The Religious Right are gathering in Canberra this weekend and Kevin Rudd is the guest speaker. There is only one thing this audience want to hear from him: that he will strike down the ACT’s recently amended Civil Partnerships Act, writes Brian Greig.
Kevin Rudd 
Keane: Does anyone even care about misleading Parliament anymore?
Malcolm Turnbull called a press conference yesterday to accuse the Prime Minister of misleading Parliament over the Oceanic Viking deal. But does telling the truth in Parliament even mean anything any more? asks Bernard Keane.
Kevin Rudd, Al Jazeera wants you
Al Jazeera’s English-language news network has just hit Australian screens, but neither the PM nor his pals have been willing to make an appearance. Come on Kevin, you’ll do Rove, but not one of the world’s largest news networks?
Rudd is drowning on boat people
He may have got a bounce in the polls today, but the Prime Minister’s handling of the Oceanic Viking issue has been singularly inept.
Sorry, but Kevin and Malcolm pulled it off
Well done to both Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, who this morning made excellent speeches in Parliament’s Great Hall, to representatives of the Forgotten Generation.
Kerr: Rudd betrays his party roots for publishers
Kevin Rudd showed celebrity means more to him than education and ideas by supporting the publishing industry over cheaper books for consumers, says Christian Kerr. His ALP forebears would not be impressed.
Political snippets: Rudd’s Indian diplomacy to be tested
Diplomacy to be tested … A good time to have something else on his mind … A glutton for interest rate punishment … Words of wisdom from on high
Bolt: Why is Kevin Rudd picking on me?
Last week, Kevin Rudd singled out “Malcolm, Barnaby, Andrew and Janet” as the villainous Gang of Four of the climate change battle. A “despicable lie”, says Andrew Bolt.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Rudd’s media management continues
What did journalist Sandra O’Malley write about Rudd’s trip to India that was enough to send him into a rage and attempt to ban future background briefings for overseas trips?
Murdoch visits, spends a week talking to himself
Why do we keep listening to Rupert Murdoch? Is it because he doesn’t let us stop, with all interviews conducted by either employees or employees of an arm of News, directly or indirectly.
Howard’s ghost haunts refugee law
Australia does not have any legal responsibility for refugee claims for the Sri Lankans on board the Oceanic Viking because they were found in Indonesian waters, writes law professor Don Rothwell. But what happens when a situation doesn’t fit the law?
Rudd and the rentseekers: climate for sale
If the Prime Minister is so angry about the efforts of denialists to derail action on climate change, here’s a suggestion: stop giving them taxpayers’ money.
Mungo MacCallum: Saint Kevin’s halo has finally slipped
If last week’s polling switch is really a result of the boat people kerfuffle, Rudd won’t be able to bluster and twitter his way out of it. So what does he have to do to win the voters back?
Cage match: Rudd on climate sceptics — a step forward or pure politics?
Rudd’s a speech about climate change sceptics was clever politics, and statesmanlike to boot, writes Tony Kevin. But Tim Hollo doesn’t agree — in fact, he says Rudd might be the worst kind of climate sceptic.
Is Rudd the worst kind of climate skeptic?
Kevin Rudd’s speech to the Lowy Institute last Friday was one of the most extraordinary pieces of rhetorical hypocrisy this country has seen in recent years, says Tim Hollo.
Rudd’s goldfish-in-a-bowl approach: the three-second voter memory
Rather than implementing policy, Rudd is constantly maintaining a political campaign. Stay on message, make the Opposition the issue, win the day. But the big test for this government is if it can actually realise an ETS, says Trevor Cook.
Bartlett: A call to stop mandatory detention for people smugglers
Anyone caught assisting with the unlawful entrance of asylum seekers to Australia is brandished a people smuggler and receives mandatory detention. Is Indonesia’s unhappiness at Australia imprisoning some of their poorest damaging our diplomatic relations? asks Andrew Bartlett.
Getting help from Indonesia was a tactical mistake
Lengthy mandatory detention isn’t the biggest deterrent for asylum seekers, governments turning back boats is, says Peter Mares. The most humane thing Rudd can do is stop the boats coming, because otherwise deaths will simply increase.
Taylor: How four people run our whole government
How controlling is Rudd and how does he compare to prior Australian PMs? Micro-manager, control freak Rudd keeps his leadership group small and lets his power loom. Is it time for more voices to be heard? asks Lenore Taylor.
Milne: Rudd stays one step ahead of the pollsters
Kevin Rudd may have been on a media offensive last week after a poor Newspoll result, but the ALP hasn’t been panicking too much: its finger is firmly on the pulse of voter sentiment, and the party knows it’s outgunning the Opposition on almost every critical issue, writes Glenn Milne.
Grattan: Acting tough is what the voters want
There’s two lessons to learn from the latest Nielsen poll. One, Kevin Rudd needs to maintain his tough asylum seeker stance because the voters love it. Two, the Opposition need to get their act together, writes Michelle Grattan.
Possum: Rudd’s honeymoon restored
This month’s Nielsen results have polling back to normal after last week’s Newspoll surprise: Rudd has taken a slight clip in the approval ratings and preferred PM, but it’s just more ebbs and flows of they type he’s experienced over the last six months.
Rudd down (slightly), but far from out
The monthly Nielsen poll further proves reports of the ALP’s death in the polls have been slightly exaggerated: Labor’s two-party lead down just slightly to 56-44, while Kevin Rudd’s approval rating is down three points and his disapproval is up five.
Kerr: Rudd gets in a refugee spin
Rudd’s refugee media blitz is just confusing voters, because they don’t want confusing jargon filled explanations, they just want action. Kevin Rudd needs to dump the political cliches and rethink his media strategy, writes Christian Kerr.
