Gillard’s final offer: anyone but Rudd

[nero_bolt]

Hatred too often drove Julia Gillard, ungoverned by any political judgement. Former Minister Greg Combet tells of Gillard’s bizarre offer to make him Prime Minister just a couple of months before the last election:

Julia surprised me at that discussion by suggesting that she would support and she’d stand down in favour of me if I stood.

Combet saw instantly what any fool would know - that trying to hold off Rudd by imposing yet another leader was doomed to fail both with the party and the public:

It would have been extremely difficult, firstly, to gain the support of colleagues, I think, and then the support of the Parliament and then to run an election campaign. So, politically, I thought it was a pretty hard manoeuvre to pull off. And secondly, Kevin Rudd’s momentum for his return was very strong

How could Gillard have proposed anything so mad?  Only hatred of Rudd could explain it. 

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4053330.htm

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 24/07/2014

Reporter: Chris Uhlmann

Former Labor Minister Greg Combet says in-fighting ruined the party's hopes, adding that then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard offered to step down in favour of him for the leadership ballot with Kevin Rudd.

[cherry*135]

The following is more topical at present.. present day MP's and PM.

A book about the life and times of Joe Hockey has Peta Credlin, Mr Abbott’s chief-of-staff, speaking far above her station in life and anointing Mr Hockey as the leading leadership contender.

Then there is Mr Hockey’s wife Melissa Babbage revealing her husband could not trust another Liberal leadership hopeful, Malcolm Turnbull.

The nation’s capital habitually goes into hibernation, with MPs in their electorates or heading overseas to the warmth of the northern hemisphere on parliamentary fact-finding missions.

Now Coalition colleagues are muttering about Mr Hockey’s sense of self-importance and timing.

None of Mr Hockey’s federal colleagues attended the book launch.

Another Fairfax columnist, Peter FitzSimons, who is a close friend of Mr Hockey, launched the book.
Their families often dine together on Sunday nights. FitzSimons' wife, the Nine Network Today program co-host Lisa Wilkinson, acted as compere.

King received the biggest laugh when noting that her book recorded Mr Hockey’s desire to enter hospital for stomach surgery under the pseudonym Dirk Diggler (the name of Mark Wahlberg’s porn star character in the 1997 film Boogie Nights).
The doctors knew best, and he was admitted as Joe Little.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/joe-hockey-biography-heats-canberras-winter-hi...

[icyfroth]

Back to the topic which is in today's news, so yes it's topical:

Former Labor minister Greg Combet says Julia Gillard offered to step aside for him in the 2013 leadership ballot against Kevin Rudd.

The former climate change and industry minister has told the ABC's 7.30 program he asked to speak to Ms Gillard privately before the 2013 election.

"Obviously the government was in a lot of trouble and Julia Gillard was in trouble at that time," Mr Combet said.

"I actually asked to speak to her privately and expressed my thoughts about what I thought needed to happen.

"I thought that there needed to be a caucus ballot for the leadership to resolve the issue once and for all.

"We couldn't have had two leaders going to the election fighting Tony Abbott, which was the situation we were in, and Julia surprised me at that discussion by suggesting that she would support me.

"She would stand down in favour of me if I stood."

Mr Rudd defeated Ms Gillard 57-46 in the June 2013 spill to reclaim the prime ministership after three years of party instability sparked by his initial ousting in 2010.

Asked if he could have triumphed over Mr Rudd, Mr Combet replied: "Well, who knows? I don't know. Possibly."

Entire Article Here

Especially topical because it is these events that brought us to today's political landscape.

[cherry*135]

And in today's world we have a new book published by the current Treasurer, Joe Hockey.

Quote" Then there is Mr Hockey’s wife Melissa Babbage revealing her husband could not trust another Liberal leadership hopeful, Malcolm Turnbull."

Quote: "Now Coalition colleagues are muttering about Mr Hockey’s sense of self-importance and timing."

From The Australian

JOE Hockey has tried to play down embarrassing disclosures in his semi-authorised biography, launched with a host of former Liberal luminaries but not one serving ministerial colleague.

[j*oono]

If that is true then I can totally understand why she would do it.  Rudd was constantly trying to undermine and destabilise the Labor party and it worked.

I have no idea who Greg Combet even is but I'm sure he would have been a hell of a lot better than Rudd.  

[karliandjacko]

---

@icyfroth wrote:

Back to the topic which is in today's news, so yes it's topical:

Former Labor minister Greg Combet says Julia Gillard offered to step aside for him in the 2013 leadership ballot against Kevin Rudd.

The former climate change and industry minister has told the ABC's 7.30 program he asked to speak to Ms Gillard privately before the 2013 election.

"Obviously the government was in a lot of trouble and Julia Gillard was in trouble at that time," Mr Combet said.

"I actually asked to speak to her privately and expressed my thoughts about what I thought needed to happen.

"I thought that there needed to be a caucus ballot for the leadership to resolve the issue once and for all.

"We couldn't have had two leaders going to the election fighting Tony Abbott, which was the situation we were in, and Julia surprised me at that discussion by suggesting that she would support me.

"She would stand down in favour of me if I stood."

Mr Rudd defeated Ms Gillard 57-46 in the June 2013 spill to reclaim the prime ministership after three years of party instability sparked by his initial ousting in 2010.

Asked if he could have triumphed over Mr Rudd, Mr Combet replied: "Well, who knows? I don't know. Possibly."

Entire Article Here

Especially topical because it is these events that brought us to today's political landscape.

---

It sounds like a reasonable private coversation to me.  What's the problem?  Are people in politics not supposed to discuss hypotheticals and alternative options?  That one conversation didn't bring about today's political landscape. 

[icyfroth]

---

@karliandjacko wrote:

---

@icyfroth wrote:

Back to the topic which is in today's news, so yes it's topical:

Former Labor minister Greg Combet says Julia Gillard offered to step aside for him in the 2013 leadership ballot against Kevin Rudd.

The former climate change and industry minister has told the ABC's 7.30 program he asked to speak to Ms Gillard privately before the 2013 election.

"Obviously the government was in a lot of trouble and Julia Gillard was in trouble at that time," Mr Combet said.

"I actually asked to speak to her privately and expressed my thoughts about what I thought needed to happen.

"I thought that there needed to be a caucus ballot for the leadership to resolve the issue once and for all.

"We couldn't have had two leaders going to the election fighting Tony Abbott, which was the situation we were in, and Julia surprised me at that discussion by suggesting that she would support me.

"She would stand down in favour of me if I stood."

Mr Rudd defeated Ms Gillard 57-46 in the June 2013 spill to reclaim the prime ministership after three years of party instability sparked by his initial ousting in 2010.

Asked if he could have triumphed over Mr Rudd, Mr Combet replied: "Well, who knows? I don't know. Possibly."

Entire Article Here

Especially topical because it is these events that brought us to today's political landscape.

---

It sounds like a reasonable private coversation to me.  What's the problem?  Are people in politics not supposed to discuss hypotheticals and alternative options?  That one conversation didn't bring about today's political landscape. 

---

No but the instabliltiy preceding that private now made public discussion did.

[cherry*135]

"Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has rejected assertions he told Joe Hockey he would not contest a ballot for the party's leadership in 2009.

The allegation is contained in a new book about Mr Hockey, with the Treasurer's wife, Melissa Babbage, quoted as saying her husband would not trust Mr Turnbull again because he thought they had an agreement.

Mr Turnbull was the Liberal leader in 2009 and had publicly said at the time he would run for the job again if there was a partyroom contest for it.

However, the book says the next day he privately told Mr Hockey he would not.

Mr Turnbull did contest the ballot, splitting the vote between himself, Mr Hockey and Prime Minister Tony Abbott who eventually won it.

Mr Turnbull told Channel 9 he did not give Mr Hockey any assurance."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-25/turnbull-leadership/5623444

[fourandsixpants]

May the god's save Australia if Hockey ever became PM.