Julia Gillard is not riding on the back of a Rudd like popularity wave.
At a time mud and some lost acts of its own has the ALP low in the polls it is Tony Abbott's back she rides on.
His unpopularity is Gillards rocky seat, for now.
She was welded at the hip to Mark Latham, Simon Crean, she still trys to put that rather stupid Hunter member who took Chinas gifts back on the front bench, he above all was a Latham clone/drone.
My party needs far better,next month the slide to most states,the roots of the ALP being in other hands.
We should have dominated Rudd, he did it to us,it is our heritage to confront bad bosses.
He was on the wrong trail but better than this,I ASK this, as we continue to not stick with policy's was Gillard in his Cabernet just as bad at being gutless?
However this tent has had enough repairs it looks like a bag of rags,just waiting to be what we thought Rudd was/could have been is Bill Shorten.
I feel Australia wants an end to hung Parliaments fighting over nothing devision rather than unity.
This big world confronts us all,we could by chance or as is written be at war next year and we fight like bad school kids in Parliament for what?
Read the form, see the storys behind the news do not be surprised this time,, it is on leadership change .

Belly what is more worrying, a wooden demeanour or an angry and aggressive one.
There is nothing for Labor to gain in knifing as you say PM Gillard at this time. It would mean years in Opposition, and I believe that the one thing that Labor members share is a healthy self preservation mechanism, including Mr. Rudd.
I do not believe that Mr. Shorten will be the next Labor leader. There are many more worthier in the Labor team. If he is promoting himself, as some media rumours seem to be implying he needs severe censure.

Flo,

I personally don't know that much about Bill Shorten. But I would just like to bring it to your attention that not all "worthy" and long serving politicians are leadership material. Many politicians are good at being part of a team - when you think about it, most are like that and only a handful shine with leadership promise.
When Bob Hawke parachuted into the picture, it could have been said that there were many in Labor's shadow ministry who were worthy and long serving who should have been allowed a crack at the leadership - not the least of those being Bill Hayden....yet, we knew without a doubt that Hawke was the one.
It was for this same reason that Malcolm Turnbull rose rapidly through the ranks to briefly take the Liberal leadership (watch this space).
Tony Abbott doesn't shine with the same sort of quality, and only achieved his present status because Costello decided to jump ship.
Unfortunately, under Howard's watch, there was very little thought as to a successor other than Costello - when he went, the dearth of leadership talent was obvious.

What is certainly true, is that behind every good PM is a good treasurer/deputy/thinker if you like, as was the case with Hawke/Keating, Howard /Costello and so on.

This doesn't have the same electoral appeal today with Gillard/Swan or Abbott/Hockey as the alternative choices. Although you would have to say, that Swan for the most part has been a good treasurer. His tenure has endured the GFC and now the floods/disasters etc are his next challenge. It's not all doom and gloom as portrayed by the opposition harpies.

Tony Windsor on Insiders this morning referred to the parliament, not the Gov't as the place where the action is. He also predicted that this Parliament would go the full term. He also mentioned progress made on the NBN and climate change, calling them the big issues.
I felt re-assured by this, despite Andrew Bolt's assessment that Tony had warmed to Tony.
Tony Abbott is intent on wrecking the NBN and is a climate change sceptic. I don't see any commonality between Abbott and Windsor there.

Flo, I too see Labor in opposition should they execute Gillard at this point.
And Belly I don't think Shorten is the messiah

Poirot, I was not thinking of the old brigade, I was thinking of some who came into parliament in the last four years, Mr Combet for one.

Flo,

Fair enough :)