Kevin Rudd had the great misfortune to have single-handedly saved Australia from a global recession in his first 12 months. That lit a flame of hubris that has now burnt him down.
June, 2010
Come in Spinner: Does anybody in Canberra really know anything?
Getting close to a subject in political science often makes things darker and harder to see and journalists in the press gallery are no exception, writes Noel Turnbull.
Crikey Says: A reality check
Amazingly and almost inconceivably, Australia today has a new prime minister. And a female one at that. Why?
SPECIAL EDITION: Meet our new Prime Minister … Julia Gillard steps up to the plate
Bosses most likely to get the boot
Economist offers the odds of the CEOs most likely to be shown the door in the next 12 months. Will Tony Hayward from BP and Tidjane Thiam from Prudential get the sack?
Business As Usual: Market snubs Stokes’ China bank deal … Kiwi economy grows … Fed recovery watch …
Investors gave Kerry Stokes’ deal to buy shares in China’s Agricultural Bank a very decisive thumbs down yesterday. Also, New Zealand’s economy grows, the US Federal Reserve’s recovery caution and other business news.
A poem for Julia
W H Chong offers up his congratulations for Julia Gillard as PM in the best way possible: a Photoshop image of Julia as Uma Thurman and a brilliant poem.
Savva: Gillard will lead the party to victory
Julia Gillard is smart, eloquent woman who got where she is in politics completely off her own bat. She’s a great move for the Labor Party, writes Niki Savva.
The no namers who brought Rudd down
You may not have heard of senators David Feeney and Don Farrell, but they were instrumental in summoning the Labor factional forces that led to Kevin Rudd’s demise.
Packer appoints best bud to Crown board
James Packer wants to evolve brand recognition of the Crown entertainment group past craps tables and pokie machines, but it’s hard to view his appointment of David Gyngell to the board as anything other than a favour for a mate.
Hussein: Our first female PM
First female PM — and other “firsts”, as well (dumping of a PM in his first term, etc). Can anyone think of another unmarried PM? This is a big moment, writes Shakira Hussein.
Crabb: Long live Queen Julia
Kevin Rudd’s popularity in the Labor Party was completely dependent on his popularity with the public. Everyone loves a winner and the buzz around Julia Gillard broke him, says Annabel Crabb.
PHOTO GALLERY: how Julia Gillard said no to the Labor leadership
From being the full forward for the Western Bulldogs to starring in a Spielberg film, Julia Gillard has had some clever quips for rebuffing claims that she was after the ALP leadership. Photoshop genius Leigh Josey made those dreams a reality.
Youtube trumps Viacom in $1 billion lawsuit
In a major coup for Youtube and parent company Google, the monolithic online video site has beaten a legal attack from Viacom despite more than 100,000 examples of copyright infringement.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Gulf spill two months on
Remember that other spill? BP’s massive spill in the Gulf has been pouring for two months now. So what does 60,000 barrels of oil spilling into the Ocean look like? It’s not pretty.
Meet the new US Commander to Afghanistan
The Rolling Stone article on Stanley McChrystal, the top US Commander to Afghanistan, managed to lose McChrystal his job and now General David Petraeus has taken over. Was he the right choice?
Leadership spill benefits miners
Today’s Labor leadership spill might be ominous for Kevin from Queensland but it appears to be good news for overseas miners, with UK-listed shares in BHP and Rio Tinto jumping last night following news of Rudd’s political death match with Julia Gillard.
Rundle: What was Ruddism?
It is still possible that Kevin Rudd may survive the spill. But if he does it seems almost certain it will be by no convincing margin and he’ll have to sack Julia Gillard, says Guy Rundle.
Socceroos bow out with a win, our pride restored
Bravo Australia. Bravo. All though we didn’t secure a place in the second round, our footballers did their nation proud this morning.
Gillard our new PM
Updated: Julia Gillard has just been elected as leader of the Labor Party, with Wayne Swan as her Deputy. Both were elected unopposed. Australia now has its very first female PM. Rudd will re-contest his seat.
Crikey’s ALP spill liveblog: Julia vs. Kevin
Can Kevin Rudd hold on to the leadership? Will Australia get its first female PM? Join in the Crikey live blog fun with our crack team of political commentators.
Megalogenis: Rudd is finished as PM
“Kevin Rudd is finished as prime minister,” says The Australian’s George Megalogenis. And new PM Julia Gillard will break two records in the one coup.
Rudd vs. Gillard: game on!
Prepare yourself Australia: 9am today there is a leadership ballet to decide our PM, with Julia Gillard seeming the likely winner. Bernard Keane reports there is also pressure for Rudd to not even contest the spill.
Follow all the #spill madness on Twitter Hanging on by the skin of his teeth
Kevin Rudd is fighting for political survival following a push by right-wing Labor powerbrokers to oust him from the Lodge before the languished PM has even completed his first term.
