You've gotta be pretty naive to think that this leadership challenge was anything more than a bs publicity stunt don't you? What a load of cRudd it was!

What minister in history has ever mounted a challenge without first bandying around for numbers from the caucus? They all know the thereabouts of their numbers before they mount a challenge. This was all just a bs publicity stunt to keep Labor in the spotlight and to usurp public support for Gillard. Predominantly in the female sector, obviously.

But unfortunately, it will work. Gillard's rating will rise because of this, there is nothing surer  :(

There was no challenge


Gillard opened up the vote at a time when Kev was most vulnerable ... a very important week as foreign minister, with very important meetings across the globe.

Gillard is very cunning and very much a free agent now she has the rudd monkey off her back for a little while.

No one should underestimate the damage she can now inflict on Abbott. Be surprised if he lasts out the year as lame duck leader.

A possible scenario I suppose, but Rudd still needed to fall on his sword to mount a challenge where he knew that he didn't have the numbers. Even the public knew that he didn't have the numbers.

So much has been said about how much damage this will do to the Labor party, who were pretty much stuffed before this leadership challenge debacle. They had very little to lose, but this will work well for them.
They will get the female vote on this one for sure.
Women across Australia will be saying "You see, a female can be a good PM in the eyes of her party. YES SHE CAN!"

And what else she can do is stifle free speech and motion from mavericks such as Assange, because she is a short-sighted puppet. She is not a Welsh coalminer unionist's daughter. That reality is something that is kept well hidden from the general public.

My Mother voted Labor all her life, up until the 2010, and the sole reason that she didn't then is because she despises Gillard. Most women that I know cannot stand her, and feel the same way.

This stunt will do the ALP absolutely no favour. It just shows that they have no respect for what the electorate wants, which is overwhelmingly Rudd.

All of Labours woes stem from the fact they abandoned their roots in the 1980's being the party of the battlers & and blue collar workers and adopted insane, incentive killing economics, ripping money off the productive classes, systematically dismantling their conditions and destabilizing their working lives.   Now you have killed all incentive in the economy through greed.  Well done idiots - well done.  Reject middle class welfare entitlement insanity and return to what made Australia the lucky country - the fair go, stability and security and fair reward for work. 8-) 8-) 8-)

corporate_whitey wrote on Feb 28^th, 2012 at 12:24am:

All of Labours woes stem from the fact they abandoned their roots in the 1980's being the party of the battlers & and blue collar workers and adopted insane, incentive killing economics, ripping money off the productive classes, systematically dismantling their conditions and destabilizing their working lives.   Now you have killed all incentive in the economy through greed.  Well done idiots - well done.  Reject middle class welfare entitlement insanity and return to what made Australia the lucky country - the fair go, stability and security and fair reward for work. 8-) 8-) 8-)

there are no battlers anymore...whingers YES..

people are paid to have a baby these days..they are paid to NOT work.[maternity leave]they are paid to go and get an education..they are paid to keep their kids at school.. instead of on the sofa.

god only knows what else we pay them not to do but you can bet your bottom dollar the so called battler knows all the ropes.

matty wrote on Feb 28^th, 2012 at 12:13am:

My Mother voted Labor all her life, up until the 2010, and the sole reason that she didn't then is because she despises Gillard. Most women that I know cannot stand her, and feel the same way. This stunt will do the ALP absolutely no favour. It just shows that they have no respect for what the electorate wants, which is overwhelmingly Rudd.

Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate, we vote for a political party, not a Prime minister.
It's up to the party to elect their Prime minister.

Politics is one big publicity stunt.
If people actually had a clue they would realise politics was never and is never meant to be about the politicians.

corporate_whitey wrote on Feb 28^th, 2012 at 12:24am:

return to what made Australia the lucky country - the fair go, stability and security and fair reward for work. 8-) 8-) 8-)

Return?

I have all that. Most of the people i know have all that.

FriYAY wrote on Feb 28^th, 2012 at 11:20am:

corporate_whitey wrote on Feb 28th, 2012 at 12:24am: return to what made Australia the lucky country - the fair go, stability and security and fair reward for work. 8-) 8-) 8-) Return? I have all that. Most of the people i know have all that.

Funnily enough, I agree.
We are a very lucky country.
If you don't care too much about keeping up with the Jones' and just focus on what is important to yourself, it's not too hard to make a good fist of it here.

A recent Lebanese immigrant work colleague of mine once said to me, "When I got here, I couldn't believe how easy it was to rip off the system. It's a playground!
But then I started looking over my shoulder all of the time, and I realized that you can become wealthy here just by working hard, and you don't need to be looking over your shoulder."

And so, his definition of wealth might be a little different to the average definition of wealth here in Australia. But on a global scale, we have ample opportunity to acquire wealth without any requirement to sell off our souls, as long as we don't define wealth with what the Jones' may or may not possess.

Hence, we certainly do not need politicians (servants of the people) compromising our moral psyche for a short-sighted promise of kickbacks.
If we are able to take the moral highground, then we should take it, because most countries are not in a position to do so, and others will experience only a short-lived spurt of wealth for their people by missing the opportunity to have them want to work for a nation of upstanding morals.