She can't win, and he can't topple her

[silverfaun]

Another 2 weeks of hell & political writhing in agony for the Australian people while good governance goes begging.

She can't win, and he can't topple her

THE Labor leadership is locked into a bizarre stalemate where Julia Gillard no longer has enough numbers in the ALP caucus to remain Prime Minister yet Kevin Rudd hasn't enough to justify taking her place.

In this limbo, Gillard is too stubborn to step down and Rudd too wary to step up.

It's impossible to say how it will end and painful to watch.

Australia faces the prospect of the last two parliamentary sitting weeks of this minority government being distracted and overshadowed by what happens within Labor.

Crucial policies and legislation - such as the hugely expensive and wide-reaching Gonski education reforms - are being dealt with in a doubtful and surreal air. Indeed, the education reforms and the touchstone issue of asylum-seekers are becoming political weapons in the increasingly desperate leadership contest.

The prospect of an election earlier than September 14, perhaps as early as August 3, is capturing the full attention of the public and MPs who are watching the unfolding uncertainty with equal bafflement.

Yet it is possible Labor will go through the next two weeks without resolution, sinking further in the polls towards devastation and being unable or unwilling to remove Gillard or strike down Rudd once and for all.

While hard-heads on both sides remain sceptical of claimed shifts in numbers, there is no doubt there has been a change in sentiment and there is evidence Gillard knows she is at her most vulnerable in three years.

There is no carpet bombing of Rudd as in previous challenges because of fears he could be leader next week and the Prime Minister's backers are running campaigns against Rudd on the basis of dumping the Gonski education reforms - which he denies - and being "soft" on asylum-seekers.

Previous challenges have been preceded by public name-calling to damage Rudd's future and confident dismissal of any chance of his success, not the virtual silence and defensive arguments as we approach the fateful third anniversary of Rudd's removal.

by: Denis Shanahan

[para-sights]

This happens virtually  with every incumbent prime minister who is dying in the polls. Howard was too stubborn to give it to Costello. (Might add his ego too - no doubt wanted to go for the longest serving PM) - the same will happen to Abbott eventually and any successive government no matter who heads it.

[catsnknots]

With Howard I honestly think there was an unequal division between the Costello and Howard parties with Howard having more people believe he could do it again. 

However I do not think that the majority of Labor MP's think that Gillard can pull it off... I think that the majority think that Rudd can save their skin... 

The problem is that they do not really like him and have publicly said so. 100% of the cabinet would need to go if Rudd came in as they said bad things... 

It is too late for any change to Rudd. 

[silverfaun]

Yes, a crippled PM is replaced, but Howard was not crippled or discussed in the media, there was no politic about him at all.

The vox poluli & media is rampant with news every day about the Rudd/Gillard death struggle, I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime.

I don't agree that every sitting PM is replaced, I think John Gorton was replaced in the turmoil of the lead up to the Whitlam disaster & Labor has replaced more leaders than Conservatives but that's not the point here.

The poisonous atmosphere we are witness to with this titanic struggle & the awful undermining by Rudd, of Gillard, is of a  magnitude I haven't seen before.

Labor are paralysed to repair the immense damage this man has wreaked on Labor, he will not stop until he destroys Gillard, this is his raison detr'e in life, I think we can all agree on that.

[lakeedge]

I agree Cat, it's far too late for any change & a change back to Rudd, after what he did to the party, is unthinkable in Labor's eyes.

People forget just what a toxic bore, total nightmare &  narcissist he is. The Milky Bar Kid personna is only on show for the media, in private he is a foul  human being.

[***super_nova***]

The poisonous atmosphere we are witness to with this titanic struggle & the awful undermining by Rudd, of Gillard, is of a  magnitude I haven't seen before.

And while all this is being thrashed in the media, nobody pays any attention to the achievements of this government under the extremely difficult conditions of the hung parliament.

Compiled by John Lord in an article called "Judging Gillard and the Labor Government"
Quote: "ALP achievements/bills since they came to office in 2007.

• NBN (the real one) – total cost $37.4b (Government contribution: $30.4b)
• BER 7,920 schools: 10,475 projects. (completed at less than 3% dissatisfaction rate)
• Gonski – Education funding reform
• NDIS/DisabilityCare
• MRRT & aligned PRRT
• Won seat at the UN
• Signed Kyoto
• Signatory to Bali Process & Regional Framework
• Eradicated WorkChoices
• Established Fair Work Australia
• Established Carbon Pricing/ETS (7% reduction in emissions since July last year)
• Established National Network of Reserves and Parks
• Created world’s largest Marine Park Network
• Introduced Reef Rescue Program
• National Apology
• Sorry to the Stolen Generation
• Increased Superannuation from 9 to 12%
• Changed 85 laws to remove discrimination against same sex couples
• Introduced National Plan to reduce violence against women and children
• Improvements to Sex Discrimination Act
• Introduced Plain packaging of cigarettes
• Legislated Equal pay (social & community workers up to 45% pay increases)
• Legislated Australia’s first Paid Parental Leave scheme
• Established $10b Renewable energy fund
• Legislated Murray/Darling Basin plan (the first in a hundred years of trying.)
• Increased Education funding by 50%
• Established direct electoral enrolment
• Created 190,000 more University places
• Achieved 1:1 ratio, computers for year 9-12 students
• Established My School
• Established National Curriculum
• Established NAPLAN
• Increased Health funding by 50%
• Legislated Aged care package
• Legislated Mental health package
• Legislated Dental Care package
• Created 90 Headspace sites
• Created Medicare Locals Program
• Created Aussie Jobs package
• Created Kick-Start Initiative (apprentices)
• Funded New Car plan (industry support)
• Created Infrastructure Australia
• Established Nation Building Program (350 major projects)
• Doubled Federal Roads budget ($36b) (7,000kms of roads)
• Rebuilding 1/3 of interstate rail freight network
• Committed more to urban passenger rail than any government since Federation
• Developed National Ports Strategy
• Developed National Land Freight Strategy
• Created the nations first ever Aviation White Paper
• Revitalized Australian Shipping
• Reduced transport regulators from 23 to 3 (saving $30b over 20years)
• Introduced NICS – infrastructure schedule
• Australia has moved from 20th in 2007 to 2nd on OECD infrastructure ranking
• Awarded International Infrastructure Minister of the Year (2012 Albanese)
• Awarded International Treasurer of the Year (2011 Swan)
• Introduced Anti-dumping and countervailing system reforms
• Legislated Household Assistance Package
• Introduced School Kids Bonus
• Increased Childcare rebate (to 50%)
• Allocated $6b to Social Housing (20,000 homes)
• Provided $5b to Support for Homelessness
• Established National Rental Affordability Scheme ($4.5b)
• Introduced Closing the Gap
• Supports Act of Recognition for constitutional change
• Provided the highest pension increase in 100 years
• Created 900,000 new jobs
• Established National Jobs Board
• Allocated $9b for skills and training over 5 years
• Established Enterprise Connect (small business)
• Appointed Australia’s first Small Business Commissioner
• Introduced immediate write-off of assets costing less than $6,500 for Sm/Bus
• Introduced $5,000 immediate write-off for Small Business vehicles over $6,500
• Introduced Small business $1m loss carryback for tax rebate from previous year
• Legislated Australian Consumer law
• Introduced a national levy to assist Queensland with reconstruction
• Standardized national definition of flood for Insurance purposes.
• Created Tourism 2020
• Completed Australia’s first feasibility study on high speed rail
• Established ESCAS (traceability and accountability in live animal exports)
• Established Royal Commission into Institutional Sexual Abuse
• Established National Crime Prevention Fund
• Lowered personal income taxes (Ave family now pays $3,500 less p.a. than 2007)
• Raised the tax-free threshold from $6,000 to $18,200
• Australia now the richest per capita nation on earth
• First time ever Australia has three triple A credit ratings from all three credit agencies
• Low inflation
• Lowest interest rates in 60 years (Ave mortgagee paying $5,000 less p.a. than 2007)
• Low unemployment
• Lowest debt to GDP in OECD
• Australian dollar is now fifth most traded in the world and IMF Reserve Currency
• One of the world’s best performing economies during and since the GFC
• Australia now highest ranked for low Sovereign Risk
• Overseen the largest fiscal tightening in nations history (4.4%)
• 21 years of continuous economic growth (trend running at around 3%pa)
• 11 years of continuous wages growth exceeding CPI
• Increasing Productivity
• Increasing Consumer Confidence
• Record foreign investment
• Historic levels of Chinese/Australian bilateral relations

• First female Prime Minister
• First female Governor General

• First female Attorney General."

[poddster]

I say super glue her to the chair. 🙂

I realise that damage can still happen for the next fortnight but while there is infighting and division, with the Labor party eating their own, that will minimise the damage that the country has to bear.

Once the House rises at the end of next week no more damage will be done.

And I kind of relish the visual of her being pried from the chair with all that glue on it. like getting a "wax job" but with super glue 🙂

Spending a couple of decades in the political wilderness for the Labor party would have a beneficial effect as well, time to sort the wheat from the chaff and shed the shackles of the militant unions.........if the Labor party survives that is.

[silverfaun]

Rudd in front for the 1st time. This poisonous leadership contest is all at the expense of governing Australia.

They are unfit to govern.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/kevin-rudd-in-front-but-no-putsch/story-fn59niix-1226665310655?utm_source=The%20Australian&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&net_sub_uid=5462028

[***super_nova***]

They are unfit to govern.

And you think Abbot is fit to govern?  Why?!!!!!

you want to exchange this:

ECONOMY
There are 960,000 more jobs in Australia since 2007.
Interest rates have fallen from 6.75% to 2.75% since 2007-the lowest rates on record. A family with a $ 300,000 mortgage is saving $5,500 a year.
1 million Australians have stopped paying income tax due to an increase in the Tax Free Threshold. Taxes as a % GDP are 22.2% down from a peak of 24.2% in 2005-6. The Howard Government was the highest taxing government in Australia’s history.
Since 2007 the economy has grown 13%. The US has grown 2.25%, the EU has shrunk by 2%.
Inflation is contained at 2.4%-with a AAA Credit Rating from the three key ratings agencies. Australian’s economy is the envy of the world.

for somebody who has 2 slogans - stop the boats and abolish the tax?????