The author attempts to outline some supposed 'victories' of the current Labor Government under a veil of humour. I think. Were all deliriously happy how the lot of the very,very, very, few intersex and transgender people who exist in this country has been improved, at least symbolically. We can't wait to pay more money for the Carbon Tax. Its just enriched our lives no end. We are eagerly anticipating her attack the Superannuation system to pay for her hair brained schemes. Yes, its been just great, thanks.

I am laughing too. Mainly at the absolute corrupt incompetency of the Government which welded on Labor supporters like the author are unable to see.

BTW Abbott may be unpopular but nowhere near as unpopular as Julia.

If this were a speech it would have been given because the speaker likes the sound of his own voice. I don't know if you can like the look of your own prose, but I suppose anything is possible, if you are narcissistic enough.

As it turns out, it is nothing more than a bit of bumph, to make sure every one knows he has studied Japanese theater, & tell every one he is too blind to see past some group think ideology, beloved by ivory tower lefty academics

Can any historians do arithmetic?

Parliament under Gillard is getting things done.
??
Gary Wotherspoon,
I'm afraid I don't get it. What's getting done ? When will it translate into some sort of benefit to us ? I can see quite a decline in services & mentality & infrastructure development but I can't say I see things getting done.

I have seen on OLO many well thought out and presented articles. This is not one of them. In fact I haven't seen such a poorly written, self indulgent piece of flatulence for some time.

Garry, if you are an academic why write like a mentally challenged 10 yr old?

The fat lady may not have sung, but she is clearly warming up the vocal chords backstage.
When there was a light on Ben chiefly's hill, I believe neither fiscal conservative Kevin or economic dry Simon, would have been in the labour Party. These patent impostors, would have been invited to join Menzie's libs, where they would have found a much more natural fit?
Julia should not have tried to spare Kevin, even if his was emotionally fragile; and simply come out and told us the real reason why Kevin simply HAD TO BE REPLACED, even when PM!
Her patently misplaced loyalty to her former leader has hurt her enormously!
Kevin 07-11, apparently remains a workaholic, and is reportedly a hugely disliked power hungry control freak?
When he was replaced, with Julia, it was with unanimous support of the political Labour party.
Kevin did what Kevin does, and tested his support?
When he could find little or none he refused to challenge, just as he squibbed a double dissolution, to get the moral imperative of the century, climate change, dealt with by parliament.
He might not have leaked and irreparably damaged brand Labour in the process, but someone in his support group clearly did?
A true Leader, even a highly unpopular one, retains the courage of conviction; and indeed, party loyalty!
Something that seems missing in Kevin an or, members of his support group?
The Labour party needs some time in the political wilderness, in order to divest itself of some of the filth currently clinging to it.
It needs to find and re-establish the core values that once made it a great party, rather than a pale shadow of an increasingly ultra-conservative coalition?
And it needs time to democratise the party from within, and return to past practise of recruiting members from the general rank and file, rather than straight from uni, with a head full of untried intellectual concepts? Or, straight from the union leadership, with generally narrow perspective/values, or patent and dismal lack of personal admin skills or business acumen?
Rhrosty.

I am not a " welded on" Labor supporter but I have to agree with the "getting things done" theme of this article. Last week we got the disability scheme passed into legislation, after forty years of waiting. It would never have happened under Liberal because it was just never a priority. I know that it has bipartisan support now but it took the social conscience of a few good Labor people to get it up. It will impact on millions of Australians, present and future, and will translate into more votes than you may expect. While you were watching a leadership challenge last week, we were watching a life changing event. Don't underestimate it - its political ramifications may be as great as its social ones.