rehctub - What you mean is just when they see the iceberg the captain says who wants to take over the SS Titanic.

Never mind all the backstabbing stories, the real reason Rudd was dumped was because he was impossible to work with - from his staff as well as his Ministers. His micromanagement style led to numerous policy backflips when things didn't go the way he wanted them to.

There has been an election since that time and Gillard became the elected PM.

Likewise Turnbull was dumped because he ignored his National Party partners and, like Rudd, refused to take advice from others.

Both have egos too large to manage and both are irrelevant in the current campaign.

Rache is right as far as I am concerned Belly.

There were very good reasons why Rudd was 'knifed', and Gillard was by no means alone in that decision.

So I don't see Labor backing Rudd for a return at the top job, no matter what the opinion polls say, because they are the ones who have to work closely with him.

I believe Gillard will remain at the helm until the election, and then she will be voted out soon after.
Maybe Bill Shorten, for want of any better choices...

Dear Belly,

You ask, "Why is the ALP backing Gillard?"

My guess would be that she's done a good job in
holding together a diverse and quite difficult
group of votes in the Senate and House of Reps
and has pursued the business of government with
some efficiency with many bills going through
unopposed and many others passed with narrow margins.

In that sense her role as head of the executive process
of government has been impeccable, so why wouldn't the
ALP continue to back her?

Fixing the problems of the ALP requires more than changed
leadership. The control by party machine men and relying
on bad research to justify egregious policies that prove
the government is tougher than the opposition would
still be there if the PM was removed or left.

The PM has many characteristics to be admired.
She has a strong sense of who she is, what she stands for,
many negotiator skills, the ability to stay cool and
collected under considerable pressure, a good parliamentary
performer, and I suspect a warm personality up close.

It would be way too easy to blame her for the general behaviour
and direction of the party she formally leads. She is not
solely responsible for the mess Labor is in at present.
She was not responsible for the disposal of her predessor.
That only proves the power of the party itself.

Dear Suseonline,

You can get a hint of what will happen from the following movie titles: "The Return Of Rudd", "The Son Of Rudd", "The Rudd and I".

Ruddly Do Right is hated by his own party because of his treachery and self indulgent narcissism.Labor's lack of talent and fidelity is reflected by this reality.They have no one of any credibility to replace the two most incompentant lying treacherous leaders we've seen since Federation.

The biggest fear of the ruling elites is that their puppet Labor will be replaced by a party that truely represents the people.