Australian Labor PM on Tory misogyny - Julia Gillard

[Unworker]

She was Deputy PM in Rudd's cabinet and betrayed then deposed him with a Labor party coup as soon as he went 10 points behind in the polls. She then lost the Labor majority in the subsequent general election and had to cobble together a governing coalition with some independents who are varying degrees of mental. Despite a clear pre-election promise to the contrary she introduced a Carbon Tax that does less than zero for emissions control. She spent a few years watching an ever increasing number of asylum seekers/illegal immigrants arrive or drown on the way before she performed a spectacular backflip and reinstated John Howard's solution of shipping them off to a guano encrusted rock in the middle of the Pacific. One of the independents in the governing coalition is completely obsessed with legislation to control electronic gambling and that was the price of his support for the government. Gillard then betrayed him and cast him aside but preserved her 1 seat majority by coaxing rogue Liberal MP Peter "Slippery" Slipper in the Speaker's chair. Slipper proved to be an absolute catastrophe and embarrassment, eventually resigning last week over various sex and expenses scandals. There is also the Craig Thomson situation. Thomson is a typical Labor party MP: ex union hack of little brain but slavish loyalty. He distinguished himself by spending his low paid union members' subscriptions on hookers and jelly babies. Gillard has managed to drag out the investigation into this mess by four years and continues to protect him to preserve her wafer thin majority.

In short, she is a fucking disgrace who has easily displaced Billy McMahon as the worst ever Australian PM and she will be absolutely destroyed in the 2013 election.

In short she helped get rid of a dickhead PM and has fought to keep a minority government in power that the soothsayers predicted would fall at the first fence. Graeme Richardson banged on about "whatever it takes", Gillard has shown how to do what Richardson only bragged about.

Right about Thomson. I was a union secretary for some time and looking at him and Williamson (no comment, sub judice and all that) I could not believe that allegedly plundering the members' money could occur. Mind you I had a good committee and a very activist base and we knew why we existed and it wasn't to use the plastic for private purposes.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Be that as it may, whatever else she has or hasn't done, what she said about sexism was something that struck a chord with women who have had to put up with that sort of thing again and again and again.

Anyone notice how some blokes seem to be completely missing the point about why women thought it was great to watch?

They just don't get it.

Quoted for posterity.

 

[newharper]

That just may go down as a Lincoln moment.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Oh, getting rid of Rudd? Think of the complete antithesis of John Major and you may understand Rudd. Lots of activity, sod-all achievement (well almost sod-all).

So, not so much the antithesis of John Major, as a clone, then!

 

[Teaboy]

Quoted for posterity.

Why?

 

[gosub]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19973687

 

[gabi]

Why?

I *think* he was attempting to cast MrsMagpie as a sexist. And failing badly at trying to do so.

I'd still like to know if people here hailing Gillard as some of kind of feminist hero also thought the same of Thatcher during her reign though.

 

[DownwardDog]

JG has reverted to her typical accident prone form by (literally) falling flat on her face at a press conference in New Delhi.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-plays-cinderella-again-in-india-20121017-27qyo.html

 

[Teaboy]

I *think* he was attempting to cast MrsMagpie as a sexist. And failing badly at trying to do so.

I'd still like to know if people here hailing Gillard as some of kind of feminist hero also thought the same of Thatcher during her reign though.

I dunno I just thought this thread was people appreciating this one speech and then loads of posts of people castigating her political record. Thatcher was never ever ever anything close to a feminist, I doubt she made one worthwhile speech on woman's rights. Don't make the mistake of assuming just because she was female she had any interest in equality, in any form.

 

[newharper]

I *think* he was attempting to cast MrsMagpie as a sexist. And failing badly at trying to do so.

I'd still like to know if people here hailing Gillard as some of kind of feminist hero also thought the same of Thatcher during her reign though.

That's a no then.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

This is an ace performance fairplay to her.

I can admire it in the same way as Galloway against the US Senate - brilliant and justified - irrespective of her behaviour elsewhere.

 

[DownwardDog]

KRudd has been unable to resist the temptation to knife Juliar despite repeated assurances to the contrary. Leadership vote at 7pm Canberra time.

There's real drama as it could go either way and a possible constitutional crisis as the Governor General may choose not to anoint KRudd as PM.

 

[Idris2002]

KRudd has been unable to resist the temptation to knife Juliar despite repeated assurances to the contrary. Leadership vote at 7pm Canberra time.

There's real drama as it could go either way and a possible constitutional crisis as the Governor General may choose not to anoint KRudd as PM.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people.

 

[redsquirrel]

The turd Shorten, who was one of the prime movers behind removal of Rudd in 2010, has said that he's going to back Rudd against Gillard now.

I think it's going to be very close, lots of the PP still hate Rudd but the fear of losing their seats have motivated their move back to him.

 

[DownwardDog]

Once Shorten switched sides, which was breathtaking treachery even by the musteline standards of the ALP, it was over.

 

[DotCommunist]

KRudd has been unable to resist the temptation to knife Juliar despite repeated assurances to the contrary. Leadership vote at 7pm Canberra time.

There's real drama as it could go either way and a possible constitutional crisis as the Governor General may choose not to anoint KRudd as PM.

is this the aussie version of Bliar?

 

[Dan U]

is this the aussie version of Bliar?

i can't believe you said Bliar in 2013

and yes it is the sister party of Labour - or at least its equivalent.

Tony Abbot must be dancing a jig.

 

[DownwardDog]

i can't believe you said Bliar in 2013

and yes it is the sister party of Labour - or at least its equivalent.

Tony Abbot must be dancing a jig.

I think he would have rather faced JG, who is a politician of absolutely singular incompetence and unpopularity, than KR. He'll still win though.

 

[DotCommunist]

i can't believe you said Bliar in 2013

and yes it is the sister party of Labour - or at least its equivalent.

Tony Abbot must be dancing a jig.

I was asking if the comedy usage of KRudd equates to the equally sidesplitting usage Bliar

 

[redsquirrel]

Tony Abbot must be dancing a jig.

Why? Whichever way it goes it can't be much worse for Labor than it currently is.

 

[Dan U]

I was asking if the comedy usage of KRudd equates to the equally sidesplitting usage Bliar

i clearly need more coffee. sorry fella

redsquirrel - because its just got even easier for him imo.

 

[redsquirrel]

How? Labor are pretty much at rock bottom anyway.

If KR wins then it's very possible that they'll get a honeymoon bounce. If JG wins then at least the leadership issue is finished. The leadership contest throughout this parliament has damaged Labor and helped Abbot but this spill won't (can't) really do any more damage.

Either way Abbot will win.

 

[Quartz]

According to a comment on the BBC, she's lost.

 

[Dan U]

yep, she is gone.

 

[N_igma]

News here saying she's lost it but not official yet. Rudd has a better chance at beating Abbot although Labour are basically screwed.

 

[DownwardDog]

I bet that feels sweet for Krudd. 3 years after she bladed him he's finally got his revenge.

 

[redsquirrel]

TBH I think most Labor MPs had given up any idea of a win in 2013 some time ago, this is about limiting the damage that they suffer and trying to give themselves the best possible chance of keeping their cushy jobs.

 

[Idris2002]

I bet that feels sweet for Krudd. 3 years after she bladed him he's finally got his revenge.

When he was first elected leader, someone on here commented that "he looks like paedophile who still lives with his mother".

 

[DownwardDog]

I reckon Rudd and Shorten have done a deal. Shorten discards Gillard and backs Rudd who then leads the ALP to inevitable yet respectable defeat. In return Rudd, having sated his lust for Gillard's blood, directs his cohort to support Shorten in the post election leadership contest.

 

[Dan U]

yep, she is gone.

ballot is still underway according to the Guardian..