Hartcher: Labor throws away a perfectly good PMKevin Rudd was completely re-electable and Labor just wasted him. But it was anger, not panic, that cause the factions to dump Rudd, writes Peter Hartcher.
June, 2010
Gillard’s first hours as PM
It’s been a remarkable few hours for Julia Gillard, from the caucus meeting at 9am to being sworn in as PM by lunchtime. Bernard Keane talks us through her morning.
Talkback wrap: the people have spoken and they’re not impressed
A chance to go beyond the Press Gallery chatter - here’s a snapshot of what the punters have been saying on talkback radio this morning as they woke up to a new Prime Minister.
Labor’s problems haven’t been solved with knifing of Rudd
Labor’s problems are deeper than those of Kevin Rudd’s managerial style. Julia Gillard must answer the question of what Labor stands for.
Gillard shatters the glass ceiling. So what now?
It’s a Big Moment, there’s no denying it. We might have a female PM, but women still struggle not only with misogyny but also with racism, poverty, disability and all the myrid forms that marginalisation can take.
The left, the right and the union heavies: Julia’s rise to the top
The right-wing coup that has made notional left-winger Julia Gillard Prime Minister of Australia fits a pattern starting in her earliest days in student politics — a drive for power that subsumed strict factional loyalty for crafty opportunism.
Political snippets: Labor slightly bettered by Gillard’s appointment
Now that Julia Gillard has been appointed PM, there is marginal improvement in the probability of Labor retaining office when the federal election is finally held.
Rudd’s brutal execution
The political execution of Kevin Rudd by Labor’s factions was based on a long build-up of anger at the leader and his office, but it only crystallised into a mood for change this week.
Essential: the polling slide that evicted Rudd from the Lodge
Essential Report polls taken over the last two years show how Kevin Rudd’s approval ratings have declined since the almost unprecedented figures he achieved following his election, writes research director Andrew Bunn.
Guy Rundle: Rundle’s World Cup: an Australian victory to be proud of
Due to excessive consumption of biltong, Guy Rundle is unable to present a match report on the Australia-Serbia game last night. Substituting for him is Trevor McCorquodale, who watched the Socceroos flash like a beacon on the darkening veldt of Mbombel.
Eva Cox: a woman PM — is it a step forward?
We will know we really have made progress when women in top positions become normal and not worthy of comment. It will also mean we get better leaders but not just because many are women, writes Eva Cox.
The 24 hours that changed Australian politics forever
It was like a lightning strike. Labor Party powerbrokers, having secretly canvassed numbers last night, met Julia Gillard to oust Kevin Rudd and install Gillard as the prime minister. Michael Carter tracks the movements.
Possum: party polling suggests Rudd’s popularity was dire
While the most recent polls had Rudd in an election-winning lead, ALP party polling must have told a different story.Possum Comitatus looks at the numbers.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Julia Gillard, Prime Minister
Crikey readers have their say on Australia’s new prime minister Julia Gillard.
Morning Market Report: Markets up as Gillard becomes PM
Resources have certainly rallied on Gillard’s appointment on the hope that it may be abandoned and the A$ has rallied with them.
Rudd’s demise another notch in the belt of the apparatchik
So for once the media are right when they say that this morning’s events are utterly unprecedented. The problem is that politics has become dominated by an apparatchik class with incredibly short-term thinking.
Media briefs: It was The Oz what did it … Russian president tweets …
Another big scoop for The Oz. Plus, Medvedev lifts the Twitter curtain, Gourmet magazine lives on on the internet and push for media literacy classes.
Farmer: advice to Gillard — make the most of the honeymoon
If you see the chance, then take it. That’s the best advice I could give to Julia Gillard with my old election adviser’s hat on. And take advantage of the likelihood of a political honeymoon occurring.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: The Underbelly of NSW politics
If the newspapers are right the NSW Department of State Development invested in Underbelly — but the sum remains “commercial in confidence”.
Daily Proposition: Take a quiz — and save the world
If you’re feeling bored and charitable (and want to brush up on art, language and more) try freerice.org. As the name suggests, people that really need it get free rice out of your visit. Michael Carter writes.
Rundle: Rudd hasn’t been too left or too right — he’s been too technical
There are good compromises and bad compromises, as the man has said, and Rudd appears to have plumped largely for the latter. But that does not get to the core of Ruddism.
