Setanta wrote:Well, i don't of course know how you all see Rudd, or for how long you'll be satisfied with his ministry, but i offer my congratulations on getting rid of that monkey Howard.
Thank you!
I think we should be congratulated, too, for getting rid of Howard & co!
Kevin Rudd is an unusual choice for Labor Party leader. He comes from a diplomatic/bureaucratic background, rather than the more traditional political or trade union base. He is also a relative newcomer to the Labor Party (only 9 years in parliament), so it will be interesting to see what sort of a Labor leader he will make. I think it is fair to say that in terms of Labor politics he is a conservative - right of centre.
He (along with Howard) has run a more "presidential" style campaign than is usual for Labor leaders. And has made it clear that he will be choosing cabinet ministers himself, rather than the Labor tradition of factional representation. Whether this will be a good thing or not has yet to be seen. The factions of the party (some very powerful) have been very constrained & disciplined throughout this campaign. Whether they remain so, when Rudd (inevitably) makes decisions that undermine positions that certain factions hold "sacred" (like say, on uranium mining & export, aspects of industrial relations to the left) is another matter.
It is important to understand that the Labor Party traditionally has operated (sometimes not so successfully) as a
party, with decision making & consultation occurring at all level of the organization, right down to the members. Rudd intends to operate in a radically different way. It will certainly be "interesting" to see how the party adjusts to this & what the party
becomes under his leadership.
Speaking personally, while I'm absolutely ecstatic to see the last of this Liberal government, I'm rather apprehensive about what "Rudd Labor" will actually stand for. I've been extremely disappointed with Rudd's line on education funding, his attitude to some "errant" trade unionists during the campaign & quite a few other things. Far too much "Me-too-ism" (agreeing with the Howard line) on too many issues for comfort. However, he
will ratify Kyoto urgently & extract us from Iraq. With Labor I much feel much more confident about Australia's relationships with other countries, particularly with Asia & the US. In the case of Asian countries I expect Rudd will work hard to repair some of the damage caused by Howard acting as Bush's "deputy sherif" in the south Pacific. A lot of bad feeling between us & our near neighbours as a result. And in the case of our relationship with the US, it will be a great relief to extricate ourselves from Bush & the conservatives & start making decisions for ourselves again!
