Photo Courtesy of: theage.com.au
I was a guest on The Circle on Channel Ten today supposedly to talk about organ donations at the start of DonateLife Week. But first of all they wanted to talk about another issue. The one that is ripping the heart out of the Federal Labor party. Rudd versus Gillard.
No longer is it a case of ‘Will; he or won’t he?’ but when. And on the other side: Will the embattled PM have the guts to take it to him? Call for a leadership spill and find out who has the numbers.
The papers don’t make good reading for Julia Gillard today. The National Affairs correspondent in The Age, Katherine Murphy advices the Prime Minister that it’s ‘ time to get this done’. ‘ Roll the dice. Who knows what it will be, but if it is death, then at least die on your feet’.
And in The Australian Troy Bramston says: ‘There are signs Julia Gillard’s closest supporters have started to crab-walk away from her as they privately concede a leadership challenge by Kevin Rudd is inevitable and she is likely to lose’.
This sense of a climax after months of speculation and posturing can be pin-pointed to the weekend. Some pea-brained Gillard supporter thought it would real clever to upload on YouTube some out-takes of Rudd when he was Prime Minister tossing a wobbly, laced with the F-word and desk-bashing while trying to record a message in Mandarin. That would show the world what a foul-mouthed, tantrum-thrower he really was.
I watched it. It was no big deal. Unlike President Nixon. He would throw expletive-laden fits and then go off and bomb Laos and Cambodia.
Of course like the Australia Day riot incendiary designed to damage Tony Abbott this latest effort from the Gillard Dirt Unit has not only back-fired it gave Rudd the trigger he needed for a midnight pitch for his old job back.
He called up SKY’s David Speers who couldn’t believe his luck. And he played the chance like a drum.
Shucks, I’m just a real Aussie bloke… and I swears a bit.. and I lose my temper…
But that was just the cover. The big message was: Look at me. I’ve changed. I’ve learned. I can delegate. I can be a team player.
It was directly aimed at backbenchers not welded on to the sinking Gillard ship.
And today, when the PM unveiled the biggest projected $5 billion shakeup of our education system, the most talked about question was: Will you be around next week, let alone next month or next year, to implement it.
And a further ominous sign for Julia Gillard today. For the first time Sportsbet now has Kevin Rudd ahead of her in the market on who will lead Labor to the next Federal election.
Rudd is $1.90. Gillard $2.10 . Way down the straight is Simon Crean at $7.00.
Wayne Swan has blown out from $67 to $101. This is still a two-horse race. The filly is not looking good.