When Rudd made a public call for 'the people' to support him, he showed a basic misunderstanding of how our parliamentary system of government works. It does not include Big Brother.
He's gone now, and I think that has to be a good thing for both the ALP and Australia.
Now Julia has the clear air she needs if she is to turn things around over the next 18 months and win the next general election. But I wonder if she can do that. On Question Time last night she was going for Abbott's jugular again, seemingly unaware that most people are turned off by the blood soaked image our PM projects.

I thought it quite ironic that Gillard in one of her usual “now stay awake while I tell you something” speeches, commented how wonderful it was that public systems such as Facebook were used to unseat and remove a number of dictators and unwanted government leaders in some countries recently, when at the same time pol after pol showed that she was not wanted as the leader of this country.

Then she also ignored the huge following Rudd had on Twitter and Facebook, and she still wanted to stay in power.

Perhaps it was more than irony. Perhaps total hypocrisy is a better way of describing it.

Not a popularity contest, if it were we would have Kylie minogue as prime minister.
In some countries you are not allowed to talk in public.
MR Rudd is a panzy, he appeals to the same.

I see Julia is trying a new image. She's talking tough all over the place, but I'm afraid it is not working for her.

With a few folk I know, they have not felt she is a new Maggy Thacher iron lady. They reckon the new image is just "bitch".

It does look as if once you've lost them, there is no way back.

Hasbeen,
I won't be alarmed or startled if she goes into bitch mode. I'll just turn the channel whenever she appears, or I hear her voice.

Vanna and Hasbeen, as bitter as you are about Gillard holding onto the top job, I wonder what you really think of a bloke like Rudd being so disliked by his own party members that they would rather vote for a person unpopular with the Australian public than vote for him?

Doesn't that worry you at all?

Doesn't it worry all the many so-called 'opinion poll' people who apparently wanted Rudd back in the top job?

Could all the many other party members who voted against him have been wrong about him then?
Or maybe it is just that the average voters who wanted him back just didn't know the real 'Dictator' Rudd like his own party did?