Federal Government
TEFLON COLOSSUS: Anti-social conduct praised when Kevin Rudd does it
In politics, and in many other enterprises, when you’re hot, you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not.
The news – first reported on VEXNEWS – that the PM had exploded into a profane rage aimed at some of his parliamentary colleagues ought be unambiguously bad for him.
Because we are news fair and balanced, we originally reported the drama in context, acknowledging that a little Prime Ministerial swearing per se might not be the biggest scandal in the history of politics. It’s more the contempt for colleagues and their reaction to it that interests us.
THE STAGE WAS SET FOR DISASTER
Yesterday, with our story exploding across the patriotic network of News Ltd Sunday newspapers and from there to everywhere else, we assumed that others might not be so kind. It should be a really bad yarn, for the church-going, pious-looking leader who looks like a graduate of the Village of the Damned.
But it didn’t play like that at all.
If anything, certainly in the short term, this story has been unambiguously positive for the Teflon Prime Minister, to whom nothing sticks.
On talkback, on blogs, even in the badlands of the VEXNEWS comments section, many reacted that they weren’t at all disturbed about the PM’s bonfire of the profanities.
After all, the context of the swearing involved him standing up to “faction bosses” telling those greedy politicians “no” to their request to carefully consider the implications of an incumbent government slashing the communications allowances of incumbent MPs.
He’s come out of it smelling like roses, at least for now.
Is anti-social, rude, bullying workplace misconduct acceptable when Rudd does it? It seems so. Lucky him.
Is anti-social, rude, bullying workplace misconduct acceptable when Rudd does it? It seems so. Lucky him.
In the long run, perhaps his private conduct will catch up with him. It does to all of us eventually.
But there’s no sign of it.
If – of course as our original story reported – there is a recording of this outburst (and apparently other outbursts) then it might be a lot more negative for Rudd. Seeing/hearing is believing and we suspect that a broadcast of a Rudd rant would be very damaging for him, although maybe we’ve got that wrong too. The earwax vid didn’t slow him down much.
It goes deeper than that too.
PUNTERS HEART RUDD, CAUCUS NOT SO MUCH
For while it is true that, with a currently adoring public, the PM’s “sh*t doesn’t stink” to use one of those delightful vulgar Aussie expressions, it is also true that there is a level of discord and growing resentment in the Rudd caucus about his leadership style and approach.
Rudd’s monarchy has never been more powerful. He divides and rules. He rules the Left with Julia Gillard and the Right with Mark Arbib,
In this now well-chronicled case, he showed his complete contempt for the factional representatives of his party. It is hard to imagine Bob Hawke dealing with Robert Ray in that way. The former Senator now lobbyist would have bounced him around the PM’s suite until he begged for mercy.
But the world is very different now.
Rudd can appoint his own ministers without reference to the caucus. That single change makes these factional leaders much less significant than they once were.
THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS
And it doesn’t end there. VEXNEWS understands that on Friday the Prime Minister’s cheerleaders on the ALP National Executive were expressing enthusiasm for Rudd being given a personal pick over who would represent the ALP in the seats of McEwen and LaTrobe, two Liberal held marginal seats in Victoria Labor hopes to win.
In both cases, the Right and Left respectively have their own candidates in mind. Apparently in at least one case the Prime Minister has a personal preference and intends to have the National Executive put that into effect.
It will of course go off like a bomb (perhaps an F-bomb) if it happens that way.
But we have reached a stage where the reaction of the little people matters not much at all in the Land of Rudd, according to caucus insiders.
They feel shut out and neglected by a government that is doing too much, possibly spending too much and being now quite frequently caught out on the detail.
The mood in caucus is foul and almost sad about how they’ve been treated. In some ways, the strong showing of Rudd in the polls only adds insult to injury.
This highly capable leader whose boyish Queensland charms seduced the nation treats the caucus like the hired help. Regardless of state or faction, an increasing number of them tell VEXNEWS they don’t like it very much at all.
Discussion
15 comments for “TEFLON COLOSSUS: Anti-social conduct praised when Kevin Rudd does it”
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Is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling that when the wheels eventually fall off the Rudd bandwagon (and it’s not happening before the next election), it will be utterly spectacular?
So you’re saying Rudd doesn’t give a fig for the ridiculous, petty faction system that has crippled Labor governments (and oppositions) for decades and seen dozens of talented people pushed out of preselection or cabinet positions to satisfy undemocratic factional rules… and that’s a bad thing? Only a career numbers man could find a negative in this story.
How come the PM is allowed to swear like that and remain a member of the ALP? Not fair!
Maybe the caucus need to find out what the voters think about their printing allowances and other perks and entitlements, rather than getting their nickers into a knot.Poor little petals. They are worried about the government doing too much. Maybe if they didn’t have a job they would have a different view.
Did Feeney leak this?
Feeney is the last person who would have wanted this out there. No way. He looks like the Last Rorter defending the junkets and rorts. Rudd will have a lot of crap to deal with even if everyone loves him now, vengeance is coming.
gimme a list of things krudd has got right. pink batt fiasco, $900 for korean televisions, education debacle, health – what dat? he ponces around like the pursy-mouthed pompous little prick he is, swearing at minions [including cabinet colleagues], & doing bugger all for us working stiffs who pay for his inept inaction on real issues & misplaced ‘initiatives’ on stuff that doesn’t matter. it takes a while for the lectorate to wake up to whited sepulchres. let’s hope they do so faster than usual this time
According to the OECD, World Bank and IMF he averted a recession and has made Australia the nation least affected by the global downturn. The Liberals are going to be wiped off the map next year. All Tories should be bracing for 10 more years in the wilderness.
“Regardless of state or faction, an increasing number of them tell VEXNEWS they don’t like it very much at all.”
They might not like it, but they won’t do anything about it because they like the spoils of power even more. Being a politician has become an end itself, most have little interest in the people they are elected to serve. The people Rudd has gathered around him at least appear to be the pick of the crop with at least some talent. Sure, he has had to promote the likes of Arbib, but I am sure Rudd knows what he is all about and when the time is right, he and others like him will be dispensed with (hopefully). I am no fan of Rudd and this government, but it is good to see the toadying factional acolytes from both sides brought down a peg or two.
yeah right – krudd averted a recession. i’d like to know where you buy your drugs
F*** youse all!
Looks like the years of David Feeney disguising the fact that he in the end, his really not all that good at politics has come to an end.
Great career move Senator, so now you have the deputy PM and the PM who would dearly love to see you spend a few years as the ambassador to Zimbabwe
Of course none of the delicate little flowers would ever behave so appaulingly to their own staff.
The Australian reported my thoughts today but you read it here in the comments section of this thread on VEXNEWS on Sep 21…
Howard Worthing and I love to watch she-male movies.