Breaking news...tonite

[Chiral]

Julia Gillard has challenged Kevin Rudd for the party leadership...

check all your local news guides now as this story breaks.

SOURCE

KEVIN Rudd's leadership is in crisis tonight as factional leaders and MPs urged Julia Gillard to challenge for the prime ministership.

The Prime Minister and his deputy are locked in talks in his office, amid reports that key Labor figures have lost confidence in Mr Rudd's ability to win the next election.

Ms Gillard has not yet made herself a candidate, but senior Labor sources said members of the NSW Right had agreed to support the push if she agreed to challenge.

The leadership crisis emerged tonight just as Mr Rudd appeared safe before the start of the long parliamentary winter break and as he prepares to leave for Canada for the G20 meeting tomorrow.

But there have been a fierce revival of complaints and concerns about Labor's collapse in the polls.

Labor MPs said the Deputy Prime Minister was “very angry” with suggestions that her loyalty had been questioned by Mr Rudd.

Prompted by reports that Mr Rudd had sent his chief-of-staff, Alister Jordan, to check MPs' loyalty and whether there were moves to replace him with Ms Gillard, MPs angrily accused Mr Rudd of disloyalty himself.

Several MPs have told The Australian Ms Gillard has put every effort into killing leadership speculation surrounding Mr Rudd, but has effectively been undermined by the Prime Minister.

“She has stood by him through the toughest time,” an MP said. “She has not sought to exploit his problems for her own gain and this is how he replays her?”

MPs from the Right and Left factions and from NSW, Victoria and South Australia have been involved in meetings as anger spread through Labor ranks during question time today.

###

[santiago]

i wouldnt rule out a possible return from howard, he looked refreshed today with howard as deputy to tony abbott it would be a formidable combination, you would see the majority of australians getting out of labour now whilst the going is good to return to a more conservative financial enviroment, im a fence sitting voter either way i dont care but a comeback by howard would take power by surprise.

[nabraxas]

we just got our first female prime minister....wonder how long she'll last.

[FancyPants]

Hmm, I wonder what really happened behind the scenes?

Anyway, personally I've been disappointed with Rudd, despite giving him a good chance but he seems to keep digging himself into the shit. Damned if I'm going to vote for that egotistical self-righteous prig Abbott though.

[Magicdirt]

It seems like the shadow masters have been at it again.

I didn't vote for Gillard or Keneally for that matter.

This is the actions of the powerbrokers behind the scenes that run everything.

All this talk of opinion polls recently has just been a device to shape our psyche so they can pull this crap and have it accepted. All opinion polls are anyway are a tool to twist feeble minds.

Why is K Rudds popularity so low anyway, all he did was claim some of Australias' wealth back from foriegn moguls and now apparently no-one likes him, what a crock of shit. I think the tax was the best decision made by any government in the last 50 years, after all it is our coal/iron etc why should Australia not benefit from it ?

If there are minerals in the ground someone will still want them, all this bullshit about the tax stopping investment is just that bullshit. The Chinese have just signed some massive contracts.

It's there and they still want it, they'll just pass on there extra costs to the customers buying it.

It's the same pack of pricks that ousted Whitlam, just their methods have become more subtle these days.

Whitlam wanted to pay off the countries debts and they arseholed him, here we go again.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Magicdirt

[Quill]

What really scares me about this is the possibility that this event will persuade voters to vote for Tony Abbott. The idea of Prime Minister Abbott scares me to no end.

[gromit]

Yeah what Quilliam said.

Also, I'm sick of hearing 'I did not vote for Gillard'.

Well, unless you live in his electorate, you didn't really vote for Rudd either.

You voted for the Party, who elect the leader.

It's not America.

Edited June 24, 2010 by dr lucien sanchez

[naja naja]

YAY, that fucker is gone! Kevinm rudd was, is and always will be a little man fucktard! So glad he's gone! Labor spends too much, liberal doesn't spend enough. Labor will be out next election!

[dworx]

It seems like the shadow masters have been at it again.

I didn't vote for Gillard or Keneally for that matter.

This is the actions of the powerbrokers behind the scenes that run everything.

All this talk of opinion polls recently has just been a device to shape our psyche so they can pull this crap and have it accepted. All opinion polls are anyway are a tool to twist feeble minds.

Why is K Rudds popularity so low anyway, all he did was claim some of Australias' wealth back from foriegn moguls and now apparently no-one likes him, what a crock of shit. I think the tax was the best decision made by any government in the last 50 years, after all it is our coal/iron etc why should Australia not benefit from it ?

If there are minerals in the ground someone will still want them, all this bullshit about the tax stopping investment is just that bullshit. The Chinese have just signed some massive contracts.

It's there and they still want it, they'll just pass on there extra costs to the customers buying it.

It's the same pack of pricks that ousted Whitlam, just their methods have become more subtle these days.

Whitlam wanted to pay off the countries debts and they arseholed him, here we go again.

 

Magic you are 100% ON THE MARK!

The whole show is to take our focus off the actual happenings and it obviously works on the majority.

[naja naja]

I never wanted rudd, ever. If I was on the electoral role I would have voted for howard, even though he's a huge fucktard too. Just he woulda been better than rudd IMO. With the libveral gov, we got out of our 3rd world credit rating too be in the black sum 53Billion, now we are in the red over 100Billion due to the labour gov. Neither is good for the country, just one doesn't fuck me over every 20 or so years!" This is the recession we had to have " ring a bell?

[occidentalis]

I never wanted rudd, ever. If I was on the electoral role I would have voted for howard, even though he's a huge fucktard too. Just he woulda been better than rudd IMO. With the libveral gov, we got out of our 3rd world credit rating too be in the black sum 53Billion, now we are in the red over 100Billion due to the labour gov. Neither is good for the country, just one doesn't fuck me over every 20 or so years!" This is the recession we had to have " ring a bell?

 

We are in the red over 100 Billion because of the labor government's response to the global financial crisis. At least partly because of that spending, Australia managed to avoid the worst effects of the GFC. And the recession we had to have has been shown by more recent, impartial economic analysis to be a recession we really did have to have. I'm no big fan of either big party but I think you have to give credit where it is due.

If you look back on history, liberal governments tend to be in power in good economic times, labor governments tend to be in power in bad economic times. Labor governments have several times in history been elected shortly before major recessions. IMO there is a strong correlation here but I don't think it's causation. Whatever background historical processes that drive economic growth and stagnation are the same processes that drive political leaning towards liberal or labor.

The bottom line is the two major parties are simply not that much different. I had high hopes for Rudd as an economically conservative and socially progressive PM. Turns out he was pretty much the exact opposite.

If voting changed anything, it would be illegal ;).

Edited June 24, 2010 by occidentalis

[naja naja]

I will admit I am bias as last time, my parents lost their house. This time, my parents loose their businesss that was going to be my career. So I am fucked over big time. I assume this has alot to do with my feelings towards labour too.

[Magicdirt]

Both the Labour and Liberal parties have slushfunds funded by American interests through the CIA.

The Greens are the only party to openly declare that they don't receive funding from overseas interests.

This "two party preferred" cliche that gets bandied around come election time is another device to downplay the importance of any competitors.

They are the two parties preffered by the world bankers who run this planet.

I'd have money on Costello making a comeback, no-one is going to vote for an budgie smuggler wearing ex priest who openly admits he lies sometimes.

[J Smith]

If you look back on history, liberal governments tend to be in power in good economic times, labor governments tend to be in power in bad economic times.

 

Ah the old chicken and egg argument! The government has to take some responsibility for the economic times they find themselves in.

[dworx]

With the libveral gov, we got out of our 3rd world credit rating too be in the black sum 53Billion, now we are in the red over 100Billion due to the labour gov. Neither is good for the country, just one doesn't fuck me over every 20 or so years!" This is the recession we had to have " ring a bell?

 

This country and most western countries that carry a "national debt"are scamming the 'man', telling us we have to work to better the economics of the country, we deal with 'debt money', it is not 'Australian Currency' there is interest payable to use it [known as inflation]. In reality we are 'BANKRUPT', Australia has been sold out under our feet, you have a right to feel angry because they indebt you and I so we are forced to work [we are human resources] basically slaves and slavery has supposedly been abolished. Don't be one of the blind AUSTRALIAN sheeple.

Edited June 25, 2010 by dworx

[occidentalis]

Ah the old chicken and egg argument! The government has to take some responsibility for the economic times they find themselves in.

 

Yeah, I'm not saying that governments do not have any effect on economies. Of course they do. But I don't think that government action is the only determinant of economic conditions and I think when it is, the effects are often felt some time down the track.

[Magicdirt]

Has anyone heard anything about Julia Gillard leading a successfull challenge on the leadership of the ALP ?

Did she garner support from other party members herself ?

Or was she just installed ?

Whenever there is a leadership challenge or coup we normally hear of negotiations, deals and all sorts of skullduggery before the fact, but this time nothing.

As soon as the screen door slammed shut after K Rudd left, the mining moguls were celebrating his removal and even making threats that they will hold the country to ransom if the tax is not removed. As seen on lateline business - tonight 24 june.

Wake up and smell the stench Australia.

Democracy does not exist, it is a figment of a feeble manipulated mind.

We live in a dictatorship - dictated by big business.

But all that debt can only be good for us in the long run, that's why we have credit cards.

Let's have it now, fuck tomorrow it may never come.

[dworx]

again 100% correct. Last night it was announced that the Mining Tax ad campaign has been scrapped, what does that tell you?

Edited June 24, 2010 by dworx

[Chiral]

She is quite likable though isn't she, tough as teak, she has such a bogan way of talking too, which will hold her in good stead. She's Welsh, well that can't be bad, half my family are welsh.. and she has a pretty good sense of humour.

Now all we need to do is to convince her to run senator Conroy out of town along with cry baby Rudd and we might be okay for some time.

This does all stink of minerals and miners tax though, we down here can only ever speculate and toss our tin foil hats to the ground in disgust when we finally get the truth or real picture.

Jillian Gillard...she's ok..a red headed fiery Welsh woman as Prime Minister...already the women of Australia are right onto this and showing their full support.

Men step aside...there's a new leader in town..she's a chick, so let's take to the couches and flick on the TV, take a break and let the girls run wild for a few years, we can slaughter her with sex scandals later when we get tired or bored.

[FancyPants]

Has anyone heard anything about Julia Gillard leading a successfull challenge on the leadership of the ALP ?

Did she garner support from other party members herself ?

Or was she just installed ?

Whenever there is a leadership challenge or coup we normally hear of negotiations, deals and all sorts of skullduggery before the fact, but this time nothing.

As soon as the screen door slammed shut after K Rudd left, the mining moguls were celebrating his removal and even making threats that they will hold the country to ransom if the tax is not removed. As seen on lateline business - tonight 24 june.

Wake up and smell the stench Australia.

Democracy does not exist, it is a figment of a feeble manipulated mind.

We live in a dictatorship - dictated by big business.

But all that debt can only be good for us in the long run, that's why we have credit cards.

Let's have it now, fuck tomorrow it may never come.

 

From what I've read in the papers, Gillard has been approached about challenging Rudd for a little while now, but she has refused because of her loyalty to Rudd. She only ended up challenging after she found out Rudd was going basically behind her back to check up on her loyalty to him and she got massively pissed off at his lack of faith at her. Apparently she was still hesitant but the backers urged her and she finally went to Rudd to talk and came out of it wanting a ballot for ALP leadership, thus how she ended up taking it. From assumptions (since we truly know nothing really of what happened, only what they tell us), I personally don't think she wanted the leadership yet, the look on her face as she faced media the first time looked a bit nervous and like she was trying to "man" up to the position.

Personally I believe SHE believes in what she's saying... at this point in time at least. I also don't like all the feminism being injected into these happenings; I think true feminism would be to not gloat and gloss over her having a vagina. True equality means we shouldn't be talking about her - or anyone's - gender at all, as Gillard herself seems to be doing as she's trying to distance herself from gender issues. I like that. She just wants to do a good job, not have a party cos a chick came to be PM. What her definition of a "good job" is going to be we'll have to find out. I think we should give her a damn chance since she's there, why not give her some support to better this country?

By the by, any party supporting the internet filter isn't getting my vote; unfortunately I can too easily see Labor introducing it, and if the Labs get in, they'll just keep it in place because they really like it, too, just aren't willing to lose votes over it.

[Moses]

unions just installed a new glove puppet that's all

to choose between labour or liberal is like choosing between lung cancer and emphysema IMO

Edited June 25, 2010 by Moses

[flora]

we down here can only ever speculate and toss our tin foil hats to the ground in disgust when we finally get the truth or real picture.

 

ROFLS! Chiral. how very poignant

two party politics hey. crock o shit. but i would have been devastated if toady maggot was pm. spose it would have been funny in a way. mixed emotions about the whole affair.

gillard/rudd cant see a huge difference. rudd was only leader cos julia had the numbers to get him there anyway.

[ergoamide]

Aussie politics is such a mess. Labour is economically incompetant. Liberal want all our rights to themselves. And the Greens are cowards that will drop unpopular policy for votes.

[ergoamide]

Also seeing as the GFC was discussed a bit earlier on I was wondering if anyone else see the sheer effin idiocy of how the economy works. I mean we spend too much and inflation fucks us over, but we be good and save and don't spend our money we go into a god dam reccession. does that seem stupid to anyone else.

[hutch]

My second and last political statement on this site.

If I hear anyone say that anything is better than Abbott again I will puke...look what they have done to this country and tell me anything is better. What price this lunacy... BLOODY SHEEP think think think think think think think.....

THE REAL LEADER OF THIS COUNTRY IS A BLOKE BY THE NAME OF PAUL HOWES , A 29 YEAR OLD NATIONAL SECRETARY OF THE AUSTRALIAN WORKERS UNION.....HIS DEPUTIES ARE BILL SHORTON AND MARK ARBIB....(we need a new emoticon that signifies RAGE)

Keven bloody Dudd The ALP

Now that I've cleared the air....hows the fungas going this month...

Edited June 28, 2010 by hutch