an increase in the superannuation guarantee levy. The former is what allowed companies to do what I said companies did due to reducing the amount of tax they owed. The latter complaint isn't directly relevant as it is a separate govt decision, even though it does undercut the benefit of the corporate tax cut.

 

[Contra Mundum]

I take it you mean the carbon tax repeal, yeah?

Yep

 

[Demosthenes]

You agree with Kohler, and Kohler doesn't disagree with anything I said.

So you agree it was a colossal *-up and Swan is a useless prick? Good to know.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

So you agree it was a colossal ****-up and Swan is a useless prick? Good to know.

FYI, that's what pollies refer to as 'verballing'. It isn't an effective way to argue if you're actually interested in information.

 

[Demosthenes]

FYI, that's what pollies refer to as 'verballing'. It isn't an effective way to argue if you're actually interested in information.

By all means, advance your argument as to why Swan and his mining tax weren't the personification of a festering bag and the s**t it contains. If nothing else, your rampant delusion should be mildly entertaining.

 

[The Punter]

They rushed it for political considerations. They didn't consult. They followed this modus operandi more than once. On every occasion it contributed to the ineffective nature of the policy as implemented.

 

[The Speaker]

Ken Henry comfortably the most interesting interviewee.

 

[Gough]

One of the refreshing things about the Abbott government is that all those whose dilettantist interest in politics was based around the dislike of one woman, have chosen to remove themselves from the debate. It's nice to them kicking over the ashes.

 

[Northalives]

This was a fascinating series on that period of Australian Political History.

As for nearly all of Australian Political History, it is written by persons of, or about, the Australian Labor Party, or to be more precise, the Australian Labor Movement.

Anyone that has studied Australian History/Politics will tell you that the vast majority of information about this subject, comes from or is about the Labor Movement in this country and why, because theirs is a political movement that does just that, moves whereas the "liberals", under all it's historic guises, can only describe themselves as being "anti-labor" and therefore, because they are the party of reaction, the wreckers and spivs of this country, precious little gets told about their "operations".

On the series itself, it confirms, if confirmation were needed, that K.M. Rudd was a contemptible and reprehensible egomaniac whose scandalous actions against the Party he says he loves, disqualifies him from any sort of admiration and respect that the Party bestows upon it's past leaders and will go down in Labor history of being the biggest Labor rat since the fink, Joseph Lyons.

The one thing that stood out like a sore thumb right the way through the documentary, was Rudd's focus on Rudd and what was in the best interests of Rudd and on the other side, there was the ALP looking at what was in the best interests of the ALP with Gillard as it's preferred leader.

Of course, there is number counting, jostling for positions etc etc in the ALP as there is in every other political party in Australia but when all of that has been carried out and decisions have been made, every Labor leader that has been deposed/chucked out/tapped on the shoulder and told to go has done just that; he/she has stood up, thanked the party for honouring them by appointing him/her as the leader and buggered off out of parliament and right out of sight.

Not Rudd though. K.M.Rudd is far more important than the Australian Labor Party! K.M. Rudd is the Dalai Lama of the ALP and how dare the "insignificants" of the Party tell him that for the good of the Party, it's time for him to step down from the leadership.

Rudd was an excellent media clown/performer and for an ex public servant, the GFC was right up the blokes alley! This wasn't just a head-of-government-role, this was a head of department role as well where the department head did all the ground work, the sounding out, ascertained all the relevant information and tried to avert disaster - he was in his element and what an admirable job he did in understanding what the consequences would be and then Swan and Gillard for that matter, went to work and implemented policies which the reactionary forces in this country, still to this day, resent bitterly but which put the lives and dignity of the everyday Australian above that of some cockamamy and grotesque Friedmanite prescription.

K.M. Rudd was at his best in that circumstance, that is, dealing within predetermined parameters; that and the media of course (he had the switch to vaudeville flicked to "on" all the time). When it came to actually leading, to not only setting an agenda and following through, he was a complete and utter novice but what was worse, was that he would knock down anyone and everyone who dared to even hint that he needed to change tack or maybe this, or maybe that.... He was in paralysis and as a consequence, so was the government. The "the greatest moral, economic and social challenge of our time" was presented to the senate in the form of a bill and was rejected three times! Not once, not twice but three times and what did Rudd do, nothing!! He was advised to go to an election over this issue the second time it was rejected whilst it still had the overwhelming support of the electorate but Rudd dithered again! When it failed the third time, that is when Gillard, a person with shrewd political nous reckoned it was best to drop the thing altogether because the electorate had had a gutful of this issue and the perception that Labor wasn't really interested in it, not to mention the hysterics and outright lies from the reactionaries meant that climate change was political suicide.

Kevin Rudd's answer to get the government rolling again after it had ground to a halt was to demand reports on policy issues and ways of implementing them to be done straight away and various ministerial departments worked literally, day and night, to get these reports done only for Mr. Rudd to go off his face at people and tell them that they weren't good enough and generally, terrorise his and other Minister' staff.

Rudd tried to operate like a dictator; Caucus meant nothing to Rudd and Cabinet was there to do as Rudd wanted. OK if your the Liberal Party but the ALP does not and has never worked like that and when the ALP knew that enough was enough, they said to K.M.Rudd, "thanks but it's time to step aside".

People forget just how much Gillard was loved by the electorate when she was elected leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party and all the excitement and optimism that was everywhere but Kevin: he made it his life's mission to destroy Gillard and the Labor Party and he was spectacularly successful. He is a vicious little man, full of venom and spite and had any number of degenerates in the media standing in line to help him carry out his assassination of the ALP and Gillard.

Does anyone have any doubts whatsoever as to why we know have A.J. Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia? He is K.M. Rudd's legacy to Australia and if people like, Combet, Carr, Crean and others had the guts to take this little mongrel out the back and tell him to resign and get the hell out of parliament or he would be expelled from the ALP, the chances are that Abbott would be in a sewer somewhere, along with his other extremist mates and not Prime Minister of Australia.

Combet and the "gang" knew what the contemptible Rudd was doing and they should have stopped him. By stopping him, it is very, very likely, that we would not be now lumbered with the most incompetent, extremist and dangerous government we have ever had.

 

[medusala]

People forget just how much Gillard was loved by the electorate when she was elected leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party and all the excitement and optimism that was everywhere but Kevin

 

[Demosthenes]

http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2015/s4267583.htm

 

[Maggie5]

Thought that video was very clever and funny.

 

[King Elvis]

That's the impression I have. Sick of the factional warfare, the political machinations, the bullshit 24 news hour cycle and the willingness of most to sacrifice their integrity for personal gain.

Disillusioned and disgusted - why would you subject yourself to the rigors of public life if you had no faith in the system, or the people, you were meant to do it with.

A mate of mine sat next to Combet at a lunch recently; the above is accurate.

Given his health issues, the sacrifices to stay, in light of the above, were too much.

Damn shame.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-polit...er-to-fend-off-kevin-rudd-20140724-zwd9z.html

 

[The Punter]

This was a fascinating series on that period of Australian Political History.

As for nearly all of Australian Political History, it is written by persons of, or about, the Australian Labor Party, or to be more precise, the Australian Labor Movement.

Anyone that has studied Australian History/Politics will tell you that the vast majority of information about this subject, comes from or is about the Labor Movement in this country and why, because theirs is a political movement that does just that, moves whereas the "liberals", under all it's historic guises, can only describe themselves as being "anti-labor" and therefore, because they are the party of reaction, the wreckers and spivs of this country...

Stopped reading.

 

[Gough]

Stopped reading.

Name a conservative legacy.

 

[The Punter]

I don't believe the absence of one was referred to in the part I read and quoted.

It's all well and good to rail against some on here who show a deep lack of understanding of a nuanced world and spout unhelpful ideas like "kick 'em out of the country", but when someone suggests that we're all the same, we're all wreckers and spivs, then there's no point in entering into debate with you, because it's waste of both of our time. Go to bed.