Hello

I am doing a project and am researching into the strengths and weaknesses of Kevin Rudd. I am discussing the strengths and weaknesses of him personally as a prime minister and as a leader.

I am struggling to find any good information and am wondering if members could please list some strengths and weaknesses for me and why?

Currently I have  Stated he is a driven man and prepared to learn. Other than that I dont have an idea.

I am not an australian either so dont know what he is like! Thankyou.

I think you can get what you want by sifting through older threads here and there. No strengths come to mind at the moment. Supposed workaholic, perhaps?

I thought that "ordinary people" were the only people he could relate to, since he was always preaching about "working families".

"Too much money and not enough sense"

Seriously though.
His main strength is that his opposition is very, very weak.
His main weakness is his UN ambitions that prevents him from focusing on running his own country.

Well in case you are serious, I will post a serious response.
His strengths are an almost indefatiguable drive, which sees him consistently working very long days, up at 5:00 AM, still working at Midnight is a tough ask for any man, but he regularly does just that.
He has a good sense of reading the electoral mood, and responds to that, which is what inspires the criticisms of being an insincere try hard, so this is both a positive, and a negative for him on many occasions.

He does seem to genuinely want to instigate meaningful change, as is indicated by tackling the health issue, which has been neglected by all governments, of all political persuasions since whitlam brought in medicare almost forty years ago.
Some may question his motives on this, as being inspired by a desire for self-aggrandisement, rather than altruistic ideals for the common good, but that is really an unknown, and those who speculate too vigorously, one way or the other,  merely betray their own prejudices.

He is often a good communicator.
That being said, he can convey both his ideas, and his enthusiasm for his ideas very well, when he wants to, but on the flip side, few men have mastered a greater degree of political nonsense speak than Mr Rudd, and when he wishes to avoid or evade a topic he can rattle off meaningless babble in a seemingly endless stream.

So, ultimate he is a pretty typical modern day politician, and most of the major, and certainly the most venomous, criticisms of him are inspired from a position of political polarisation, that would evaporate quickly if he were on their side of politics, which he most easily could be.

While he no doubt holds personal moral positions, he seems to be the archetypal political pragmatist, and as such can flip flop on great moral questions as easily as a media driven public can.

Quote:


Why don't you find a subject you know something about b4 you comment.

Abbott is into exercise  etc  he was already obligated to be in the Ironman months ago.  Years ago he started the charity cycle event he is now partaking in.  He is a surf lifesaver.  He is a member of the local bushfire brigade...  all of which he does because it is part of his personality and lifestyle not because he's looking for public brownie points.

Captain Kruddy is an egotistical cunning hypocritical liar.  His strength seems to be his ability to fool people.

freediver wrote on Apr 10^th, 2010 at 12:45pm:


None of the known Labor personnel had a hope. SO out they wheel Rudd, speaking Laborite pap.
People didn't elect Rudd, they elected the idea of a 'Labor governemnt', a 'non-Howard' government. Rudd is the Chauncey Garginer of Australian politics. When his personality breaks through, he is seen as an insincere blow-hard. He is embraced when his personality is not considered, when he speaks and acts out, the Labor pap.  An accidental PM.
Howard or Keating were actualo, real men. Rudd is a mere idea. Nobody wants the actual man - an ill-tempered bullshitter.

mattdefoe wrote on Apr 8^th, 2010 at 6:52pm:

Strength: not afraid of fascists!