Tragic Misstep from Gillard Sees Support Exodus

[windrake]

The Gillard government is suffering a gathering crisis of confidence in its leader:  by Chris Hartcher

"Not because of any assault by Kevin Rudd. Indeed, whenever he has tried to foment unrest, the Labor caucus has hardened against him.

Labor's fast-draining confidence is because of the performance of Julia Gillard herself and her inner circle.

After deposing Rudd, Gillard argued privately that the reason she had moved against him was not because he was behind in the polls, but because he had no plan to put Labor in front.

Today, the Labor caucus is asking the same question about Gillard.

Labor didn't win the 2010 election.

Since then it has only lost support in the opinion polls.

''There have been 27 Nielsen polls since the 2010 election, and this is the 27th showing the Coalition in front,'' wrote the Fairfax pollster, Nielsen's John Stirton on Monday.

There are 178 days left until the election that Gillard has called. The question that Labor MPs are asking themselves now, in the words of Dirty Harry, is ''Am I feeling lucky?''

Not only is Labor consistently behind in the polls, its leader has not articulated a credible plan for any recovery.

And it's hard for her caucus to feel lucky with regular displays of political misjudgment by the Prime Minister and her closest allies.

At the end of last year, it was Wayne Swan's admission that the government's iron-clad promise of a budget surplus was no longer achievable, in the face of falling tax revenue.

Joe Hockey, who has no record of achievement as an economic manager, is now preferred treasurer to Swan, even though Swan has presided over one of the world's most successful economies during the global financial crisis.

And last week it was Stephen Conroy's media regulation proposals.

Gillard rammed the plan through her cabinet and caucus, angering many in the process, and started a major fight with the big media companies.

Yet all for nought - the plan is now set to fail in the House for lack of support.

These are the reasons a key Left faction cabinet minister, Mark Butler, and a key Right faction cabinet minister, Bob Carr, are openly telling colleagues they have lost confidence in Gillard.

The dam of Gillard support has now been breached."

```

A fitting end to the dastardly attempt to gag criticism of itself by the media & the witch hunt for News Ltd was there for all to see yesterday, trying to link what happened in the UK, to punish the Australian wing of News Ltd.

I was astonished that this type of trial by government, on a company,  to put offside all other print media was breathtaking in its stupidity.

The hatred for News Ltd was palpable yesterday, the hatred by many who would rather gag the free press to ostensibly punish one frightening.

This morning Bob Carr's full support to counter his other remarks is  the kiss of death for any leader.

[lakeland27]

not always icy.

[icyfroth]

Hmmm now that's a one-eyed supporter I could warm to, LL B-)

[freakiness]

her one-eyed supporters

OK.

That's a strange way to form opinions and judgement of a person.

So do you prefer the opposite one eyed supporters who get very nasty at those who don't agree with them?  Like calling posters sh** for brains?

[silverfaun]

After being forced into two humiliating apologies to Abbott yesterday they quietly withdrew & dumped, yes dumped, all of Roxon's anti discriminations bills.

Another misstep for Gillard another policy failure for Gillard, another day of agony for the Australian people.

While they are destroying themselves from within, Australians are watching it on TV, reading it in newspapers, Blogs, twitter & everywhere else.

This is a spectacle of a parliament dying slowly in the eyes of the public, a party contorting in agony & we are witness to it, a party convulsing & twisting this way & that on policies that are anathema to Australians yet destroying themselves.

When this parliament is finally dead & buried, when they have finished with themselves, we can then move on to a new beginning, a renewal of politics that make sense to Australians, a new start to rebuild this great country, a new politic free of the shackles of the radical left who are up front & centre at the moment & their freedom restricting policies are gone.

The politics of celebrity, populism, anti intellectual  policies, division, sexism, racism, governing for the few, the gang of 3 instead of consulting caucus, focus driven politics, the 24 hour news cycle "announcements", the never ending "press conferences" to spout their policies to get public support ignoring the cabinet & caucus.

This is what has destroyed this government & trying to blame anybody else or anything else is sad & inward thinking.

[lakeland27]

you are funny .. anti-intellectualism ? what is more anti-intellectual than embracing monkton and denying the csiro ? :^O  the IPA want CSIRO funding cut .. they cant have a government funded body telling people the truth now can they.

[idlewhile]

Yuk, that humble pies tasts awful X-(

[freakiness]

you are funny .. anti-intellectualism ? what is more anti-intellectual than embracing monkton and denying the csiro ? :^O  the IPA want CSIRO funding cut .. they cant have a government funded body telling people the truth now can they.

Too much news corp and not enough viewing of the source is the problem.

Watch the event. The news coverage rarely reflects the event in any way.

The most ludicrous is the accusation that this government does everything to fit the election cycle with no long term policies.

When there is a speech much of the media focus on one trivial sentence and nothing of the substance. There are others in the media who are sick of the liars and shock jocks reflecting poorly on their industry. 

[idlewhile]

"Is this the Gillard government's equivalent of the last days of Rome?

"Nah, mate, Rome was great once," one Labor MP pointedly tells The Australian.

Rome as a Republic, then as an Empire, ruled for a thousand years before collapsing. Yesterday Julia Gillard chalked up her 1000th day as PM."

The last days of Gillard seems to be coming closer, every man & his dog are touted to replace her; Carr, Crean, Shorten, Combet & never forget the revengeful Rudd, ever slinking around the flanks to test for an opening.

Rudd crawing back to his party telling them he's changed, he's a nicer person now, oh please, can a leopard change its spots???:^O

I personally, would like to see her stay the distance, she should pay the ferryman.

[izabsmiling]

Nah, mate, Rome was great once," one Labor MP pointedly tells The Australian.

who ? what ?where? when ? 

[lakeland27]

what a ludicrous comparison. who is abbott then , a vandal or a hun ? hannibal maybe ? .. after all he is travelling with both mature and baby elephants.