Australia to have a female Prime Minister

[Sunny]

Kevin Rudd has stood down as Prime Minister of Australia. Julia Gillard will be Australia's first female Prime Minister!! Will be very interesting to watch over the next few months.

[TheFeldster]

I was starting to get majorly irritated by Kevin Rudd in the last few months. Everything that made me like him when he first became PM, he changed stance on.

Hoping Gillard does well, because Abbott v Rudd was going to end in disaster either way.

[Salmacis]

Hmm, I'm not sure where I stand on this one. I never really agreed with K-Rudd from the beginning, if I was old enough at the time I would have voted for Howard. But I believe that unless a PM or president does something drastic they shouldn't have to be kicked out until the next election.

If it was a voluntary step down though, well, it would mean he never had the balls to be P.M in the first place...

Oh well, good luck to Julia, hopefully she'll serve our country well!

[Lord Grendel]

First, good on you all for having a Woman Prime Minister, we had one years ago but she only lasted a couple of months, she was utterly defeated after the PM before her created such hatred his party went from a majority in Parliament to 4 seats...

The most hated PM in our history. I have a question, Rudd beat Howard which I saw as a good thing, I don't like any party having power for more than two consecutive terms, you need a de-lousing to control the vermin otherwise they get way too corrupt.

Why did Rudd resign??

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

I'm all for women in power.. They have a rational mind when it comes to thinking things through.. I would have loved to see Hilary Clinton win the election for President here in the states.. I think she would have done a good job..

[TheFeldster]

He backflipped on many key election proposals, such as his Emissions Trading Scheme and many others, basically bowed to any sustained opposition pressure.

Then he placed a controversial tax on mining.

Added to that he assigned a rockstar to the ministry, who stuffed up majorly in an insulation upgrade which burned down plenty of houses and killed some workmen.

So Rudd became rather unpopular, and the Labor party (and in particular, the Unions who back them) grew irritable and realized that Rudd wasn't going to win office in the election next year, so they threatened to vote him out. The vote was to go ahead, but Rudd backed out (ironic, considering his backing out of everything else recently) and Gillard went in unopposed.

So yeah, that's the story.

[Lord Grendel]

Is Peter Garrett the rockstar who "Bollocks Up" the insulation deal?

Thanks, I don't like anyone who backs down or outright lies about what they promise to do when taking office. We get sued or charged for lying or breaking your word, politicians run for re-election and if they are wealthy enough that seems to be the equalizer.

Good luck to Gillard.

[TheFeldster]

Got it in one so far as Peter Garrett is concerned.

He's been a big disappointment in politics, considering how politically active he was in Midnight Oil.

[Lord Grendel]

I love Midnight Oil, I even have a thread for them, I'll have to dust it off later today.

That is the nature of politics and power, the Illusion of what you intend to do and the reality of what happens are two different things. Credit on him for trying to make a difference, but it's too bad he made a mess of things.

[Sunny]

Well I felt sorry for Peter Garrett! Admittedly that whole insulation think was handled so very badly. A lot of the installers were total cowboys who had never installed insulation in their lives and were out to make a fast buck - that should never have happened. It would have been fine if it had been installed by licenced tradies.

I never understood why Garrett joined up with Labour and not the Greens.

I couldn't stand John Howard. I voted for Rudd but ended up not respecting him at all. I am just hoping Gillard can make a better job of leading the Labour party. The very thought of the likes of Abbot winning an election makes me want to puke!

[ladyislingering]

Very good!

How I wish America would see its first female president.

Though, I was terrified when Sarah Palin got too close to such a thing. Genuinely. Terrified.

[TheFeldster]

Originally Posted by Sunny Well I felt sorry for Peter Garrett! Admittedly that whole insulation think was handled so very badly. A lot of the installers were total cowboys who had never installed insulation in their lives and were out to make a fast buck - that should never have happened. It would have been fine if it had been installed by licenced tradies. I never understood why Garrett joined up with Labour and not the Greens. I couldn't stand John Howard. I voted for Rudd but ended up not respecting him at all. I am just hoping Gillard can make a better job of leading the Labour party. The very thought of the likes of Abbot winning an election makes me want to puke!

Yeah, that insulation really killed his chances. I think he joined Labor to get more influence on the system, but he got chewed up by the party system a bit I think.

As for Howard, yeah, he was starting to irritate me as well. I don't subscribe to the view of always voting for one party, as I believe both are as bad as each other, but in it's current state, there's no way I'm voting Liberal. Howard, Nelson, Turnbull and now Abbott. Not exactly pedigree stock IMHO.

So yeah, I also hope Gillard can succeed

[ThinLizzyFan]

I love australia!!!

[Groovy Man]

Originally Posted by ladyislingering Though, I was terrified when Sarah Palin got too close to such a thing. Genuinely. Terrified.

Why? Any reason?

[ladyislingering]

Originally Posted by Groovy Man Why? Any reason?

She didn't really seem to have her shit together in a way that would gain my trust.

And it really freaked me out that she was a gun-toting, animal-killing, freezer-full-of-corpses redneck.