For once, and probably only once, I find myself in agreement with Binoy Kampmark - at least on his depiction of Kevin Rudd and his total unsuitability to be the next UNSG. It is something that 80% of people who are not Labor politicians would agree with.

Mind you, I believe there should be no UNSG nor a UN. Alternatively, no self-respecting democracy should be a member of any organisation that includes Saudi Arabia, China and several other dictatorships with absolutely no regard for human rights, but who join in telling Australia and other democracies what they should be doing

Nothing to fault here?
Sorry, just here to help Kevin 07.
Alan B.

I have always thought there was something odd with the way Kevin Rudd was treated, and the things said about him after he was disposed of.

At the time, he was extremely popular with the public, there were no resignations by members of his party, and no mention from the press that he was disliked within his party.

Then Australians woke one morning to find we had a new Prime Minister.

I thinks Kevin Rudd was disposed of so the Labor party could install a female Prime Minister, who went on to get the lowest opinion poll ratings for Prime Minister in the history of opinion polls for Prime Minister.

Kevin Rudd was stabbed in the back to make way for a female Prime Minister, and what a totally unpopular Prime Minister she was.

As for "dysfunctional", "vengeful", "unstable", and a "megalomaniac"

I would think this would be representative of most of our politicians.

And I am thinking of one particularly irksome politician who was thrown out of Parliament on 40 occasions for disrupting Parliament, and he was then made Speaker of the House, and he continues to be a Minister.

Our Parliament is actually "dysfunctional", "vengeful", "unstable", and "megalomaniac"

Hearty congratulations to Turnbull for making the enlightened decision on July 29, 2016 to say no to Rudd and no to Rudd's sheepish support group in the ALP.

ABC online records "Kevin Rudd: Malcolm Turnbull rules out nominating former PM for UN secretary-general job" http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/kevin-rudd-un-secretary-general-bid-endorsed-by-malcolm-turnbull/7671542

"...Speaking in Sydney today, Mr Turnbull said he had decided the former prime minister was not suitable for the role.

..."When the Australian Government nominates a person for a job, particularly an international job like this, the threshold question is, 'do we believe the person, the nominee, the would-be nominee is well suited for that position?'" he asked.

"My judgement is that Mr Rudd is not, and I've explained to him the reasons why.""

I thought Tanya Plibersek had the brains not to be a factional Rudd supporter but clearly she's one of the sheep.

On this celebratory day of Turnbull rightly sinking Rudd's UN pretentions we should remember what a senior Labor colleague reported about Rudd's unfitness to lead.

At http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wayne-swans-new-book-dishes-the-dirt-on-kevin-rudd-20140815-3ds93.html :

"Mr Swan cites examples of what he calls Mr Rudd's ''unstable personality'', including the latter breaking a pen in a fit of anger in a hotel room, spraying ink everywhere and causing thousands of dollars of damage to the decor.

''Kevin's treatment of people was extraordinarily vindictive and juvenile, and it was frequently on display,'' Mr Swan writes.

''Too often his focus was on having something to announce, and the political upside of any decision … for all Kevin's reputation as a policy wonk, it's something that often took a back seat in his decision-making process. Too frequently it came a distant third, behind media and political considerations.''

There was a ''culture of fear and blame'' in the Rudd office, Mr Swan writes, and the former prime minister was quick to get angry and deliver retribution.

''In most instances, it would not be the senior minister or departmental official who bore the brunt of these outbursts (although this did sometimes happen); rather, a more junior staff member would be the recipient … he burnt through staff like a child flicking matches from a box.''"

Rumour has it that Rudd has shifted his goals - in order to pip Pell for the Pope job!

I didn't see any injuries, his make up artist must be very good. Surely there must be some injuries to Turnbull's head, after the majority of ministers sat on it to stop him endorsing Rudd.

Good to see the more sensible Libs have got on top of the dill. They must have, as it was obvious Turnbull wanted to do it.

Plantagenet

How about a Prime Minister with the highest public approval rating of any Prime minister in Australia's history.

And a Prime Minister who had over 1 million twitter followers (10 times more than Julia Gillard).

And a Prime Minister who was never expelled or suspended from Parliament (as compared to the Totally Irksome Christopher Pyne who was sin bined 43 times, and the Inconsequential Anthony Albanese who was sin bined 30 times, and the Hated and Loathed Joy Hockey who was sin binned 27 times).

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1314/DisorderlyConduct#_Toc374524752.

But acting against Rudd was that he was a Christian, which is almost political suicide in the Labor party.

And he was male, while the Labor party wanted a female Prime Minister to appease the feminists.

And Rudd did not fully play ball with the americans, and withstood attempts to increase the size of the US military base in Darwin.

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/03/08/1226017/508173-110308-obama-handballs-gillard.jpg

So Rudd had to go.

But then Rudd had to be brought back as leader of the Labor party, or the Labor party was going to face its greatest election defeat in its history under the leadership of a feminist.

And the defeat was going to be so great the Liberal party could regain control of the lower house and the upper house, plunging Australia back into the abyss of the Howard era, but with Abbott as its leader.

All Australians should feel totally grateful Rudd was brought back as leader of the Labor party, as Rudd saved Australia from that abyss.

I don't believe Rudd intended to become Secretary General. Rudd was doing what Rudd does, that being distracting and entertaining listening people with useless to individual people's lives with simple political blar blar. Blar blar allows assumed intelligent judgments to be felt.

There is nothing to be learned Rudd's story, other than listeners feeling smart for little more than the media reinforcing listeners simplest judgment.

Focusing on the simplest ideas distracts listeners from being bored. Boredom could have encouraged bored people into being more creative, more innovative. learning by mistakes, getting better at being innovative.

Rudd and all the political blar blar distractions, allows focused listeners to be dumber than if listeners had not bothered to listen.

it is difficult to think for one's self if emotions lead people to listen to go nowhere, nothing to do with listeners, media promoted news.

Keven Rudd and all other politicians are doing what religious ministers and priests do. that being to distract potential thought onto nothing.

Interactive,

I really cannot think of a single reason why I should be grateful to Rudd. I know he fooled a few people at the start, but from what I have heard about the twitterati, those million 'friends' of Rudd's were fools in the first place.

Rudd was the worst, most absurdly ridiculous PM Australia has ever had - even worse than Gillard, Turnbull, Faser and Billy McMahon. You will note that most of the real dills were non-Labor, so it is not just my political bias on show, it is not just because he was Labor that he was a total flop. Gawd knows what Bob Hawke and Paul Keating thought of Rudd, privately.

I don't think the friends and family of the victims of the pink bats fiasco would think a lot of him, either. As for the GFC he tried to spend Australia out of, had he been as smart as he thinks he is, even now, after all his blunders and failures, he would have known that Rooseveld tried the same stunt in the USA after WW11, and it did not work there, either; but ratty Rudd thought he could make if work. Such a BS artist was he, that he convinced the unaware, and the younger generation, that he 'saved Australia from the GFC when, in reality, our disciplined, safe banking system and lower debt (thanks to the Coalition) saved the day.

Still, don't let me spoil your hero worship with reality.

Well thank god for small mercies. The sensible ministers stopped this fool Turnbull making what would have been his greatest mistake, yet.

I'll bet the Labor lot are breathing a sigh of relief, Surely after inflicting the worst ever, [even worse than Turnbull is becoming] PM in history on Oz, I'm sure they would really prefer he went away quietly.

Making a fool of himself this time on a bigger world stage, would not be a good look for Labor, who did a Yes Minister to drag him from the bureaucracy in the first place.

ttbn

I hope Kevin Rudd sues for defamation of character.

These pampered pussy politicians, who have rarely done a decent days work in their entire lives, and continuously lie and cheat and deceive the public, now want to turn on one of their own, and call them "dysfunctional" or "vengeful"

What a joke that is.

And when a politician is ejected or suspended from Parliament (for being themselves), I would think they should be fined $1000 that goes to a charity.

The next ejection or suspension from Parliament by that politician, then they are fined $2000, and the next $4000, and the next $8000 and so on.

It would be a considerable amount going to charity after members of the Labor party were ejected 400 times under the leadership of the Pathetic Bill Shorten.

As for Australia being saved by Kevin Rudd, it most certainly was.

The public approval rating of the Feminist Julia Gillard had fallen to 9% (the lowest ever for a Prime Minister), and the Labor party faced annihilation at the next election.

This annihilation would have left the Abominable Tony Abbott in charge of Australia, and in charge of a one party political system.

Kevin Rudd had to be brought back to run the Labor party and save Australia.

So sue on, Kevin Rudd.

Hey interactive

You wonder "I have always thought there was something odd with the way Kevin Rudd was treated"

Rudd's leadership of all Australians, and potentially all those who inhabit our fair planet ( Earth to interactive! ), should be celebrated.

We need to recall Rudd's finest hours, with him:

- Declaring climate change the greatest moral challenge of our time and then, in 2010, dumping this politicians' faith by abandoning his commitment to an emissions trading scheme.

- Being immensly irritated when he was caught on TV apparently eating his own earwax.

- While sweeping away John Howard's WorkChoices, Rudd worked his public servants to the bone, telling them to "get over it and work harder".

- After being replaced as prime minister, Rudd developed the ability to stalk Julia Gillard anywhere, any time - including to a royal wedding - and allegedly undermined her by briefing journalists against her.

- The appearance of a video in 2012, source still unknown, showing him swearing and becoming furious at staff while fluffing his lines while recording a Chinese language message during his period as prime minister.

- Blowing up during an interview with Kerry O'Brien on ABC-TV in May 2010, declaring, "It might be easy for you to sit in 7.30 reportland and say that was easy to do. Let me tell you, mate, it wasn't," he exploded, polarising opinion between those who felt he was showing genuine fire and those who thought he was losing it.

- 4am phone calls to bewildered public servants, Rudd brainstorming, demanding a brief by 8am. Sleeples brief now written, then apparently not read, as Rudd had already moved on to other genius conquests.

Clearly your hero.

plantagenet,

So....what softies to be so repulsed by the actions of Kevin Rudd.

Do you think he should have been hugging the Chinese or Obama?

Look at this photo of Feminist Julia Gillard flirting with War Criminal Obama.

Do you think Rudd should have been doing that?

http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2012/11/20/1226520/066654-gillard-and-obama.jpg

That feminists brought Australia to the brink.

It is estimated that if she had stayed leader of the Labor party, the Labor party would have lost so many seats at the next election, they would have taken 3 to 4 elections to recover and get back within striking distance of the Liberals.

Australia would have a one party political system run by the liberal party and Tony Abbott for 9 to 12 years.

That would have been catastrophic for Australia.

And the first person Kevin Rudd should sue for defamation of character should be the Feminist Julia Gillard, for what she has said about him in public.

Oh interactive

I'll hear nothing said about dear Julia. She is the most outstanding example of Labor quality in the Universe.

Some say she had a perfectly good Welsh accent when she was at primary school in Adelaide.

But cos she had good "working class" highly paid lawyer-politician Labor career aspirations she knew she had to change her accent.

So she practiced and practised and mysteriously gained a broad cockney Orrrstraayan accent by high school - miraculous really.

After 30 years as an upper-middle class union official, lawyer-Canberra politicias she has still stoutly maintained her roots. Even though I was just an occasional...

Julia is ALP-Canberra Cockney and proud of it.

Anthony Albanese is sooooo jealous.

As you can sense by now, I'm a Labor True Believer. Like Curtin or the great Billy Hughes.

Rudd? Who cares!!

Julia and her body double Pauline? Well I'm just not in to them. Well, not willingly....

plantagenet,

I sense your undying, unfading and unethical love for Feminist Julie Gillard.

Although you must be completely jealous of War Criminal Obama, and his very close relationship to this feminist.

Australia has been forced to show ownership of Germaine Greer, and now Julia Gillard.

How totally embarrassing for Australia.

What this issue of UN Secretary-General does show is the inglorious state of politics in Australia.

If Kevin Rudd cannot be nominated as UN Secretary-general, then no politician from Australia can, not now and probably not ever.

Either they are too pro-american, or they are too feminist, or they keep their money in secret offshore accounts, or they keep getting thrown out of Parliament for contempt of Parliament and unruly behavior, or they cannot inspire anyone or anything in Australia (much less the rest of the world).

More fool the public in Australia for voting for these politicians, and encouraging them.

Hi interactive

Definitly no politician, from anywhere, should be Sec Gen of the UN. Politicians need excessive self-belief and a killer need to win.

After Dag Hammarskjöld and Thant the Sec Gens, became too inhumane, Western orientated and of questionable past.

Rudd was unacceptable to his Party, to Australians and to the unfortunates that had to work for him.

We couldn't inflict Rudd on an unsuspecting world.

Also the Chinese would have vetoed his selection. Just because Rudd spoke a language he didn't "know" 1.4 Billion people.

The haters just never cease. A man whose work ethic was to work HARD and to expect his staff and his colleagues to also work HARD for our nation. A man who world experts have said - need I list them all - that he prevented the Global Financial nCrisis damaging OUR nation. A man who was our Prime Minister twice. Whom a former Asst Sec Gen of the UN said on Saturday would make a most worthy Sec Gen. A man who understands world politics far better than most. But then he is hated by some of his more incompetent Ministers, like Garrett. Back stabbers like Shorten say nothing at all and the media allows him to get away with that cowardice. And ultra right wing media buffoons and politicians bag him senseless.

Ange

I agree

Rudd was our best chance of ever having an Australian as UN Secretary-general.

And if the other politicians dump on him, then they are dumping on themselves, because no other current politician could match him.

Or...who do we select to be UN Secretary-general?

Do we select a politician who hides his money in off shore accounts, and once owned a large number of shares in a company that carried out practices for logging and land-clearing that were widely regarded as being among the worst in the world.

Or maybe a politician who regularly lies and doubles back on everything he says.

Or maybe a politician who has been ejected out of Parliament on 43 occasions, but has never given the public an apology for his continuous disruption to a Parliament that the taxpayer funds.

Or maybe a politician who was suspended from Parliament for 24 hours for abusing other people, and not withdrawing her abusive remarks after she was told to do so by the Speaker, and then she likes to claim she was abused as a politician.

The quality of our politicians is in an abysmal state.