The Singapore Forum

About half an hour ago. Dunno if you're interested but it's all been getting bloody silly here lately.

Resigned with a big ginger hand print on his back

Or preparing to fight back?

I am so over it already! One could only hope that this is the end, but I fear not.

Kooky wrote:Or preparing to fight back?

He doesn't have the numbers. People who are calling for him to replace Gillard forget that the catalyst to over throwing Rudd was his really poor polling numbers. The people didn't like him. Neither did his colleagues.

Shorten or Smith as the next leader I reckon. Though Simon Crean seems to be the most capable, he's tarred as a losing leader already.

Pinklepurr wrote:I am so over it already! One could only hope that this is the end, but I fear not.

I'm far less interested than I should be. I don't have a passport yet so I can't vote, but of course it all affects me regardless.

Rudd will need to work very hard at convincing some very dubious caucus members who remember his ineptness as PM - the challenge will come and notwithstanding a miracle he will be relegated to the back bench. The two pronged attack wont work so unless he becomes PM next week - he will be a very unpopular backbencher with the party but still more popular than Gillard or Abbott. With him on the backbench - Gillard needs to work desparately to gain credibility with the electorate and try maintain the support of the independants. It just needs a vote to bring on an election in the house and this mess could be a trigger. Abbott must be gleaming tonight - he is a total ass of a person and notwithstanding some extraordinary politics, likely be the next PM of Australia.

That is the part that will be at the back of probably 35-42 caucus members - Rudd most likely represents a better electoral option than Gillard who seems dead in the water...

Bring on the election....

The report is just above the report about the Indonesian hotel named after Steven Gerrard. That's how important it is.

Kooky: you lived in Singapore for x number of years without a vote...did that bother you as much?

Let me sum it nicely up for the non-Queenslanders no Kevin Rudd no more labor Governments, it's that simple. The only Labor MP who will get elected if an election was held today in Queensland is Kevin Rudd. No Wayne Swan (oh I can't wait!). Without the crucial Queensland vote Labor will find it very hard to win government again.

The people up here love "OUR" first Prime Minister and I can tell you that federal labor is going to get hurt big time. This whole fiasco is lighting the fuse on discontent up here. Queensland Labor party is going to get annihilation at the next state election (everyone knows it), there is a very strong possibility they may even be the 3rd party in the parliament behind the "Kat in the Hat" party which will probably form the opposition. Seriously! The Kat will push the LNP out of the regional country seats and the "new liberal" LNP will displace labor in the cities. It will be over for Labor in this state and likely cripple Labor federally. KRudd knows this and is playing the game well and it is VERY VERY MUCH WORKING north of the border. The underdog, the local little guy "our guy" getting picked on and beat up by bigger, smart arse southerners, plays to the state's very sense of being!. oh the state of origin, I can here the war cry now "QUEENSLANDER!!" "QUEENSLANDER!!" Yeap there will be political blood!

The arithmetic is simple K.Rudd as PM Labor gets Labor re-elected (cause they will keep and claw back seats particularly in Brisbane) or they will be thrown out of government (cause they will lose every seat in this state (except k.Rudd)) and likely spend a generation in oblivion. The future of labor federally is in the hands of (particularly South East) Queenslander's and they are collectively saying right now "Give us back our F*cking Prime Minister!!"

No love lost between Krudd and Wayne Swan, gloves off stuff!

Prime Minister Gillard and I and the overwhelming majority of our colleagues have been applying our Labor values to the policy challenges in front of us and we’re succeeding despite tremendous political obstacles.
For the sake of the labour movement, the Government and the Australians which it represents, we have refrained from criticism to date.
However for too long, Kevin Rudd has been putting his own self-interest ahead of the interests of the broader labour movement and the country as a whole, and that needs to stop.
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The Party has given Kevin Rudd all the opportunities in the world and he wasted them with his dysfunctional decision making and his deeply demeaning attitude towards other people including our caucus colleagues. He sought to tear down the 2010 campaign, deliberately risking an Abbott Prime Ministership, and now he undermines the Government at every turn.
He was the Party’s biggest beneficiary then its biggest critic; but never a loyal or selfless example of its values and objectives.
For the interests of the labour movement and of working people, there is too much at stake in our economy and in the political debate for the interests of the labour movement and working people to be damaged by somebody who does not hold any Labor values.
Julia has the overwhelming support of our colleagues. She is tough, determined, forward-looking, and has a good Labor heart. She has a consultative, respectful relationship with caucus while Kevin Rudd demeaned them. She’s cleaned up a lot of the mess he left her and has established a good, Labor agenda. She’s delivering major reforms, and getting things done that her predecessor could not. Colleagues are sick of Kevin Rudd driving the vote down by sabotaging policy announcements and undermining our substantial economic successes.
The Labor Party is not about a person, it’s about a purpose. That’s something Prime Minister Gillard has always known in her heart but something Kevin Rudd has never understood.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political ... z1n6tizun1

Fat Bob wrote:The report is just above the report about the Indonesian hotel named after Steven Gerrard. That's how important it is.

Kooky: you lived in Singapore for x number of years without a vote...did that bother you as much?

Think you misunderstood me, Bob - it doesn't bother me that I can't vote, but I feel I should be more interested/knowledgeable than I am as the outcome affects me. And TBH, it was less relevant in Singapore for a couple of reasons; firstly because being able to vote there wouldn't make a jot of difference to the outcome, and secondly because we didn't see it as a long-term place so we hadn't invested in property there and would never have taken citizenship.

It's in the Australia forum because it IS important here and to Aus expats - as you can tell from the responses.

It maybe interesting to Australian's, but in all reality, what happens in Australia has little effect on the rest of the world. As long Australia keeps on digging up it's natural resources and sending them to China then the world will live on.

And really, haven't you all learnt yet, no matter which politician is in charge, it's all pretty much the same bunch of crooks who screw up on thing or/and another.

The financial trouble in Greece is having a lot more impact worldwide, again caused by a lot of corrupt politicians.

Fat Bob wrote:...

And really, haven't you all learnt yet, no matter which politician is in charge, it's all pretty much the same bunch of crooks who screw up on thing or/and another.

...

Ain't that the truth

wherever in the world.

edit: Although I will say, they don't come much more creepy than Tony Abbott, who is currently looking so f'ing smug on my TV screen that I'm going to switch off the news channel.

Run and hide from that image K! Makes my flesh creep just thinking about that man.

Time for Julia to show up and show who's boss here, surely Rudd will get smashed in the inevitable challenge.

daffodil wrote:Run and hide from that image K! Makes my flesh creep just thinking about that man.

Time for Julia to show up and show who's boss here, surely Rudd will get smashed in the inevitable challenge.

Rudd will get smashed - it will be interesting if there is a successful no confidence motion.

daffodil wrote:Run and hide from that image K! Makes my flesh creep just thinking about that man.

Time for Julia to show up and show who's boss here, surely Rudd will get smashed in the inevitable challenge.

At least he was wearing more than speedos, for a change.

So it's on for 10am on Monday, some major lobbying going to be happening now.

Kooky wrote:

daffodil wrote:Run and hide from that image K! Makes my flesh creep just thinking about that man.

Time for Julia to show up and show who's boss here, surely Rudd will get smashed in the inevitable challenge.

At least he was wearing more than speedos, for a change.

Ahhhh...just the thought is enough to make you cringe.

Krudd and Blabbot...what a lovely couple they make.

Well their politics are basically the same!

The smart money is on....."One bookmaker says Ms Gillard was paying AU$1.18 (US$1.25) for a win compared to Mr Rudd's $4.50."

My money is on Rudd not even contesting the leadership. He will simply sit back and be that bleeding knife in Gillard's side until he does get the numbers or inevitably labor is thrown out or wiped off the political map (which is about to happen in Queensland) which ever death comes first. Rudd's re-election to the seat of Griffith is assured unlike most of the gillard mudslingers so he can wait as long as he likes.

Once a (QLD) toad, always a toad.

He is looking shakey in his numbers - at absolutely best maybe 40'ish but that seems extremely optimistic at this stage. So he does seem destined for the backbench. Best case scenario for Gillard - she beats him convincingly and he is relegated to the back bench and stops leaking. She then reshuffles some of the front bench and keeps governing - the reality is that she has been able to get through some very complex legislation in a hung parliament and in that regard her numbers tell the sale of very poor marketing rather than a bad product. Problem is that this last 3 months has made this job even more difficult and both camps seem intent on writing the Coalitions next election manifesto. Abbott will need to keep focused and demonstrate the disposition required as PM.... fun and games

I never particularly liked Rudd, but now I'm leaning towards hating him. There is something very wrong with his self perception.

Tas wrote:I never particularly liked Rudd, but now I'm leaning towards hating him. There is something very wrong with his self perception.

This.