Given Shorten's statement that he will support Rudd, it is clear that Gillard is gone.

While I regret that Gillard will duck facing the wrath of the voters, I relish Rudd explaining why he started the boats.

So Gillard is gone then Shadow Minister!
Aren't you just the tiniest bit worried that Rudd may change his party's fortunes before the election now?
Abbott has never been a popular leader...

It was sad to see Gillard voted out and Rudd appointed as leader. While I understand the fears about losing seats at the next election, I hope Labor does not live to regret their poll-fuelled decision.

In the short-term if it means losing less seats to the LNP to avoid the perils of a majority parliament (as under Howard) then not all is lost, however the flaws in Kevin Rudd's leadership most likely have not changed.

A commentator was once asked why Kevin Rudd is so popular with the electorate but not liked by a large number of his colleagues. The reply was because 'the electorate have never had to work with him'. Graham Richardson once wrote in Crikey that Rudd was the most disliked man in his own party, that he never listened or consulted with Cabinet colleagues. As for the backbench or leaders of other parties, independents he basically ignored them. This sort of approach is arrogant and self-serving. His attitude to the public service and lack of respect and consideration to others is well known.

One hopes that Kevin Rudd has genuinely learned from his experiences and will come to the job with a greater sincerity and a more professional approach to the administration of the important office of PM. To steal from Jane Austen "... and hope that he endeavours to deserve (it)"

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/gillards-downfall-reforms-poor-form-did-battle-20130626-2oxm2.html
A poll is running at the bottom of this link.
61% of readers thing Labor can now win the election.
That fact, that some one is now driving Labors Bus, must be of concern to SM.
Truth however can not be ignored.
Last nights events humbled those who knifed Rudd.
Impacts will be with us for a decade.
But last night was a EUREKA moment for me and middle Australia.
We took back possession of our party.
Union heads, both lost grip on the party and face a humble pie that both chokes them and embarrasses them.
We now face a chance, very big as we will see of victory.
Not every union, not most unions, but one for sure propped up the shanty that was leading us to the cliff.
ASU Australians Services Union polled those that matter, its members 36% said they intended to vote Labor.
18% more said they would vote Labor if Rudd returned, telling!

Yes, Belly, it's interesting. I'm one of those 18 % who vowed not to vote Labor under Gillard.

I will vote Labor under Rudd.

Rudd said last night that he didn't want to stand by and see an Abbott government delivered "by default".

I think he was right on target with that assessment.

So perhaps now Abbott and his team will have to come up with a more positive spiel - and not just hurl criticism at the government. So far they've been able to sit back and provide a negative commentary, and they seemed to be set to sail into government with not a skerrick of visionary narrative to be seen.

I look forward to Mr Abbott turning over a new leaf and waxing lyrical on his positive vision for Australia with "practicalities" included.

Here we go again, Rudd will endeavour to win election with rhetoric, just like 2007.

For myself, one of the most overrated leading politicians I have seen

Chris,

Quite funny, really.

On the one hand, we've got a man strong on rhetoric (what else wins an election?) and on the other we have a man who's been going out of his way not to say too much - because of his penchant for foot-in-mouth (although I have a feeling he won't be able to keep up that charade for too much longer)

Interesting times

Poirot,

They've stuck a new talking head on the rotting corpse of Labor. How long does it take for everyone to remember that the reason he was removed, was that he was an ego centric control freak, that gave Aus the 3 biggest deficits in history, wasted huge amounts of money on the BER debacle, the pink batts, started the boats crisis, and gave us a useless mining tax, along with a raft of other bad policies.

Poirot, I would vote for anyone other than Abbott.
Shadow Minister, as you probably remember, Rudd was unpopular with his party members, but quite popular with the Australian people.
Obviously, many of his party have changed their mind about Rudd.
Can you say the same about Abbott?

Yada, yada, yada, SM

Perhaps now Mr Abbott will find the impetus to actually say something of substance.

As in, he can't expect now to just glide into government - he's gonna have to start rowing!

It's easy to slam Abbott for not saying much of substance, but what have our ALP Members of Parliament had to offer? Their campaign to date (and it is a campaign, even if the official campaign hasn't been launched) has focused entirely on the notion that Australia will collapse under Abbott. They've been playing the 'better the devil you know' argument, and they've just replaced the devil we know.

Honestly, I've had enough of both sides. The LNP plays the devil's advocate and the perpetual nitpicker, while the ALP plays the dual games of fear and blame. The last election showed that policies before an election are meaningless after the counting is done; this one shows that they (both sides) are aware of that and couldn't be bothered coming up with any policies that are worth the paper they're written on until they've secured a term in government. Make no promises, and you can't be accused of lying.

Sorry, Otokonoko,

I suppose it's a bit rude to demand that an alternative leader shows some vision.

Let's face it, we all know how the game of politics is played - both majors wax and wane on policy initiative.

My point is that because of the dynamics alive regarding Gillard and the electorate, Mr Abbott has been allowed a free ride.

That's not healthy for domestic politics.

Maybe now that the Opposition's and media fear campaign on Gillard worked they might need to work a bit harder to actually put their policies on the table. I guess that is one good thing if one must find a silver lining.

Australian voters need to be able to compare LNP and ALP policies side by side rather than this wasted time on vitriolic politics and personal hatreds.

Stop worrying and procrastinating.
You still have Bob "BigHat", Pauline the "Chipmonger" and "Big" Clive Palmer out there rooting for us.
At least we'd have a "fun"Parliament rather that "hung" Parliament.

Last night, watching praying that I would miss nothing of the state of O.
This morning wishing I had.
I actually cried,no water fall but true cried, with joy.
My party,s victory was only half in the return of Kevin.
The hidden truth, that factions and knife welders had to not by talking, but by their actions say sorry we got it wrong.
But not for trade unionists owned folk like me.
Not for faction members who are only there to vote as told, like me once.
But for every one who wants other than a Liberal government, I am happy.
Last night we said our party is no longer the toy of the faceless , not really these days we know them, men and women who valued their power more than my party.
No way back for them, they made the slippery slope they floundered on.

'Australian voters need to be able to compare LNP and ALP policies side by side rather than this wasted time on vitriolic politics and personal hatreds.'

This is Australian voters you're talking about? Never seen much of that before.

I'm looking forward to the resurrection of grocery watch, and fuel watch, and another Twenty20 summit.

You can't trust the Australian voters. They will vote with their brains their hearts their wallets and the feet. You watch. Remember you get what you vote for.

SM good thread mate.
I take it to be a warning to Abbott?
Insightful and well thought out.
Polling on the night said ALP49.5% Liberals 50.5.
In just 12 hours?
Yes yesterdays question time your team looked like badly behaved school kids.
Turnbull however looked statesman like, surrounded by kids.
Very right, Abbott could be knifed , by Turnbull, or more likely the adults in your party concerned about bad behavior by the kids.

Belly,

We will see. We always knew that Labor would get a bounce, simply because Juliar was so despised and untrustworthy. This is similar to the 6 point bounce that Labor got when they knifed Rudd. This also disappeared before the election.

As someone pointed out, the bookies still have loooong odds on a labor win.

In usual form I saw KRudd go through an entire question time without answering a single question. Is this your idea of a good performance?

Oh yes, SM, it was simply stunning that not one of the "questions" pertained to constructive dialogue - or in any way, shape or form broached the business of parliament.

P,

So the boats crisis is no business of parliament? I guess Labor would like to pretend it isn't happening.

I did mention the term "constructive" dialogue.

I think there's probably a TAFE course available for those in Opposition who haven't had to resort to such exigences in the past three years.

What do you reckon, SM?

The Opposition now have to put in some effort...I mean "real effort".

It'll do them good to receive a tickle-up - can only sharpen their pretension to wits.

'I think there's probably a TAFE course available'

Not for long

Why is that, Houellie?

Have the Opposition released their first policy?

P,

By constructive I guess you mean those fawning sycophantic "questions" by labor stooges that enables Rudd to drone about endless trivia. It looks like all Labor MPs passed their 3 year TAFE course in pointless questions and talking without saying anything.

The liberals have release plenty of policies, as for costing policies, considering that Labor's budget figures (upon which the costing is supposedly based such as the mining tax delivering $2bn p.a.) have been wildly fantastical, there is nothing for the coalition to work with.

Considering that Labor have overspent every budget, Labor cannot claim to have one costed policy.

SM,

Are you suggesting that fawning sycophantic questions during question time by the government is the recent construct of the Labor party?

Fawning sycophantic questions by those in government have been the natural order of things for yonks. I sat through the exact same behaviour from those in the Howard government for years.

It's merely the way it's done.

My eleven year-old was watching question time this week - and I had to explain to him that the questioning would come in alternate fashion from government members and then from the Opposition - that one would be friendly and the next one would be unfriendly and vice versa.

SM in away my win has already seen me join the que and collect.
We may not win, it will be close we both know that.
Just as you and I prod each other verbally we know the true nature of politics.
A HIGH WATER MARK for the ALP this day, Rudd took out his verbal stick to thrash the NSW FILTH we will pay dearly for their actions , watch next months spotlight on them.
But at some level you know as I do Abbotts clean run is over Rudd like or loath is his match and more.
Gave the punt away after I left work can always break out.
I think the odds are about 5 to 4 on Rudd winning, because every day that passes sees Abbott falling over his own words.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/about-town/waxed-off-20130628-2p1a9.html#poll

P,

Rudd's inability to answer a single hard question from the opposition on issues of real importance to the country shows that Labor's policy cupboard is bare. Rudd has no new policies, no differentiation from Juliar, only a different talking head.

As for fiscal rectitude, all we see is new Labor spendathons on the horizon in Gonski and NDIS.

Belly,

Rudd was fired for incompetence last time, while everyone prefers him over the deceitful Juliar, no one thinks that he is competent to run the country.

TAFE is on it's dying days sadly Poirot. Not everything is a dig. You're really fired up lately

Houellie,

Yeah - it's probably hormonal : )

.......

SM,

"...hard questions....."

Well, no...it was more like the same old grenades filled with highly explosive faux-outrage that the Opposition have been lobbing with monotonous regularity and reasonable success during the last three years.

I doubt if they'll have the same sort of blast range now as they once had.

They're now required to fill them with something of substance.

So Rudd's strategy is to ignore the hard questions? Head in the sand, pretend that it is too hard and that the libs didn't solve the problem a decade ago.

His name should be Kevin deficit boat Rudd.

>>Live by the Knife, Die by the Knife.<<

I live by the local supermarket...

Doesn't bode well for me.

Cheers,

Tony

I would be more worried living near a Labor MP.

With Mr Rudd Labour will win the election for sure. I have total faith in Mr Rudd. For awhile I thought Abbot might just have a big chance, but no more, now with Mr Rudd in charge! As its said in tennis, game set and match to the Labour Party!

misanthrope,

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Juliar got a bounce when she knifed Rudd, that had gone by the election.

No one has forgotten the smorgasbord of stuff ups that Labor has given us over the last 6 years.

You might be right shadow Minister, I hope you are not, but one cant tell in all these political fights they all have. At least with Mr Rudd we will all have a direction in which to all follow, where with Ms Gillard she seem not to have much vision for this country.