Hawkers Diaries & soon Bob Carr's will be very interesting reading for the politic of history.
The books published so far have been scathing about the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd fiasco if you discount the puff books focusing on the mysogyny factor that was so relished by the Gillard retinue....
SECRET diaries can provide the reader with an insight into events as they unfold while knowing how the story ends, even though the writer does not.
The diaries of Kevin Rudd's chief strategist Bruce Hawker affirm much of what we already know about the treachery and deceit within Labor, the dysfunction at the heart of the Rudd-Gillard governments and the chaos that enveloped the party's election campaign.
But what makes The Rudd Rebellion (MUP) interesting are the small details and passing observations littered throughout the chronicle of Rudd's 74-day prime ministership. Here are 10 key take-outs from the diaries, which Hawker wrote daily on his BlackBerry:
• Hawker says former Labor powerbroker Mark Arbib was leaked documents by Julia Gillard's office that "could be used against Kevin". He also says that if Arbib had patched up his differences with Rudd, the June 2010 coup "might have been averted".
• Weeks before Rudd's successful challenge to Gillard in June 2013, Hawker was secretly working on "a transition plan" for Rudd and "suggestions" for party reform, "drafting" television ads and devising "a campaign strategy". His preferred campaign slogan was, "Kevin Rudd: Proven Leadership".
• A few weeks before Rudd's return, Hawker was offered the job of chief of staff to NSW Labor leader John Robertson, which he turned down.
• Within hours of Rudd's comeback, Hawker demanded that Labor's polling be sent "directly" to him from pollster UMR. The diary shows Hawker is obsessed with polling. He even commissions polling to test policy ideas such as increasing tax on cigarettes.
• The relationship between Rudd's travelling party and Labor's campaign headquarters was dysfunctional. An audit revealed "significant problems". The policy work was "poor". The strategic advice was "ridiculous". They did not have "confidence" in the field team. Barack Obama's advisers thought some operations were "second rate". Staff leaked information to damage the party. Rudd delayed setting an election date because he thought the campaign team was not ready. The discredited attack on the Coalition's policy costings may have "destroyed" any chance of winning the election. Rudd saw particular "problems" in Queensland. Victorian Labor was so hopeless that they discussed getting Bill Shorten and Kim Carr to take over the branch during the campaign.
• There are many complaints about the election coverage of News Corp Australia (publisher of The Australian). Yet on many occasions, Hawker was happy to selectively leak information to The Daily Telegraph and other newspapers in the hope of securing favourable coverage.
• Rudd wanted to call the election for September 21 so he could attend the G20 meeting in Russia. Hawker wanted to go to the polls in August. They settled on September 7, although Labor's pollster John Utting wanted to go later.
To read more see link below:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/insider-glimpses-of-planet-kevin/story-fnbcok0h-1...
