Couple of things Belly. I am dyed in the wool Liberal. If I was asked who I preferred I would say Rudd just to hobble Labour. Lesson one do not trust your enemies to help you because they will not!
Every professional criminal knows to never plead guilty and delay the legal process for as long as you can. This is because things can come out of left field and you are off!
Same in politics, you never know what fortune can bring you. Mind you the flaw in the second statement is that Craig Thompson could plead guilty or that the two NSW sleazes could be arrested in August.
Sorry Belly no sympathy I suggest you go with Rudd, refer my previous comments.
And before you complain about me again I humbly apologise to the whole world lol.

Dear Belly,

There was a time when I felt some sympathy for the rusted on ALP supporters. You ask the question “Why is the ALP backing Gillard”? Answer, they are not but the Union leadership is and at least 75% of Australians don’t care either way.

The socialist elites took control of your beloved Union movement a long time ago and now run them as officials. Through patronage, cronyism and voting clout they have now taken over the ALP and caucus. They remain unrepresentative with 13% of the general workforce and 19% if you include public sector Union membership. Yet the ALP ministerial representation within government is 90% union heritage. What is it you find so difficult to grasp?

The Union membership is like a flock of sheep being fleeced. It is so easy to continue to follow a 100 year old ideology because no cognitive skills are required, you just follow.

The Unions still blow hard on attacking the bosses, big business, Banks, big oil and mining and yet you fail to see that the main culprits of ripping off the Union memberships is the Union leadership itself. When the HSU, Obeid and AWU rips offs hit the press, where are your membership? You’re like a bunch of Turkeys cheering on Christmas.

The Australian electorates have had enough of the divisive, vexatious, wasteful, centralized and power hungry ALP politics. We put you on notice in NSW, then QLD and now WA. You are still not listening and continue bleat about your own internal machinations. Great, this will get the ALP wiped off the electoral map for generations.

Keep up the good work, keep Gillard, you can have Kevin, your welcome to Shorten and we look forward to seeing much more of your ALP MP’s when the Royal Commission begins next year.

Spin doc do you know I agree?
Yes men in suits have taken over the ALP, and no hiding it, strange do you understand only few here know?
Know my life,s love drove the bus that ran over Rudd.
Forgive me folks, but putting this subject up bought out denials, see some, both see the death of Labor, based on the polls.
BUT ignoreing the fact.
Rudd is much loved, OUTSIDE the Parliament!
He , with no doubt, could have reduced our loss, at the least.
So, any answers? so far I see comments, personal views and biases, how do we ignore the question why?
Look with me to September the 15th.
Post train wreck, already plans are in place to put the head knife man in Gillards shoes.
By then, by God I hope! some of the leftist NSW FILTH, sponsored by? left to kill my party by? Sussex Street right!
Will be in prison, Labor in 2007 faced calls it could not be trusted with the economy, GFC and all we wiped that out.
In 2016 we will confront t5he miss use of power of factions and be back to 1970, faceless heart less and brain less self serving men.
Tell me, how did the suits kill the working mans best friend, and how any ALP voter can be conned by them they axed Rudd because he wanted reform.
davidf a truth, your kind heart is blinding you, post election it will be clear Labor will linger in opposition for at least a decade and look back at lost opportunity we see today.

Well Belly I hope Labour remain in opposition for ten years or more but I would not count on it! The larger the defeat the more hangers on you will lose and then you will get more people of principal in Labour and they will soon be forgiven. For God's sake Labour ruined Victoria and yet the bleating about Jeff Kennett and what he HAD to do is still going on.
Here is a tip, stop the corruption of voting and ensure members vote for good representatives not shifty little club.
Oh by the way the GFC is going to come back. Mark my words you aint seen nothing yet and Australia will be in as much of the brown stuff as the rest of the world.INMO.

Dear Belly,

I do feel for you and I appreciate your honesty. You ask how did the men in suits take over, how did this happen?

It happened by stealth, so slowly that most of those rooted in the foundations of the Unions and ALP never saw it coming. Blinded by ideology rather than thinking for yourselves your membership always and perhaps still do, take the view that the Union movement and the ALP have the best interests of the “working person” at heart.

This was achieved by “selling” an old ideology, to which most of the left would respond, when in fact the new paradigm is more to do with the power and authority of a different ideology.

You and your fellow Trade Union membership have been used and abused. It is no longer about “you”, it is now about “them”. Their power, their state pensions, their prestige and their ability to use your support for their self interests are all that count.

When did the Trade Union movement ever represent such values? The answer is never because the Trade Union movement was founded on the principles of fighting against such values. The Trade Union movement, to its eternal credit, always represented the best interests of those employed by the man. It fought tooth and nail for reforms that were specifically for the benefit of the membership. I have absolutely no problem with that and in that respect they did a fantastic job.

I find it very sad that the principles against which you fought have now been adopted by those who seek to represent you, your own. The leadership of the Trade Unions now have their snouts in the trough of the very “corporate pigs” that you once fought against, you have been sold out by the principles of self interest.

It is now up to the movement itself to recognize and act against those who have usurped your trust, distorted it to their own benefit and trashed the values you once held close to your hearts.

Well Belly I wouldn't give up just yet. They still have another 6 or 7 months to go.