Federal politics has become, if not quite a joke, then something no longer serious. Voters are increasingly regarding politics with contempt.
Julia Gillard
Follow Crikey’s latest coverage of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Crikey’s Julia Gillard coverage includes independent news, blogs and commentary.
Labor’s off message and out of soft power
Kevin Rudd had it for a time, but didn’t know how to use it, and lost it. Julia Gillard barely ever had it. “It” is the soft power of political communication.
Desperate times for a dying prime ministership
The stench of death pervades the Gillard government. Yesterday’s events were acts of desperation.
Political snippets: Richard Farmer’s chunky bits: Rehearsal time for musical trio
Let me stop pussy-footing around. There will be a Labor leadership change.
Thomson & Slipper: desperate times for a desperate govt
The Gillard government has been, in policy terms, a good one. But the political tactical judgment of the Prime Minister has always been profoundly flawed, writes Bernard Keane.
Matters for judgment for Labor MPs
Labor has increased the chances of an early election with its poor judgment over Andrew Wilkie.
Political snippets: Almost a leadership challenge story
I’ve been watching and waiting for the first Prime Ministerial leadership challenge story of autumn and nearly found it this morning
Mayne: Wilkie and Gillard should put the band back together
Julia Gillard’s calculated decision last December to trade her allegiance with Andrew Wilkie for a sordid pact with Peter Slipper is arguably the biggest mistake she has made as Prime Minister.
Essential: voters still want Rudd v Turnbull, no benefit from mining
Support for Malcolm Turnbull has significantly increased among voters, and he has increased his lead over Tony Abbott as the preferred Liberal leader, today’s Essential Report finds. And despite losing a leadership ballot to Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd remains easily the most popular figure to lead Labor.
Political snippets: Plibersek would win a face-off against Gillard
According to the political scientist Shawn W. Rosenberg of the University of California, Irvine, in the face and theTanya Plibersek visage seems to me to tick all the professor’s right boxes.
Slipper steps aside and shrinks govt majority
Crikey media wrap: Controversial MP Peter Slipper stepped aside as Speaker over the weekend after allegations of sexual harassment against a male staffer and claims he misused Cabcharges.
Ask the economists: does a surplus give the RBA cover?
Julia Gillard links the government’s surplus-driven budget to lower interest rates, arguing it will give the Reserve Bank cover for interest rate cuts. But what do economists think, asked Dylan Barber?
Twiggy’s big reveal — two years later. So what’s he up to?
Mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has scored an extraordinary PR coup by enlisting two of the nation’s top journalists to turn a two-year-old story.
Gillard, The Great Game and Gorchakov
Listening to Gillard’s speech on the “process” of the gradual withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan had Shakira Hussein searching out the famous Gorchakov memorandum on Russian imperialism.
Afghanistan withdrawal deadline has lots of wriggle room
Neither Gillard nor Obama has the political capital to stare down public opposition forever.
Newspoll and Essential: Abbott our preferred PM
Tony Abbott has seized the lead as preferred prime minister in the latest Newspoll, gaining four to 41% with Gillard down one to 39%. His approval ratings are up in both Essential and Newspoll, reports William Bowe.
Essential: Labor mired in gloom, but support for NBN up
Labor and Julia Gillard continue to poll poorly but support for the NBN has reached its highest level ever.
Crikey Says: Wielding power in Canberra, a how-to
Today Bernard Keane kicks off his series on the nature of power in Canberra, and who wields it, for The Power Index.
Is green tape the biggest challenge COAG can think of?
Political leaders will devote much of today’s COAG meeting to consider a push by Victoria and NSW to do away with “unnecessary” environmental regulations, writes the ACF’s Chuck Berger.
Careful! Larry Pickering is profoundly offensive
Retired right-wing cartoonist Larry Pickering, popular during the 1970s, has portrayed Julia Gillard as a dildo-wielding rapist in a cartoon on his website.
Crikey Says: Keep up the blog, Bob
Based on everything they’ve seen and learnt, an ex-politician has a real shot at putting together some pretty decent policy, especially since they’re no longer required to sell it to the public.
Political snippets: Getting closer to a leadership challenge story
In my search for the first of the season came this from AAP yesterday afternoon…
Essential: they’re arrogant and out of touch, Gillard and Abbott
Julia Gillard is seen as a vastly less capable, intelligent and hard-working leader than she was two years ago, new polling reveals.
Political snippets: Waiting for the first challenge story of autumn
Surely an appearance cannot be long away. I was surprised that last week’s Newspoll did not bring it forth. Absolutely stunned that today’s Nielsen failed to flush it out. But surely, surely it cannot be long.
Nielsen: more despair for Labor
The latest Nielsen poll has Labor’s primary vote falling a dizzying seven points to 27%, levelling out at 57-43 two-party preferred. Tony Abbott has also widened his lead as preferred prime minister, writes William Bowe.
