BS: Winds of change? (Australia)

Subject: BS: Winds of change?
From: John O'L
Date: 03 Dec 06 - 09:20 PM

When The Australian Labor Party lost the last federal election the party leader resigned and one of the prospective candidates to replace him was Kevin Rudd. Rudd is, in my opinion, the only person in Australia at present who could lead the Labor Party to unseat the Howard government. A party meeting was held in which Rudd withdrew from the leadership race. I happened to be listening to the radio when the meeting came out and the reason for his withdrawal was "insufficient corporate backing".

The word "corporate" was dropped from subsequent news reports, but I, being Johnny-on-the-spot, heard it.
Kim Beaszley got the nod. He had already been beaten in an election by Howard. This is clearly what corporate Australia* likes.

You will understand then how surprised I am that Rudd today made a tilt for the leadership and won it from Beazley. The way I see it, there are three possibilities:
1. Corporate Australia* has removed its favour from Beazley, which means from Howard,
2. The rank & file have flexed their muscles and bounced corporate Australia*, or
3. I have been mistaken all along.

If (3) was a possibility I wouldn't submit this, so if you're readiing it we can pretty safety reject (3) as an option. I find it hard to credit (1) as a reasonable possibility, so it would seem, to me at least, that the ignorant, stupid, lazy and complacent have opened their eyes and had a look around, something they seem to do only once or twice a century.

With the recent mid-term elections in USA, am I pre-emptive in sniffing the air for the hint of change?



* Read "corporate America" or "The global corporation".

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Peace
Date: 03 Dec 06 - 11:57 PM

T'would be nice, John.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: GUEST,Allen in OZ
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 12:22 AM

There is some logic in the argument. Rudd comes from the Christian right in Queensland...but anything will be better than Howard and the small " f" fascists now in control

I will be supporting Rudd

AD

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 01:28 AM

A couple of days ago on Radio National I heard a historian/social commentator/political commentator saying that of the 4 or 5 changes of government since the War, all have been led by well established leaders. Each time a new Opposition leader with no depth of national exposure tried to topple the incumbent party he failed. (Bob Hawke has little parliamentary experience, but national exposure as ACTU leader.)

So I'm crossing my fingers & hoping you're right, John.

sandra

The favourite cartoon from 1990 showing the voter puzzling over Tweedle-Dum (Hawke) & Tweedle-Just-As-Dumb (whatsis) is beginning to look like old history IF the Labour Party keeps on separating themselves from the incumbents.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 04:45 PM

The Winds of Change are blowing through the Corridors of Power!

I've been waiting to use that one.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 05:08 PM

How does a Corridor of Power get to have a Fork in the Road?

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 07:28 PM

I was never happy with old loser Kim regaining the leadership after Latham was stabbed in the back - "pro bono" - 'who benefits'.

Latham actually had the gleam of someone who was prepared to try a few things creatively, which is the reason the 'machines' - political party and corporate, didn't want him. I refused to support Labour thereafter. I now much prefer the Greens, since the Democrats cut their political throats after their 'trust us on the GST' fiasco. At least they don't march along totally in step with Johnny! This is one serious advantage of our preferential system over the US one.

I think that maybe after years of denying fallouts from 'global warming' that the corporate machine is prepared to abandon Little Johnny, as he has tied his colours of 'Anti-Global Warming' too firmly to the mast for Aussies to accept a turncoat attitude from him on this. AFter all now that the crees have changed from 'but all the little green frogs will die' to 'but GW will hurt business', the corporate machine wants to look as if they now BELIEVE in GW...


Kevin may well be a 'Christian', but is not known as being excessively 'Right Wing' - at least nowhere as much as out Yank Cousins carry on....



BTW, for our overseas musical readers, Julia (the new deputy leader) was claimed to be 'climbing a stairway with Kevin'... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 07:57 PM

In the US we would have to look at a fourth possibility in the opening list: that Rudd went out and "bought" (or bought into) a few "members of corporate Australia."

It is possible that a candidate might withdraw due to "lack of support" and return to candidacy after surveying the support he/she has more accurately - and maybe getting a few more firm "commitments" from people who couldn't be counted on at the earlier time.

Having no knowledge of Aussie politics ¹[other than what I read in the US press] I'm only suggesting a theoretically possible explanation, of course.

¹ text in "[" "]" is redundant with "having no knowledge."

John

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Dec 06 - 08:23 PM

Well, John, taking into account that a number of people believe in the conspiracy theory that the CIA was involved in the Whitlam 'Dismissal', I'm sure you'll get a few Aussies to go along with you.... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: John O'L
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 12:37 AM

I once heard Frank Zappa speak quite persuasively on the CIA / Whitlam connection, but that doesn't mean that Rudd has or hasn't done deals to gain corporate endorsement. I actually think corporate appeasement is one of those things that has quietly slipped in via the back door but has insinuated itself into the kitchen and loungeroom and is now accepted as part of the political furniture. It's just one of the things you have take care of before you can actually do anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 01:52 AM

I have two stories about the Whitlam Dismissal and the subsequent election.

1    I was running school camps at Steiglitz, in the Brisbane Ranges west of Melbourne and I distinctly remember hearing the news of the dismissal as I walked between the BBQ pit and my residence. One of the teachers with the visiting school happened to be a friend of mine who had trained in the RAAF Reserve as a spotter; he could recognise and identify aircraft types the way teenaged boys could ditto cars from 250 yards. One route to Steiglitz from Melbourne took you past Laverton RAAF base and that was the way he'd chosen to travel a couple of days before the Dismissal. On hearing the news, he got very excited about realising the implications of an observation he'd made while passing Laverton. He'd identified an aircraft at Laverton which he said was "Air Force Two".

Air Force One is always at the service of the US President and its whereabouts are always recorded but Air Force Two is available for "Other duties" and, according to him, was at Laverton just before the Dismissal. Quite some time later he told me that he'd found out that there was a gap in Air Force Two's logbook records (available to the Non CIA snoops) for the few days before the Dismissal.

Whether or not his recollections after the event are true or not, he did comment at the camp, straight after the news broadcast, about his observation of Air Force Two.

2    At the election, a couple of friends of mine were in France, travelling. On their return to Melbourne they told me they'd seen the news of the election broadcast on French TV, including and interview with Tammie Fraser. The broadcast was, predictably enough, in French and Tammie, as one might expect of the Western District squattocracy could speak enough French to conduct the interview in that language.

According to my friends, she was asked (in French but translated in English as), "To what do you attribute the unprecedented nature of this landslide victory?" The only English translation of her answer was, "When in doubt, the people always turn to the aristocracy!"

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: GUEST,DK
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 04:42 AM

I would suggest that anyone who expects Kevin Rudd to have any different ideas from
Kim Beazley is going to be sadly disappointed, one of his first utterances yesterday
was that "we are going to regain the centre." We already have a party of the centre,
they're called the Liberals, and that has been the Labor party's problem for far too
long, they have just been echoing the Libs policies, with the exception of industrial
relations. What I would like to see is a party that has, for instance, a foreign policy
that considers what's good for Australia first before committing us to ANYONE'S idea
of being the world's policeman, a party that considers the good of the poor and
marginalised in society, a party that does something about the environment other than
just talk, I could go on but what's the use, I expect to see the second coming of Christ
before I see a Labor party with some guts and compassion.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 06:18 AM

so it's still Tweedle-Dum & Tweedle-Just-As-Dum? I was hoping it might have changed, but ...

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 06:41 AM

Well, the Liberals USED to be in the centre - but they all walked way over to the right and said "there's more of us than you, so we're taking the name with us" - and that's how the Democrats started....

After stabbing Latham in the back, the Aust Labour Party resumed it's ceaseless wanderings in the desert.... :-0

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: John O'L
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 05:21 PM

Both Liberal and Labor have moved a long way to the right in recent years, so that the Tweedle D' effect has kicked in. If Rudd says he is intending to regain the centre, that says to me that he is conceding that the party has drifted too far to the right, and he wants to bring it back. A first step should be a small one.
In this interview he speaks of more substantial steps.

"These are human beings with an intrinsic dignity. When they go to the workplace, they're not just like a lump of wood or a piece of coal, these are human beings, and they should be treated properly as people with intrinsic rights."

I may be naive, it might just be 'make me Prime Minister' rhetoric, but I take hope from his election as Labor leader.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:30 PM

The interesting thing is that many 'real' Christians are naturally more to 'left of US Centre' than 'right' - if they read and understand their Bible - that 'taking care of the poor, sick and weak' thing, you know... 'right' usually equates to 'selfish' when seen in a (New Testament) Biblical philosophical context...

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: JennyO
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 09:04 PM

Very true, Robin. Many in the Uniting Church are very concerned with social justice issues. We have a friend - Jane, who is a Uniting Church Minister (Sandra and freda know her too) who is very much that way. She is also a folkie and a poet and - well, if more so-called Christians were like Jane, there might be some hope for the world.

It will be interesting to see what Rudd does. One thing is for sure, Labor were never going to win while Beazley was their leader. I don't know why he hung on for so long.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 09:18 PM

"don't know why he hung on for so long"

"pro bono" - who benefited from destroying Latham? The guy who took over. He hasn't resigned yet...

I will now direct my 2nd preference to Labour, since Kim has (mostly) left...

The real problem is that 'the factions' don't seem to have been tamed yet... so Labour is still well capable of shooting itself in the foot and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory yet, just like the English at Cricket...

Same game. same players...

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: Rowan
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 10:22 PM

Downer, Crean, Beasley; all are offspring of successful politicians and all got a leg up into politics. I don't think any of them had sufficient fire in the belly to make it as leaders in their own right, and I don't think political offspring really can in the Westminster system or its offshoots. Even Shrub isn't a good demonstration of the ability of political offspring.

Subject: RE: BS: Winds of change? (Australia)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:19 AM

Kim's main problem was that he allied himself with the toughest 'head-kicker number-crunchers' - that diminished him greatly in my eyes, because then, he didn't NEED talent...