Ode to Kevin Rudd
The mining tax was a brave move that cost Kevin Rudd his job and made him a martyr for the cause of economic fairness for all Australians. His mistake was not making it very loud and clear why the tax should go ahead in front of a bunch of television cameras. If so, we would have heard that mining companies have enjoyed some tax-free loans from the taxpayers over the years. Now that things are going well, it's reasonable to expect some of that money to be repaid and reinvested into aspects of Australia's economy that are falling down. Instead, he assumed that his word was everyone's command. As a result, mining companies began crying poor using very expensive television spots and full-page newspaper ads. And silly Rudd panicked, thinking the only way to fight propoganda is with propoganda. But as I like to say, if you fight fire with fire, you only end up with a bigger fire.
A fiery redhead came up with a big bucket of water to stop the fire turning the Labor Party into ash. Julia Gillard is the first female prime minister of this country and the first to gain her position via mutiny. And now everyone is scratching their heads and wondering, 'Doesn't a political party make decisions as a team?' 'How did Kevin Rudd not see this coming?' 'Was this the plan from the beginning?' Rudd was voted in because we could trust him to be fair and diligent and not indulge in dirty tricks or subterfuge. Like the nerdy kid at school he desperately wanted to be cool which meant attending strip shows, swearing in public and picking on big, bad, eco-enemies like miners. But all he got in the end was a swift kick in the nuts by a big girl who said he was a loser and made him cry in front of the whole country.
Will Australia reward treachery? Only if we have a reasonable alternative. At this point, I'd welcome a lucky dip to avoid the awful responsibility I feel each year of appointing a new captain to the helm.
A fiery redhead came up with a big bucket of water to stop the fire turning the Labor Party into ash. Julia Gillard is the first female prime minister of this country and the first to gain her position via mutiny. And now everyone is scratching their heads and wondering, 'Doesn't a political party make decisions as a team?' 'How did Kevin Rudd not see this coming?' 'Was this the plan from the beginning?' Rudd was voted in because we could trust him to be fair and diligent and not indulge in dirty tricks or subterfuge. Like the nerdy kid at school he desperately wanted to be cool which meant attending strip shows, swearing in public and picking on big, bad, eco-enemies like miners. But all he got in the end was a swift kick in the nuts by a big girl who said he was a loser and made him cry in front of the whole country.
Will Australia reward treachery? Only if we have a reasonable alternative. At this point, I'd welcome a lucky dip to avoid the awful responsibility I feel each year of appointing a new captain to the helm.
