No doubt those who call themselves "feminists" will screech and rant about what a terribly sexist thing this is, and how unremitting pressure from Abbott and a whole lot of other conservatives brought about her undoing, blah, blah, blah, and a whole lot of other utterances which make verbal diarrhoea look like pure sweet unicorn farts.
The fact of the matter is that she was undone by her own incompetence, and by the disastrous position to which she was leading her party. These are exactly the same factors which led to her replacing the man who has now been appointed (once again!) to replace her. The difference is that back then, she was Deputy Prime Minister and the logical person to step into Kevin Rudd's shoes, at least temporarily. She called a general election, a thing which was pending in any case, and led the Labor Party to that election. By means of all sorts of chicanery and double-dealing, which included an outright lie and the smearing of those who called the lie out as "hysterical", plus the representatives of two very conservative electorates betraying their trust, she cobbled together a minority government into a Labor/Greens/"Independents" coalition and subsequently gained control of the Upper House.
Then she proceeded to spend the next three years screwing up in every possible way she could. The public opinion polls told the tale, but she and her government refused to listen. Now she has paid the price for her poor leadership, just as the man she replaced paid it before her.
There is nothing sexist about this. As the man was treated, so was the woman - and so will the man once more, God willing, as soon as an election is formally called. Except that this time it will be the electorate which gets to wreak its vengeance.
A very large proportion of the Labor front bench, plus the two "Independents" who gave us this disaster and maintained it in office, will not be contesting at the next election. They have seen the writing on the wall, and are too cowardly to stay and face the inevitable.They will instead take the disgraceful "out" of being able to say they were undefeated in office.
John Howard, who stayed when he knew the polls weren't that good for him, was able to swallow that defeat and remain gracious in it.
If all goes to plan and Kevin Rudd is sworn in as Prime Minister, Tony Abbott will now no longer have to restrain himself when on the campaign trail. Labor has lost the "misogynist Tony" defence. It will, of course, almost certainly declare gay marriage an issue, telling gays that "Catholic Tony" will deny them their dream. But what of Labor, the Greens and the Independents, who have held both Houses for more than long enough to put a gay marriage bill through, yet have done nothing? Are they not just as "homophobic" for not having acted on this? By what right do these fucking hypocrites dare ride gay issues to the election now?
Let's face it - Canada has gay marriage under a conservative government (Stephen Harper's Progressive Conservatives), and Australia could easily go the same way under an Abbott government if he allowed a conscience vote, which I think he is gentleman enough to do. I think gays of both genders (and their supporters) are selling themselves out if they vote Labor just on this one issue.
The destruction of Kevin Rudd Mark 1 began when Tony Abbott was installed as Opposition Leader by the slimmest of margins and started to oppose him on an Emissions Trading Scheme, instead of rolling over and baring his throat the way Malcolm Turnbull did. Rudd, who had threatened a double-dissolution election on the issue (which he might conceivably have won with Turnbull as his opponent), suddenly got cold feet. It was all downhill from then on. Kevin Rudd Mark 2 is still the same Kevin Rudd - and if Tony Abbott gets his measure quickly, I think we will see a repeat of the same performance, culminating in the election result we should have seen three years ago.
I do not think the electorate will forgive - too many Labor front-benchers have shown themselves to be rats leaving the sinking ship, and I suspect their likely replacements will
1) When will an election be held? (With Gillard's ouster, Rudd is no longer held to the September 14 date if he does not wish to be and he might as well go to the polls ASAP to take advantage of his Second Honeymoon. Makes you wonder if the whole thing was planned this way from the start.)
2) Will the Coalition still have the momentum to take both Houses, or will Rudd manage just enough of a bounce to save that?
3) If #2 ends in a hostile Senate, what will happen at the subsequent double dissolution?
Much has been said about a government needing a strong Opposition and too much of a win being a bad thing. But I do not think there is anyone currently in government who has the talent. Whether Labor loses by seven seats or seventy makes no difference. It has had its turn and has done nothing in six years but act to the detriment of the nation. I hope that the election brings nothing less than its complete and utter ruination. And now that Gillard appears to be headed out the door, Rudd might as well go too.
And the Labor "faceless men" and Kevin Rudd can take the blame for Gillard's ouster. This is a shame; it would have been nice to see the backlash against the "feminists" for trying to tell the Australian electorate how sexist it was. They might have discredited themselves forever; now they can keep wailing and railing against the same old usual suspects.
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