Scout I will try to explain my reasons, first nothing matters to me nothing at all more than an ALP goverment.
It is my view that will come from the right only at this point in history.
I do not fear that as much as a conservative goverment should I?
Gillard is not the best our left has to offer John Faulkner may well be.
Now Bill Shorten? I am from the AWU and long standing at that, and watched Bill long before others talked about his future.
He understands politics and people ,he has been well groomed for a leadership roll and in time may well be our Tony Blair.
Remember Labor in power can do much of worth, in opersition? zero.
Gillard has talent but it is best used other than spliting the party, our direction has to be mainstream or we die.
While Bills time may not be yet even many oposed to him now will be on his team within 5 years
regards.
ps I do not think union officials always make good in the house, Bill has my support because of him not the union.

Belly, Shorten is just a Kmart version of Latham for gods sake. And so was Latham.

Remember the great unwashed out there, while mostly politically reactive , are seasoned mediai consumers and the Murdock/Packer media know what they like and don't like.

Gillard and Ruedd are consistently the only ones I see on my idiot box taking the fight, indeed becoming the face of Labor.

This might seem very insignificant now, but a month out from a Federal election ? Familiarity means heaps.

Who knows Shorten besides Stephen Conroy and the other 'fixers' Labor has scuttling around like cockroaches in Labor party branches?

So while we might like bloke or that bloke (they are usually blokes)
Its who the punters out there reckon is a good fella just before they pencil in their ballot.

And the majority of them are not union people at all.

As the eldest of 16 children my education could have stoped as I left school at less than 12 years of age it did not.
I may miss spell and not use gramma well but at least I learn daily from the world I live and work in.
Those who throw themselves in front of any camera like Rudd are known but cameras do not always get offered to Smith, Shorten or Joe average in construction lunch sheds around Australia.
They told me about the Latham train wreck months before that event, they had no need I had almost been thrown out of the ALP for telling of it.
Have no fear a leader will be in place by mid next year, by end of this year in fact.
It may not be Shorten but my views of him are based on real knowledge and information about him ,not pre fab views based on nothing at all.
Gillard has nothing to offer the leadership of the ALP other than another train wreck.

Belly

I always enjoy the sincerity of your posts. However, you do not convince me that Shorten is the answer. And I don't know if Gillard is either - I just wanted your perspective. I agree she is talented - I have listened to her in parliamentary question time and she is a swift, clever and intelligent debater - the ALP needs a lot more like her.

Shorten strikes me more as a 'play by the numbers' polly. I do not doubt he also has talent, but what the ALP needs is a charismatic and visionary leader and I'm not too sure that one exists at present. Such a leader would pull the factions together. I am not opposed to the factions per se, after all it is the very diversity that enables Labor to represent many people. However, Beazley simply lacks the leadership skills to combine them into an effective whole.

Apart from perverse tenacity; John Howard does have the skill to maintain control over the Libs - he effectively scuttles those whose ideology doesn't fit with his - watch Petro Georgio disappear. I don't agree with this paternalistic style of leadership - but it is effective.

Therefore another skill a Labor leader needs is the ability to work in a collaborative manner - this will bring the factions together. Can Shorten do this?

Regards

Belly,

Just a little example to prove that you may be making the mistake that the ALP has made for the past 3 elections... you don't appear to be listening.

At the moment you are the only one selling "Shorten" as a good person to lead the ALP. The majority here have said that Gillard and Rudd are more likely candidates. The main reason is that they have a track record in politics. Track records are very important... Beazley's has allowed him to lose two elections already.

I know it is a very small sample but what the others and I have been saying is that we need a strong opposition and we need one NOW!

Gillard/Rudd offer this immediately. They are the ones leading the fight and are proven performers. In general taking a punt doesn't work in politics. The non-Union Australian voter will be cautious regarding Shorten and rightly so.

If you don't want to see Labor in opposition after the next election you had better take a step back and have a look at the arguments put forward here. Labor is a weakened outfit under Beazley... and Gillard/Rudd offer your only way forward.

Scout Shorten can pull the team together and beleave me he can pull votes.
Opiniated2 I am indeed listening but not buying what you are selling.
Australia is not in need of a strong opersition, we need a strong Labor goverment and a weak conservative opersition to undo the damage.
Gillard would end my lifetime love and membership of the ALP at this point in time we the ALP need to look at Tony Blair and see Australian Labor has no other path to goverment.
Please folks I have to ask how can anyone who expects us to beleave what they post thinks I am the only one calling for a Shorten leadership?.
He has many followers but many more will come.
Another question are we to give Howard another 3 years because Gillard has ambitions that will never come to pass?
And given a choice new Labor or no Labor would you inflict the latter on us?
In twelve months Labor will be close to goverment have faith our best friends are the conservatives who are over confident and prone to lie.