What does the G20 giggle say about Kevin Rudd?
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Something felt strange about Matt Franklin’s now world-famous piece on the Bush-Rudd discussion about the economic summit later this month. That’s why we picked up on it while everyone else seemed to kick back and have a giggle at Dubya not knowing what the G20 was. Rather belatedly, the import of Franklin’s piece and its possible origins became apparent to the likes of Andrew Bolt and Greg Sheridan, who spied an opportunity to snipe at the Prime Minister. Now, more than a week later, Malcolm Turnbull has piously called for an investigation of the “leak”. Maybe while the indefatigable leak-fixers of the AFP are at it, they can have a hunt for who leaked the news about Turnbull urging the Howard Cabinet to ratify Kyoto during the election campaign. Regarding events at Kirribilli on the evening of 10 October, plod might do worse than look in the direction of Chris Mitchell, who was a guest at Kirribilli on the evening in question, although that doesn’t explain just how the alleged content of the phone call ended up with Franklin, or why it was shaped into a pro-Rudd piece, given Franklin stated Rudd had no involvement. As we said a week ago, that doesn’t rule out his office being involved in some way. We have various Cluedo-like options. Mr Mitchell, in the drawing-room, with a beer coaster. Mr Rudd, in the study, with an aide. This is all a bit too cute. Chris and Kevin are kicking back at Kirribilli when George calls Kevin. Kevin tells George the summit shouldn’t just have Gordon and Nicholas and Silvio and Taro but Wen and Luiz and Felipe and Kevin himself. George, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, gets a bit confused, but is convinced by Kevin. Another diplomatic triumph for Rudd, until Bush adherents like Greg Sheridan — he of the “bold revisionist view” that Bush is a great president — circled the wagons in the president’s defence, taking their cue from the White House’s own reaction. It’s a bit late in the Bush presidency for “argy-bargy” over whether the man is an idiot or not, isn’t it? On the other hand, it’s not too soon to declare that our Prime Minister seems to be awfully impressed with himself, despite his studied line in self-deprecation. The idea of Rudd the international impact player, ready to come off the bench and solve some major world problems, has been assiduously promoted since the very early days when he went to Bali and, as far as climate change delegates were concerned, walked across the ocean to get there. Let’s face reality: we’re a middle-ranking power with the international clout of Belgium. One characteristic that all our Prime Ministers share, regardless of their party, is a conviction that this is not the case at all, but that they somehow can connect with world leaders (or, to use Bob Hawke’s preferred term, “other world leaders”) and play a major diplomatic role. Given Kevin Rudd’s DFAT background, the delusion seems especially strong in him. Rudd might also want to give the verbiage a rest. It was understandable a fortnight ago when every second sentence was about how sound the balance sheets of Australian banks were. But the current dominance of “decisive” in the Prime Ministerial vocabulary — indeed, in the lexicons of all Labor ministers — has long since passed tiresome. Ditto his insistence that he will “level with people”. Evidently such phraseology has been workshopped to death on some luckless focus-group and now we all have to suffer for it. Even the great, uncomprehending mass of Australian voters has now worked out that there’s potentially a vast difference between what Labor Governments say they’re doing and what they’re actually achieving. An endless emphasis on the former won’t correct the absence of the latter, nor add to it when, as in Rudd’s case, he really is managing to achieve things. |
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7 Comments
I’m convinced in Kev’s case it’s all about ‘you can take the boy out of the state but you can’t take the state out of the boy. It fully explains why it didn’t take long for conveniently conventional Kev to fall off his training wheels. He’s about as diplomatic as his former colleagues in the so-called smart state where they’re pinning medals on police who back-pedalled in a riot after they got wind they were in for some pay back after pulping one of their captives. Not that we want Howard with his lashings of porridge and treacle or the return of Downer to mop up prudence stains on the diplomatic carpet. But as Rupert of the Printing Press says we need to aim above average in this 21st century which presumably applies equally to economies and governance. So to all these infants in suits, free-loaders and the dolce far nientes who keep turning up in the nation’s parliaments it time to get a grip on reality. As should our chavi-recruiting political parties who churn out the indoctrinated as opposed to the trained and educated. Which means our relatively novice PM should book some ringside seats for himself and his staff at the upcoming Boyer Lectures and take Keelty and the AFP with them.
yeh bernard… but we have pine gap and lucas heights and still f1 11 fighters.
a bit more than belgium…oh and uranium!
Good article. Bernard Keane is an example to all reporters of how to decisively level with the Australian people from working families.
I think our P.M. is very capable of taking on the world in what ever subject he chooses.
The Australian cringe is alive and well.
Its about time we all grew up perhaps that is why we need to be a republic
Spot on Mr Keane. Thank you. Recognition of the predilection of Rudd and his people for “spin” is paramount to understanding what needs to be done as opposed to what is being talked about.
“Decisive!” Yeah,sure. The decisions that Rudd has made are so suspect that we remain unconvinced as to his “cleverness.” The hand-out, the bank guarantees, followed by the back-downs, to say nothing about his worthless (so far) posturing on climate change, and whatever else one might list do nought to instil confidence into the 50% who voted for him - let alone the 50% who didn’t.
Well it struck me on first reading Franklin’s article that it stood out somewhat from the general tenor of the Liberal Party circular - perhaps some kind of a balancer for the cr*p that had been handed the government in the previoius short period. I’d need to do more research on the Oz than my sensibilities could tolerate to provide the nuts and bolts (Bolts? te-hee). Perhaps it was the Guarantee which it seems had more support than the rear-vision mirror team at the Oz could tolerate. Haven’t worked in newspapers, but is it beyond possibility that Mitch rang Franko and said I’ve got something for you. Rudd has been moaning about our recent - well ongoing- rubbishing, so see what you can do with this to fix things up. And damn it - irony will get you going the wrong way every time. Doesn’t happen like that? Too far fetched? Well, how about the great big gap - like a week or more - and the Oz breaks last weeks news only with nothing new to add, except that Turnbull wants an AFP inquiry. Jeeze he’s droll. If this was the US we could have a Senate bill and attach a few ear marks for some real inquiries - like Howard’s slur on Obama, wheat for oil (properly this time), the regional infrastructure funding program, the F-111 replacement decsion - and just for fun, Wooldridge and the MRI issue, and Reith’s phone bill. For nothing, this Labor lot are far too polite for a crew of ruffians - they need to take some lessons from someone who speaks nicely, like Abetz.
Errr, yes and no. Australia is still the white English speaking country of the Pacific according to leadership though not formal immigration policy. So we are closer to Britain in diplomatic rankings than Belgium surely. A bit of amusing hyperbole there Mr Keane.
Also notice a certain Chinese Ambassador spoke up for strong action on climate late last week, as did the Chinese Govt release a ‘serious action needed’ report just as the Rudd Govt went big again on sticking with the climate change agenda. It ran on our ABC at least. ( In my fanciful moments I wonder if the Chinese gangsters story today in the Daily Terror front page screamer was a bit of a ‘shut the f*ck up’ to the dear ambassador on behalf of News Corp big brother The Australian (denialist and all on climate).
In other words, Belgium Prime Ministers got the wrong second language. Ours got Mandarin - which is indeed clever and handy all round.
Also not sure how many US bases Belgium has got, but we have some serious ones in IT area and if Johnny Howarde was running things methinks Christmas Island may have been in for a a little stars and stripes renovation.
Also I love the idea that it was spook who 1.ought not to have been eavesdropping on his president/prime minister (pick your conspiracy) and 2. was heartily sick of W using the military as cannon fodder to make up for the Republicans failing to prevent 9/11. GFC and 9/11 all on W’s watch and the vote can’t change that.