Paul Kelly touches delicately and indirectly on a possible solution to the dilemma that the Labor Party is in - since it isn't big enough for BOTH Gillard and Rudd at the same time, pressure them to BOTH retire from politics. NOW.

A Gillard- and Rudd-free Labor Party would allow it, after a painful few years in the wilderness, to get its act together again. In ten years, Shorten and Combet and other survivors will still be in their fifties, and hopefully able to work together for the good of the Party, and of the country.

Jo

Good Morning Everyone,

When I stated that "voters usually will get it
right in the end," it wasn't an original thought.
I quoted from Peter Coleman's Preface to, "The
Costello Memoirs," Coleman talking about
politicians in general told us that, "Whatever
they maya say, most of them (i.e. pollies) do
not go into Parliament to bring about particular
reforms, they go in because they find the life
irresistible. They want to be in it all their lives.
They enjoy its exhilarating highs and take its
miserable (and tedious) lows in their stride.
They face long years in the wilderness with equal
equanimity. They take for granted the slander of
fools. They also believe that the voters will get
it right in the end. Their day will come. They
are politicians in the way others are poets.
They can't help themselves..."

Of course there are politicians who are not like
that. To whom all of that stuff is the excuse of
the seat-warmer, the hack, the careerist, or at
best the adventurer. They belong to a different
parliamentary tradition - and as dear onthebeach
pointed out - they exist on all sides of politics.

However, at present I have to admit that I am
somewhat disappointed by the current state of
affairs in our political system. And, I think that
I'm not alone.

Lexi yes agree.
Some things need airing, the see saw nature of the polls is telling us both leaders are not the one the country wants.
This up and down nature may see a less than landslide win for Liberals.
We first must ignore the votes of almost every one here.
Those votes are fixed and always have been.
At play on my side is self interest,!those miffed at Rudd,s demeanor, but not enough to say so earlier, want to ride the ship right to the sea bottom.
They see defeat as better than saying we got it wrong.
Unpalatable, but true, Gillards fate is assured, not by those thinking she lied, most of them are conservative or unable to think it out.
She is doomed because unlike me, many will not reward her knifing Rudd this time.
Many males just will not vote for her ever, because she lacks that something needed to highlight her as leader.
Time exists for change, in both sides.
If asked for a straw to grasp? other than Rudd.
Then climate change is that straw, beach side erosion is already turning some to believers, world wide flooding and storms too.
By September, just maybe, denial-ists will not be so clearly heard.

Belly in that post you are making that standard Labor mistake. You are telling others why they do something. This is such a recipe for failure & you all keep doing it.

You put yourself on the road to failure when you don't find out the real reason you are loosing voters. You really do have to stop talking, & listen some times. That is listen with your hearts, rather than ears. When you really don't understand where we are coming from, you'll have trouble appealing to us.

For me, & most of my friends, Rudd has nothing to do with it. Most of us despise him from when we saw him knifing Beasley. Get him off our TV screens & in no time he'll be forgotten. He is no more memorable than that other one, Latham was it?

Getting rid of Rudd was a plus for Gillard, at first, as was her trying to get some sense into education. I was prepared to like her.

Then came the carbon tax, & the continual lies & vote buying with crazy ideas, with our money, & she'd lost it.

It might be hard, but you need someone who is nice. Another Beasley, someone who we could actually like & admire, & a lady is fine, just no more harpies.

To help you, I'll start it off, "LEXI for PM". So there you are, now get it rolling.

I would say that the rising cost of living is causing the most pain and is the first issue for voters. The full effect is hidden in all sorts of changes by both sides of politics but especially by user pays and withdrawal of some services.

Hasbeen,

Lexi for PM ? In an ideal world, maybe. But she may be too good for a real world, too inclined to see the good in everybody.

So that might be the cruellest thing to do to such a beautiful person.

Maybe what the Labor Party needs right now is the replacement of Gillard and the simultaneous expulsion from the party of both Gillard and Rudd. Clear the decks and get rid of the faction system altogether, and work together to re-build.

Just a boozy thought :)

Joe