Kevin Rudd: a complete and utter fraud

[nero_bolt]

In a perfect world, Kevin Rudd would not be campaigning for election but visiting an analyst.

Therapy is the treatment of our age for those the ancient Greeks saw as tragic heroes, personalities at once sparkling and deeply dysfunctional.

But an election campaign it is, with the Australian people as the judge and jury, and it is important to keep in mind a key issue at stake: just who is Kevin Rudd?

Much has been made of the shambolic nature of Mr Rudd’s first term as prime minister.

But it remains unclear why the 55-year-old former diplomat is such a dysfunctional figure. Most people don’t expect political leaders to have well-adjusted personalities. As Matthew Parris has argued in these pages, most politicians are ‘dreamers, attention-seekers and risk-takers with a dollop of narcissism in their natures’.

But even by this standard, Mr Rudd’s character is really weird.

The centre of the dysfunction is not simply his ruthless political ambition — and the treachery, betrayal and frantic 24-7 mindset that go with it — although that trait certainly explains why so many of his colleagues have resigned from the cabinet ministry and/or parliament 

Nor is the root of his problem his longing to be all things to all people.

Most of what depresses and even disgusts people about Mr Rudd now was visible in 2007 when he ran against John Howard.

His salient characteristics were trickery and fakery, the chameleon appeal to all sides at once, which helped him persuade the so-called Howard Battlers to come home to Labor without being embarrassed to tell their mates they were doing so.

From the outset, however, his leadership was an exercise in bad faith. From border protection and carbon pricing to economic reform and fiscal policy, Mr Rudd was always trying to say too many things to too many different people, to square circles and reconcile the irreconcilable. Given his recent flip-flops on gay marriage and 457 visas, nothing has changed.

But there is another explanation for the Rudd dysfunction: self-gratification taken to an extreme, an obsession with always being the centre of attention — like a spoiled child — and an addiction to being in the media spotlight. In our therapeutic age, perhaps we could call this pattern of behaviour megalomaniac or sociopathic, but perhaps these words go too far in pretending medical precision. To describe the same phenomenon, the ancient Greeks coined the word hubris.

When we write about Kevin Rudd, we feel like the pub bore. ‘Haven’t we said this before? Or maybe you knew that already.’ Alas, there are none so blind as those who will not see.

This magazine has long maintained that Mr Rudd has only ever taken the Australian people for a ride, yet too many voters — how many remains to be seen — continue to be deceived or live in false hope.

Despite the risk of appearing too negative, Tony Abbott is obliged to alert the electorate to what many Labor people already know: this bloke is a complete and utter fraud.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/australia/8955281/a-complete-and-utter-fraud-2/  

[polksaladallie]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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:

Nong
	A Singaporean slang of multicultural influences which means - An intelligent and charming person, usually with great cooking skills Huh?

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 so my father was praising me ?

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Of course.  And can I come to dinner tonight?  I like curries.

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i can cook a bit, might be a bit awkward though.. 'who is this woman lakeland ?' 'someone i met online''  i can see that going down a treat

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Love your SOH, lakeland, but it will be OK.  I am old enough to be your mother.....although.....not too old to lust after a good curry.

[lakeland27]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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:

Nong
	A Singaporean slang of multicultural influences which means - An intelligent and charming person, usually with great cooking skills Huh?

---

 so my father was praising me ?

---

Of course.  And can I come to dinner tonight?  I like curries.

---

i can cook a bit, might be a bit awkward though.. 'who is this woman lakeland ?' 'someone i met online''  i can see that going down a treat

---

Love your SOH, lakeland, but it will be OK.  I am old enough to be your mother.....although.....not too old to lust after a good curry.

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my mother is close to 90 polks, and not as sharp as you (anymore). i think i owe her a phone call as we live in diferent states

[polksaladallie]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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Of course.  And can I come to dinner tonight?  I like curries.

---

i can cook a bit, might be a bit awkward though.. 'who is this woman lakeland ?' 'someone i met online''  i can see that going down a treat

---

Love your SOH, lakeland, but it will be OK.  I am old enough to be your mother.....although.....not too old to lust after a good curry.

---

my mother is close to 90 polks, and not as sharp as you (anymore). i think i owe her a phone call as we live in diferent states

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Ring her today.  I'm nowhere near that wonderful age.  I know she was sharp as a younger woman, because as I have said elsewhere on this forum, it is impossible for a woman of average or lower IQ to have a high IQ child.

[lakeland27]

 i did ring her, but she's always out . . her and her fancy man

 she'll call back as i left a message.

[polksaladallie]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

 i did ring her, but she's always out . . her and her fancy man

 she'll call back as i left a message.

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Well, there you go.  She likes curries too.  

[spotweldersfriend]

Aah but don't write Abbott off yet.Not until all the votes have been counted. As the great Greek philosopher Bicycles one said."Don't underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers."

[newstart2380]

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@just_me_karen wrote:
I used to quite like Turnbull, until he started pushing his fraudband policy, KNOWING it won't be adequate. Threw his morals out, IMO. I like politicians who stand up for their beliefs.

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Then you don't like any polititians do you ?

[crystal-gems]

On the Ning Nang Nong

On the Ning Nang Nong

Where the Cows go Bong!

and the monkeys all say BOO!

There's a Nong Nang Ning

Where the trees go Ping!

And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.

On the Nong Ning Nang

All the mice go Clang

And you just can't catch 'em when they do!

So its Ning Nang Nong Cows go Bong!

Nong Nang Ning Trees go ping

Nong Ning Nang The mice go Clang

What a noisy place to belong is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

Spike Milligan

Hmmmm. an apt description of this thread...eh?