If our party leaders were directly elected by the people it would be reasonable that they should stay as leaders until the next election, barring major illness or other critical circumstances. But they're not. They're elected by members of the parties that we have appointed to government. If things go wrong those MPs are entitled to change their minds, and pick a new leader they think they can work with and respect. The rapid turnover of Labor Premiers in NSW was not a cause of political corruption and incompetence, but a result of it.

So if you want to suggest a change to a Presidential (and Gubernatorial) system in which State and Federal leaders are directly elected, that's fine; but under the current system, to decree that MPs who happen to pick the wrong leader have to suffer through the consequences till the next election -- and that all of us should suffer with them -- is merely daft.

Bimoy

Jon J is correct as is Graham in todays 'Ambit Gambit - Our blog'

'Whatever happened to representative democracy?'

The issue I have, and many others have with the Labor Party is that 'faceless' unelected members of the Labor Party interfer in the operations of the elected Members deliberations and have at times actively been involved in the replacement of Labor Premiers or PMs. ie people outside our parliaments help elect our Premiers or PMs.

Do you know that democracy doesn't work? We proles are told it does while the real political power brokers, some known, some unknown, pull the strings.

Look at the farce of the Labor Party federally and State by State. Rudd was elected by the people and knifed by Gillard. She then set up a pretend Government using some power-hungry independents. Since then, demonstrating infinite incompetence, she has moved from catastrophe to catastrophe and, even now, is promising endless schemes that cost billions to try to buy her way back into the Lodge.

Abbott is no better although he is slightly more popular than Gillard. The party he represents promotes business and free markets, a scheme to reward capitalists and oligarchs and put ownership of most wealth in the hands of the 1%.

The answer would be a properly educated citizenry but that appears to be an impossibility. Kids go to schools to be dumbed down, to enjoy being pawns of the corporations.

The cleaners need to be put through the Australian electorate before we end up like the U.S. where political leaders are wholly owned by the corporations.

Rudd never appeared on my ballot paper. How did I or anyone in my electorate cast a vote to elect him?

He was elected by the voters of Griffith. Let's blame them!

Jon J says it all, nothing else to add to my original post on this topic.
Rhrosty

Compelled to agree with John J on this matter and I, like Imajulianutter, did not see Rudd on my ballot paper. Ballieu did not implement or reflect the wishes of his party. Simple, get rid of him and get one who will.