Rudd resigns as Foreign Minister

[Bart]

Yes Yes it's true, the narcissistic Rudd has resigned in fear of being sacked by a woman (Gillard, the jury is still out on that)


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-n ... 6277613863

[Bart]

"Rudd resigns as foreign minister. It’s a soap opera, he says. Has lost Gillard’s support. She did not rebuke Crean and “faceless men” for their attacks on his character. Her silence means she endorses them. He cannot serve in those circumstances, and the “honorable” thimg is to resign.

Will make a statement on future next week, before Parliament sits.

UPDATE

Rudd says won’t be part of a “stealth attack” on a sitting Prime Minister elected by the people. That was done before and was wrong. The reign of the “faceless men” must end.

But it seems clear he will challenge.

The question now before his colleagues, he says, is “who is best placed to defeat Tony Abbott at the next election”.

He says Abbott is not fit to be prime minister, but for some time now seems set to become it.

He is pitting his popularity against Gillard’s support from Labor’s machine.

UPDATE

No one tipped this, yet on reflection it is a brave and aggressive move. A good move.

Gillard today seemed in control, and about to assert her authority over him. She clearly had the numbers, and had derailed the bandwagon.

Rudd has now overturned the “back to business” pitch, and showed waverers at he is prepared to put skin in the game. He can also campaign openly. Gillard is back on the back foot.

That is not to say at all that he will win the ballot. I doubt it. It’s not even clear that he will stand, or not straight away.

But any MPs who thought Rudd was about to be put in his place “once and for all” have got a shake up. Think again, boys.

UPDATE

Newspoll comes out on Tuesday. I suspect it may be brought forward to Monday. Gillard will want the Tuesday caucus meeting moved forward if she can, because the poll will just underline Rudd’s message that he can win, but Gillard cannot.

No Newwspoll, I suspect, will have more political impact than this one."




http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andr ... d_tesigns/

[Jovial Monk]

Foreign Minister Kevid Rudd has announced his resignation at a press conference in Washington DC at 1.20am local time, 5.20pm AEDT.

A move against Kevin Rudd next week is almost certain with Prime Minister Julia Gillard determined to resolve the leadership crisis when parliament resumes.

With the backing of her senior cabinet ministers, Ms Gillard is poised either to sack Mr Rudd from the ministry or hold a leadership ballot to expose his lack of support.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political ... 1tn8j.html

Typically, he did it while still overseas. If this is supposed to be part one of a two part challenge a la Keating he left out the challenge part.

[mantra]

I wonder if he really cares anymore about being PM. I think he's got another alternative - perhaps a highflying job offer from the UN and it's just a matter which comes first - a successful challenge for PM or confirmation of this other job. He's had problems with his heart and it's not a minor health issue. The stress of being PM again might not be that appealing.

It's obvious he wants to destabilise Gillard as payback - and being the clever man he is he's got a bet placed each way. He won't lose no matter what the outcome is.

[Neferti]

Don't lose any sleep over our Kev. Next to go. Jules. Watch out for Greg Combet .... he was at work on Monday when nobody else was .......

[mantra]

Don't lose any sleep over our Kev. Next to go. Jules. Watch out for Greg Combet .... he was at work on Monday when nobody else was .......

Yes I read about your trip to Parliament House Neferti - that would have been interesting, although it's a pity Greg Combet was the only minister around. I would prefer him to Bill Shorten anyday.

[Bart]

This is all playing into Bill Shorty's hands.


Can see the ALP marketing campaign already... Get Shorty!



But who would want to be captain of the Titanic.......

[Mattus]

Every so often there is a wild, bare knuckled night in politics. The gauntlet is thrown, the schooner is smashed and the two contenders slowly circle each other with steely, dead eyes. Good people are drinking beer and shouting for their fighter to get up off the floor and come out swinging. It stirs something long forgotten in this, once was, political animal. Who would not feel the tremble of battle in their loins, the war drums calling. Who could not love the bloody taste of politics on a night like this?

Only in politics, eh? Kevin turns to Bomber Beazley and asks him to hold his pimp hat and cane while he has to go and slap a bitch. Bomber Beazley the man who, in a delicious twist of irony, Kevin deposed as Labor leader in 2006. As all delicious irony should, this menu has a tragic flavour too. Whatever you think about Rudd, all would agree he's the best person in the current government to be foreign minister. Whatever the outcome of this fierce night to brutality and violence, Australia is worse off.

Kevin has provided new meaning to the term passive aggressive as he decries the soap opera of ALP leadership, in a 1 am press conference from mouth of madness, cunningly timed for maximum airplay and drama. He blames the faceless men, the legendary factions of Labor, casting himself as the people's champion who was never given a fair go by the Cuban smoking power brokers and their back room deals over scotch and stained teeth, always keeping a playa down. And who can disagree with his critique of Labor faction politics? Never mind that they are not the reason he was dumped as PM, and not the reason he is criticised now.

So Kevin Rudd and his lieutenants now have four furious days to get the numbers or.... or what? He still has one trump left to play, he could (as mantra suggests) quit parliament. This would trigger an unwinnable by-election in Queensland, and relegate all those who stood against him to the loser's side of the house. An immediate double dissolution by our new bruiser-in-chief and half of those standing behind Julia would lose their seats. Even Swanny. Especially Swanny. Rudd would go down in the annals of infamy if he ever played that card. Mothers would scare their children with stories of the man who gouged out the eyes of the ALP and sent them into the wilderness for decades to come, but one thing's for sure, Julia wouldn't be able to hide the red, stinging marks of Kevin's pimp hand off her cheek for a good while.

This is through the looking glass. We're off the map here people, it's jumped the rails. You know you're living on the edge when Mark Latham describes your actions as "going berserk", Kev. This is Ash Wednesday, and boy was it a roaring fire. I say bring it on. Have the GG call the election today and just give Tone the goddamn keys. We all know it's inevitable by now and his first day at the stick will bring us closer to his last.

[mantra]

Have the GG call the election today and just give Tone the goddamn keys. We all know it's inevitable by now and his first day at the stick will bring us closer to his last.

Are you referring to Abbott being booted after he gets the keys or Rudd?

Either option appears hopeless. Abbott might be the only alternative in the face of adversity, but he's not PM material, nor will he ever be. He could possibly be worse than Gillard.

[Jovial Monk]

Gillard is actually a good PM, a great PM even, getting a stack of badly needed reforms through Parliament. A consequence of all these reforms, of change, a lot of people get frightened or upset. But there are 18 months to settle the horses. Remember Howard and the GST? Polling worse than Gillard but who won the 2001 election? Hmmmm

Rudd, OTOH, was all about media management but what did he do?