Yes, he may be a nerd (as you suggest), but one that will go down in history as not even completing one term because of his many political flaws.

Political and academic qualities are different, and I have clear preference for the former. And I have a PhD.

Rudd is going because he was not good enough.

This is a brilliant article.
One of the most sensible and fair opinion pieces I can remember reading.

We get the politics we deserve in Australia.

"But it takes a fairly cold-hearted individual to not feel some amount of sympathy for a man..." Sorry auld chum, I am so very pleased to see this god-fearing bastard gone that I have nothing but a gleeful smile to offer him.

"I’ll be happy to see a female Prime Minister."...this is a typical shallow comment from people like Fran Kelly and many others make all the time. It's almost patronising, in fact, it is patronising.

"I think Gillard will do a good job"... why, all she has done is to echo everything Rudd said-did?.... at the moment she is nothing more than Rudd-in-a-frock, and will remain so dressed unless she drastically changes ALP policies.... which should then require Fran Kelly and Co to demand to know why she was so compliant for so long.

Gillard is as much of a fraud as Rudd was, pretending to be 'left' and acting only ever as a good rightwinger....like Tanner and Macklin of course.

A pox on her, Rudd and all of 'em.

Chris

I agree, Rudd does/did have "political flaws".

However, while you may have a PhD (in something, as do I) and have a preference for political qualities (in our leaders?), I am disturbed that you don't seem to appreciate that political (and religious) zealots have not done our world to good, anytime.

Ergo, we need real leaders - whether they have academic credentials (or not) shouldn't enter the equation you clearly think is relevant.

As to the politics? There really is something to the maxim "we get the politicians we deserve" - for some reason, I am uncomfortable with that too.

qanda,

you make fair points.

I am certainly not against academic skills, but i am supportive of smart individuals who have political skills. One does not have to be an academic type to have such qualities, as life experience (whether as lawyers, union officials, or even business people) does provide education.

I often find more common sense on building sites than at supposed more enlightened professions.

I see in Gillard and Abbott two individuals that are intelligent (but not perfect; who is). While both have personal views and values that may or may not offend different people, i am more confident that they wil both lead and forge effective compromises on key issues. This is the art of politics. It is the competition of ideas that should prevail in terms of policy outomes, although leadership can and is important at times.

I have always said that governing in these times (and any other) is not easy. But i have total disdain for people who try to simplify things with both analsysis of the past and a reliance on rhetoric for the future.

Qanda is uncomfortable with “we get the politicians we deserve”; and quite reasonably so:
The “will of the people” is declared subsequent to voter’s minds, and perhaps choice, being bent by months-long barrages of advertising. And the advertising industry is run by professionals - the extent of its efforts on behalf of clients matches the extent of payment.
Even more discomforting is the demonstrated unreliability of promises made by politicians prior to their election to leadership.

Yes, She is every bit as responsible for some of the poorer decisions, she stated that that was so and that she takes responsibility for that.

What Mr Rudd did wrong was underestimate the power of the Unions (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/28/2884604.htm). In fact, he not only underestimated the unions, he dropped excrement on them (Ark Tribe: http://www.cfmeu.asn.au/) which has rebounded (not only today: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/the-spill-that-could-sink-rudd/story-e6frg75x-1111114693232).

The fact that Rudd has refused to repeal this legislation is a big part of why he is now out (Ms Gillard has already taken a stand on it:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/building-watchdog-john-lloyd-to-leave-abcc/story-e6frgczf-1225871485480). Rank & File union members should not be prosecuted for refusing to answer questions, the power that is being used was granted by Howard & is being misused now, I will not inform on anybody for any reason. I see no way that a power to require that at a workplace is in any way "Australian" (Sounds more like something from the NSDAP rather than the ALP: http://www.cfmeuwa.com/go/campaigns/the-abcc).

Drop it on the Unions and it will hit YOUR fan. Suprising the number of Labor leaders who forget that, Latham, Beatty, now Rudd. How many more will it take before the latte set can remember it?

Quite so Custard... where is Belly on this?

Belly is off trying to buy a new crystal ball.

He discovered his dosen't receive digital. Of course, he may be having trouble seeing through the tears.

Oh dear.... does this mean Belly was a 'True Believer' in Kevin O'Heaven-Lemon?

I thought rightwing unionists just did what the AWU-SDA told them to do... (tears not included in the package)did they forget to advise Belly to switch off the Ruddbutton and switch on the Juliabutton?

Well, they have been busy recently, after all.

I mean the 'man' (real men 'might' cry, sobbing on National TV?, really?) openly stated that He didn't think he had to comply with the Unions (they built the ALP ffs, who should he listen to? http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935679.htm).

Ms Gillard has stated that She is willing to negotiate over the Super-Profits Tax (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2935751.htm). Personally I hope this takes the form of suggesting they accept, if they don't hand them a ticket on a Cameroonian Charter Flight:D With sharks like Gutnik in the pool, I'd really suggest the shareholders of the mining giants think twice before they tempt fate, if the lease reverts to the Crown, Gutnik and his ilk will go into a feeding frenzy:P

If you want to run for office in the ALP it really is difficult to comprehend how you would do so without having to at least realise that the Unions control it? Sort of like being in the Liberal Party and suggesting that you aren't going to listen to the Business Council of Australia, kinda dumb really...

Then again, plenty have tried... Gillard of course had made no secret of the fact that She is pro-Union, from the outset.

Of course, this has made Abbott's task somewhat less enjoyable, the chance to actually ELECT a Female Prime Minister? Damn, that has just taken the Feminist vote from everywhere (if you listen closely, that is the sound of several thousand glass-ceilings crashing to the floor), I actually 'endured' the panel this morning to watch the aftermath... Our first Female GG swears in our First Female PM?

Er, Belly's undoubtedly at work. He doesn't work in an office where he can use the boss's computer to play on the Internet instead of doing what he's paid to do, unlike many who post here. I imagine he'll have plenty to say when he gets home.

I also imagine that he'll support Gillard as the newly appointed ALP PM, but I'll let him speak for himself. While I'm not an ALP voter, I very much doubt that the ALP government will be any better under Gillard's leadership than Rudd's.

I reckon you've got that right CJ, but the style may not be so hard to take.

Custard, you have my sympathy. The sight of the peroxide blond, in a pastel suit of course, & that oddly deep redhead, in a dark suit, [probably], saying cheese would be hard to take, in any context.

I'm waiting for the sight of Julia, in a flack jacket, in Afghanistan, trying to look like a commander in chief. Probably no more incongruent that Ruddy looked in fact.

I wonder what it will do for recruitment?

CJM... "I very much doubt that the ALP government will be any better under Gillard's leadership than Rudd's"... better? hardly, but maybe slightly differently focussed.

We have Swan and Gillard, half the 'kitchen cabinet' that made all the decisions that so few seem to like, so we cannot really expect to see drastic change can we?

But Rudd miscalculated on his foolishly titled 'super profits tax' when he thought he'd have to tough it out because everyone was so fed up with his abandoning of the 'global future' that he had to be seen to be 'strong' on something.... anything beyond giving us all a personal chaplain each.

So now we are conning ourselves into pretending that it matters at all that we have a female PM 'at last'.... and various other trivial matters that the meeja will pick up on and highlight till well past their readers are sick of reading it...like... 'she's not going to live in The Lodge' oh dear, how long since that has happened? Apart from Howard... Chifley probably, who cares?

Meanwhile, the issues of state will be uninspected, as always, while opinion writers (paid ones that newspaper readers think are vital) drone on about all sorts of emptyness.

Had the Qld press covered the Goss years, years ago, then the tales from those days would have been available for others to read and learn about the true nature of Rudd, and he'd never have got the gig in 2006, but when 'bright shiny things' come on the scene, the meeja and readers prefer to watch them, and bottle the smoke, and gaze transfixed into the shattered mirrors of dreams lying all around.

Will the analysis of Gillard be any better?

She will hardly bring Macklin to abandon Howard's 'deserving poor' attitudes, we will not have the troops 'home by xmas', the miners will get off scott free, the BER will evaporate as an issue, hospital 'reform' will restart since few want yet another Commonwealth run fiasco-like insulation and BER, and the 'boat people'...well, she possibly will ramp that up as Abbott does.

["I'm waiting for the sight of Julia, in a flack jacket, in Afghanistan, trying to look like a commander in chief. Probably no more incongruent that Ruddy looked in fact."]

The CiC of Australia's defence forces is HM Elizabeth II, or in HM's absence, the Governor General assumes the position.

We're not fully Seppo yet thank heavens and with a bit of confidence in our own ways, we may be able to stave off further assimilation, in frigid difference to their blanketing high impact domination of our popular media that lulls so many into belief.

Enjoyed the article - thought it was a fair assessment of the situation - both the man and the mines. The powerbrokers are short sighted. If Rudd's communication was 'off' what was Gillard doing about it - as an effective 2nd in command? Her skills (depending on your point of view) haven't done him any favours. All up, good for the green vote come the elections.

I am a contractor to the mining industry, one who is at the end of a very long chain.
I have been waiting for the missing link and other projects and new mines to start. When the question of how much tax was to be paid by the mines. The work dried up.
I traveled 2500km to take up a contract in Canberra, from the tropics to the cold.
I knew the mines would baulk at at any change to the tax paid.
We got a follow on in the past. This has been dwindling for some years.
As has been previously stated the mining industry has a return of 47% as compared to 11% of other industry. Now they have been asked to negotiate a fair tax on that income.
Do we get this opportunity on our income?
Have a look at the amount of material that is dragged from the ground,look at the size of the holes, drag lines the size of three story buildings and a track footprint of a football oval looking like matchbox toys in the bottom of these scars in the earth.
These are our minerials, yours and mine, where is our share?
Kevin did ask for our share.
*-As our elected representive should. -*
It has cost him the top job, it will cost us more.
The tears he cried were for us too, for our democracy,for each of us.
The fat cats have won again, to rip us off to fatten their pockets.
Australia you have dung on your faces.
I have been a Labour supporter for nearly 50 years, I am no longer in a union. I have lost the faith.....
"Queen Gillard" your humble servant beggs you to restore our Kevin to the negotion table of our mining assets - to at least give some creditability back to the labour party.
Cheers!