As regards "communicating with the public", Rudd's campaign literature in the last election featured a photo of him explaining tax policy differences to two "battlers" - who were, in fact, long term ALP activists and Queensland public servants who were handsomely rewarded with rapid promotion after Beattie's 1998 election victory. I'm sure that there's a message there, but it's not one which would endear Rudd to the public.

More recently, I sent Kevin (my local MP) a copy of a submission which I made to a senate inquiry on media policy. My main thrust was that policy should follow the following principles:

1. Media policy should be directed to the benefit of end-users and the community at large, rather to any particular vested interests.

2. Policy should not discriminate between modes of delivery in terms of content, geographical reach or other factors. All modes of delivery should be able to provide whatever content is technically feasible for that mode – no content should be reserved to a particular mode of delivery.

That is, with the rapid expansion of new technology and access to worldwide media, the government should not impose arbitrary restrictions and limits on content.

Kevin either didn't read my letter or failed to understand it, he responded welcoming my support for the ALP's view that media ownership should be subject to detailed restrictions. Not much communicating there, Kevin.

This is largely true. The Australian population may oppose the war on Iraq, they may have some disquiet about our treatment of asylum seekers, concerns over the lack of positive movement towards indigenous reconiliation, but when it comes to marking boxes on the ballot paper - they're interested primarily in the hip pocket nerve.

Labor needs to present a better economic model which offers greater security of employment and income and more time for family. That's what people, imo, are really after.

James,

You are wrong. Rudd is talking to Australians. He's telling them "I'm a younger (small 'c'Christian, small 'l' liberal) version of John Howard.

His other messages are:

• I'm a big M moderate

• I want to get rid of the word socialism from the Labor constitution (because I don’t know what it means)

• I know all about how to run a bureaucracy

• I grew up in a redneck town but look at me now

• I can say long words and I read foreign policy documents everyday

• My hero is a dead Lutheran no one but me knows about.

If you think he's not talking to Australians you're wrong.

If you think he's talking to traditional Laborites he is avoiding them like the plague.

He's a career techno-bureaucrat-moderate-ideologue who never threw on a footy jumper.

Our own blonde haired, Chinese speaking, Mr Bean.

Rudd shot himself in the foot when he announced his forest policy in Tasmania with a noticeably silent / absent Peter Garett. Then I found out where Rudd's wife went to school and folded that knowledge back into her business dealings and Rudd didn't look like the saviour. Faustino's posts positively scare me.

Rainier, I'll take the liberty of amending your post slightly. I'd like to add that Mr Rudd is able to speak mandarin, and rather well according to Mr Rudd himself.

You seem to be one of only a handful of Australians who missed that vital fact.

Rainier may be right in his view of what Kevin Rudd is saying to the Australian people, however it is unfortunate that the Australian people are not listening. I think the best thing about Kevin Rudd is that it gives Bill Leak an excellent opportunity to draw him as Tin Tin. I wonder if there will be a resurgence of interest in the original comic?

Reynard, I thought that Leak might have chosen that other round-headed kid with a dog, Charlie Brown. Concidentally, one of my kida taught himself to read with Tintin and Asterix books before starting school, so maybe Tinrudd will have a positive impact on declining literacy standards! Classics indeed.

James,

For heavens sake get your facts right. You said that there had been four changes of governemnt at an election since the war. In fact there were three, in 1949, 1983 and 1996. In 1975 you may remember that there had been a little bit of vice-regal displeasure on 11/11/1975, and that the government changed on that date, not at the election.

“Rudd would be best served by ignoring the suggestions of the removed elite, putting away the books, and learning a new discipline: communicating with the general Australian public.”

Kevin Rudd needs to start seeking out and listening very carefully to those who have the best overall perspectives on what needs to be done to stop Australia from accelerating on a downward spiral of quality of life issues.

He needs to listen to those with no vested interests in profit or political motives, who genuinely care about our future, such as Clive Hamilton, Tim Flannery, Ian Lowe, etc. And he needs to be very careful about the message from vested-interest big-business, political and economic mouthpieces.

He also needs to heed the message that just about everyone in the general community believes and freely expresses when they are guided in the right direction - the innate worry about environmental degradation and our ability to uphold a high quality of life with an obviously worsening environment around us.

And I’m talking about practically everyone’s innate feeling that high immigration and the continuous unending push for continuous unending growth is just completely bonkers, and is driven fairly and squarely by powerful vested-interest forces, with the aid of unscrupulous vested-interest short-term-thinking governments at all levels, and is fairly and squarely against our national interest in terms of the fundamental duty to protect quality of life and environment.

This is where Rudd’s great success potentially lies – with the forthright expression of big-picture environment and quality of life issues, and the embracement of the true heroes in this country and with the heartfelt concerns of the average constituent.

God knows the time is right to relegate the continuous growth paradigm to history and to embrace a stable sustainable society…..before it is too late. Rudd is in the prime position to be the most memorable leader in Australia for the next five hundred years if he takes up this challenge to initiate this change.

Rudd has the luxury of time - 11 months is a very long time in politics - and being a relative clean skin - even in light of "revelations" aboput Rudds form here, exposed in his time with Goss - none of that will worry the electorate at large. It has a very selective memory.

His biggest challenge wil be to forget he is a man of priciple, or at least thinks he is - principles have no longer a place in Australian politics

Sage, Thanks for that. I didn't know Manderines spoke or had a language :)
Faustino, yes i do wonder if Tin Tin comics have had a resurgence of popularity, and that little dog Snowy is a metaphor for something or someone I've yet to work out.

Wikipedia sez this about Tintin's character:

"Tintin has been cited as representing an everyman character, commentators noting his neutral manner, which is sometimes criticised as bland, as allowing balanced reflection of the evil, folly and foolhardiness."

Kinda sez it all think me.

The problem with Rudd, like every other Labor leader, is that he is beholden to old Labor policy, the factional system, and the old cronies that Labor just can't seem to shake. It was fine in the days when unions still held some power in Australia (i.e. the early to late 80's, when Hawke sold himself as a moderate who could bring together the unions and business), but nowadays any political party which is beholden to the union movement will not survive, since the old hoary values of unions are no longer congruent with normal aspirational Australians.

Kevin is falling into the same trap as Latham (even though he is approaching the trap from a different direction). While any Australian will grumble about the possible implications of WorkChoices and how terrible our pro-US policy is (because it's fashionable to do so), they will still vote for the government that has credibility when it comes to economic management. Also, the Australian public has always been cautious when it comes to 'intellectuals' (cf. John Hewson).