Hi Antiseptic,

Thank you for that analysis - I have suspected that Rudd was a psychopath, with megalomaniac tendencies, and I'm now persuaded that Gillard may be one too, but with nothing but the lowest, most opportunist tendencies.

Maybe there isn't just one sort of psychopath, but a very broad spectrum of them ? I've certainly worked with a few, and like you say, they can be charming. Watching 'The Time of Our Lives' last night, I was struck by that young counsellor's uncannily snaky behaviour - I'd be watching my back if I was Justine Clark's character. A brilliant series !

Cheers,

Joe

Lexi,

I see you have found another tiny far left political mouthpiece/blog.

Why should a polemic by an author whose sole contribution is polemics against Abbott, clarify anything for me? Especially when the article is bereft of facts, and relies solely on rumour and the author's active imagination. Quoting Rehctub or runner is equally valid.

The only point of significance that the author picked up is that the coalition's strategy has switched from the beginning of the parliamentary period where the strategy is to attack and expose the errors in the government's policies, to the election period where the point is to present an alternative government. This he has done effectively, especially with the help of Juliar's incompetence

Rudd is not in the same paddock as Gillard.
He is a better man for that.
And the people agree, have no doubt he would have cut our great losses.
And Rudd is now unlikely to run again, ever. here.
But my party, intent on trying to hide its great wrong, to him and our party *Gillard* WILL CONTINUE TO BLAME THE VICTIMS NOT THEM SELVES.
Yet hopefully for the last time ever, power brokers inside and out of my party have smashed the party for self satisfaction, to avoid the need to say we got it wrong.
So yes o sung wo, it is both who see ALP election, loss as always bar recent Victorian one, as huge loss.
Gillard could sprout wings sing like an angel, Abbott horns and look like the Devil, Australia has made up its mind, Labor has been sacrificed by its own.
Reforms must include, right to vote against the party, party membership to pick candidates, not would be party ownership.
Plans to move Sussex Street are a start, but only if it and its slugs are transfered to south America.
Policy,s forums and important matters not to remain property of power brokers and every effort to be made to stop union control of party.

Spot on, Belly, you're the Henry Lawson of 2013 !

Although I hope you stay off the grog ;) My grandfather knew and loved him, they lived near each other at The Rocks for a time.

Thank you, mate.

Joe

In the strangest way, this hung Parliament, and a few who should be hung, is going to be the tonic Labor has needed.
If after the crash, we do not shatter and break apart we will get our reforms.
And rid of many who never should have put a foot in parliament as other than tourists.
We too will find our best the future talent gone, killed off by a storm called Gillard.
After the return to sanity and Rudd is squashed under her and union boots, we will see a small lift as the election nears, in Labor polling.
Not victory and not down to Gillard.
Despite her, some will stick just and only just,because of Abbott.
I however would not bet on my generation ever seeing another Federal ALP government in our life time.
And if it is only a tarted up white wash of this days party it would only be a cruel fake in any case.
Be content my ALP we are better suffering in our enemy's hands than our own sides.
Caucus supports Gillard?
Never believe it, it is a lie .
Know however caucus acts to protect them selves to avoid ownership of knifing Rudd and know they are unaware of the term *time for all good men to come to the aid of the party*

Belly,

Maybe the economic and social changes over the past fifty years or more have inevitably 'driven' huge sections of the Anglo-Australian ex-working-class towards the conventional right - even when I started working in factories, Beaurepaires, Metters, Arnotts, in 1965, I was often the only Anglo there besides the leading hand or foreman. So for fifty years, the children of the working-class have been moving up and out, and the Labor base has been transformed.

And those populations have almost fallen, with no effort required, into the arms of the Libs, while the unions and Labor hacks have been oblivious to those fundamental social changes.

In that sense, Marx certainly got it wrong that the working-class would be increasingly immiserated, poorer each generation. Even he should have been able to see, even in his day, that industrial capitalism was constantly developing what he called the forces of production and a corollary of that process was bound to be the contantly increasing need for more qualified, educated people in the workforce.

This process was even happening out in the colonies in Africa and elsewhere, that capitalism needed more and more skilled people, lower-level bureaucrats even, but more and more of them, at higher and higher levels. Hence school systems across British Africa - in fact, soon denough, two systems, one for higher-level officials, one for the masses who needed basic literacy up to Grade 4 level: 'culturally-adapted education', they called it, racist systems through and through.

And those social changes in Australia are accelerating: the basic rationale for the Labor Party is being left further and further behind. Tradesmen become independent contractors, and move to vote Liberal. It all just drops into the Libs' arms, no effort needed.

So how to re-build a new party ? A New Party ? Hopefully, in our lifetime ?

Cheers,

Joe