Yesterday Rudd has threw his hat back in the ring for the next election, making it clear he sees a future in politics. And I would not doubt for minute that he's going to be happy with being a backbencher. All signs point toward yet another challenge from Rudd but this time it will end in the calling of an election. Upon successfully ousting Gillard, Rudd will not take on the leadership and remodel the front bench, but rather, call for an election that he hopes will deliver the mandate and stability Gillard has not been able to deliver in her well hung parliament. Punters will have a much clearer choice between Rudd and Abbott, both of them promising to break the deadlock and dysfuctionality in government.

I imagine there are more than a few Labor bbenchers staring at the ceiling and having thoughts of the same scenario.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Bring it on I say.

It will be good to rid our parliament of a few herrings, like non independant independents and radical greens.

Let's hope that Labor are that delusional.I doubt it though.Initially I thought they could be embarassed into a poll but they don't have the balls.

Aust Tax Payers Assoc will be selling plastic base ball bats at Hyde Park Syd July 1 Sunday at another CO2 tax protest.Labor are going to be decimated.Their only hope is to dump the CO2 tax.

<<[ It ] will end in [ Rudd ]...calling... an election…Punters will have a much clearer choice between Rudd and Abbott>>

And since a good number of the current problems were seeded by Rudd it will be an interesting contest.

I’m with rehctub “bring it on” .

If issues like The Malaysian (NON)Solution are so worthy yet unachievable in the current parliament.
Then the answer is simple: CALL AN ELECTION , break the deadlock.

Though I am enough of a realist to appreciate that should we get an Abbott led govt all the activitists who have been having one hell of a field day under the current regime, will throw one hell of a hizzyfit (aided and abetted by the ABC,SBS, GETUP, The Refugee Council and all the other publicly funded left wing groups)

I see no early election.
But a challenge for sure.
Maybe not Rudd maybe Bill Shorten.
It is clear both Gillard and Abbott are on thin ice.

This talk has being going on for the last 2 years, and despite Rudd's previous failed attempt it seems there is no end to this fantasy.

The next stage is to see what the effects of the Carbon Tax really are and to bring out the whole truth about the Slipper and Thomson and to compromise the Opposition in their role in these scandals.
Bogus activist groups peddling gimmicks and scaremongering won't be able to mantain any momentum over the long term if the tax is as inert as the government believes.

Those events will keep Gillard safe for some time yet and the increasingly dodgey performance of the new QLD and NSW governments will make some people consider what nasties are in store from a Federal LNP government with an overwhelming majority.

It's more likely that Turnbull will take over from Abbott to win back the womens' vote and present a more reasonable and stable candidate closer to the election.

Come on guys do any of you actually believe that the current crop of politicians possess the qualities required to provide the level of leadership needed to address present day issues. For instance they all talk about creating jobs without acknowledging that the neo-liberal mantra of de-regulation was the cause of that problem. So now the two and a half million under-employed in this country are denied the opportunity to produce our consumer goods because they can't compete with the slave labor in Asian sweatshops. The only way to redress the situation is to impose tarrifs on imported consumables to bring them into line with our internal cost structures. Dont kid yourselves that international traders aren't already benfiting greatly from exploiting the existing cost differential between labor at $2 an hour compared to our base of around $20 an hour. And what is worse is that the profits are being ripped out of the country. It could be that our politicians are too stupid to understand that Hawke and Keating tied the hands of all subsequent polies and even those that do understand, would not have the courage to institute any meaningful "reform". We dont even have an independent foreign policy,instead we cling to the skirts of America and even acquiese to the existence of the 52nd state of America at Pine Gap et.al. And don't we all love royalty and the fact that our govenor-general still holds the power to sack our governments, mind you the people who vote them in dont seem to know what they're doing. What is needed is a fresh approach to the formation of our governing bodies and for that we need to take a good hard look at the limmitations of the present constitution. This is something few people will do and certainly no government would encourage it.
Den71

<< All signs point toward yet another challenge from Rudd but this time it will end in the calling of an election. >>

Whaaat?

Rainier, that Rudd character is surely dead in the water!

Such a hopeless PM…. and such a total loser in his recent challenge.

Not happy with the esteemed position of Foreign Affairs Minister, he was compelled to resign in order to challenge Gillard, only to lose by a veritable light-year!

Boy oh boy, where would this country be if he became PM again?

That would cause enormous discontent.

Abbott is abysmal, Dillard is dismal. But Rudd is just ridiculous beyond all reason!

Carr is clearly our best choice for the next PM!

I support Juliar as head of the labor party. She is the best person to oversee a coalition landslide.

This is the sought of thinking that causes most failures in governments....Those events will keep Gillard safe for some time yet and the increasingly dodgey performance of the new QLD and NSW governments will make some people consider what nasties are in store from a Federal LNP government with an overwhelming majority.

You see, Jeff Kennet took a big stick to Victoria, turned it around and the hanger onners didn't like it, so voted him out.

Herenin QLD, the twenty years of labor abbuse, or to be fair, the last ten or so can not be fixed by being nice.

Governments must be run like businesses and, if their are too many staff, or there is waste in other areas, then cuts have to be made. It really is that simple.

The trouble is, anyone who is on the gravy train will buck against these cuts as it will effect them.

If only they could see what is best for the state/country and stop thinking of themselves, we may see some progress.

But either way, labor are doomed, evidence being in the fact that they don't have the balls to call a DD election, as they know they will be flogged.

Rudd had his chances and chose not to as the numbers were bad. Now Gillard is in the same boat, only worse.

Meanwhile, we, the tax payers sit in the borrowing $100M per day limbo land hoping that one of these independents will truly become, an independent.

Anyone who supports Rudd needs their head read!!

Why are most people thinking so damn narrowly about this?

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

Also possibly Kelvin Thomson, Stephen Smith, Craig Emerson, Greg Combet ...

Sorry Ludwig but at first I thought you said;

<< Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.>>

Hee hee hee, sorry, I just read it again and you actually DID say that.

It’s a bit like saying Napoleon made a strategic withdrawal from Russia.

Get GY to delete it before we make a copy of it.

"..the increasingly dodgey performance of the new QLD and NSW governments" - Oh yes!!

Why is Gillard referred to as "Juliar" when O'Farrell has chalked up 100 broken promises - http://wixxy.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/100-broken-promises-document-final.pdf - and Newman is likely to catch up?

The last few days have shown how ideology is far more important than people and when the chips are down, the only thing you can be sure of is that self-interest will win.

rehctub,

Governments should NOT be run just like businesses.

Businesses should be run like businesses but governments are about people and society - particularly democracies.

How does a businessman economically justify things like pensions or publicly owned assets?

There is a difference between "efficiency" and "effectiveness" and those who can't see that difference are the sort that would have handed the keys to the treasury over to somebody like Alan Bond 20 years ago simply on the basis that he was (then alleged) to be a successful businessman.

Despite the media adulation, some of us knew back then that Bond was a crook, just as some of us also know that Abbott is a puffed-up masquerading fraud.

Wobbles, I partly agree, however, governments should not be allowed to waste money, as has been the case with both falderal and QLD labor.
Examples being the revamp of Lang Park, and the Good Will Bridge, both blew out by millions, somethingnthat business would not have worn.

And of cause, the health pay roll debarcle.

No need to give examples of federal waste.

Unlike a business, these ministers are either shuffled off to a less important portfolio, or, in extreme cases they are booted.

As we speak we are about to see our miners hit with this super tax. The government says it's to spears the wealth, but I think we all know it's to plug the holes.
Either way, they are simply not finically accountable for their misshaps, unlike businesses.

@Spindoc

<<Hee hee hee, sorry, I just read it again and you actually DID say that...Get GY to delete it before we make a copy of it>>

LOL

You are a funny guy Spindoc.

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

Labor has other potentially good leaders, not least Bob Carr.

So there!

Quickly spindoc, save a copy!

BTW, you didn’t say anything about Kelvin Thomson, Stephen Smith, Craig Emerson or Greg Combet.

Whadayareckon?

Any of them got potential?

I think the point is that Labor at least does have serious alternatives.
So, let's look at the Coalition's field once Abbott gets his just desserts.
Julie Bishop - never had an original thought in her life. Just does as she's told. Oh, and stares.
Andrew Robb - serious emotional issues. Looks like a dweeb, which would be because he is one.
Joe (Shrek) Hockey - wants to be treasurer but can't remember the numbers no matter how hard he tries. Oh, and wants to introduce Hong Kong style zero safety net policies, but hasn't he guts to say so in Oz, so he says it in Europe.
Christpoher Pyne - a whining poodle, with a mediocre intellect.
Okay, there is Turnbull; he would be a good PM. Problem is the rest of the Coalition is too stupid to realize it.
'nuff said.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

<< Looks like a dweeb, which would be because he is one >>

Oow. Not nice.

But funny.

Hahahahaaaa!!

Turnbull…. and I'd add Scott Morrison, are their only reasonably intelligent people!

Labor has serious alternatives?

Whine Swan the economically illiterate treasurer, KRudd, the has been author of the boat crisis and a hundred backflips, Smith, universally loathed by his department, Shorten who agreed with his prime minister even when he had no idea what she said, and Bob Carr, the Premier that bailed on his state when the consequences of his stupid policies came home to roost, and continual foot in mouth. Besides, Juliar and KRudd have poised the well, so any ambitious pollie would be mad to take the helm of the sinking ship that is Labor.

Good try, Shad, but no cigar.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

And all of these come a distant second to John Howard.

It just goes to show how low our political standards have become. Just another race to the bottom.

That would be the John Howard who lied about children overboard, lied about the intel and took us to war in Iraq and who squandered a period of great wealth growth in Australia.
Oh, rechtub, sorry, Heh heh, I get it now; you were being ironic, right.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Bob Carr is a great and good man he like Rudd took on the power brokers.
He would have to do that again to get over the dead meat wanting Gillards job.
The choices are Shorten, but he needs time to win over the electorate so soon or not yet.
Rudd despite Ludwig's view.
Given a chance he will make it a close run race, he has learned much on the back bench and is able.
Just think, if these fleas stick with GILLARD they are no better than the Conservatives pretending Abbott is a politician!

Anton, he's the one who, along with our best treasurer in modern times, created jobs, real jobs, not under employed jobs, stimulated the economy for years, not months and left us with billions in the bank.

You know, that one.

Who ever said it was the Democrats, were down the garden path, frolicking with the fairies should take a look now.

Those Democrats have long gone. What you see down there drinking in large quantities of pixie dust, it the true blue Labor supporters. Talk about self delusion, they taking it to an entirely new level.

I suppose you can't blame them too much. It must be hard to watch something you love sinking like a stone. But fellers, go easy on the pixie juice. Better to see what's coming, & do what you can to prevent it, rather than kid your self, even as the water closes over your head.

Bob Carr has his own interests ahead of anything else. He ran NSW into the ground, and then when it looked as though voters had got tired of his empty promises, he abandons ship for a cushy banking job with all the benefits of an ex premier.