There was no surprise in Today's news out of Canberra. Julia Backstabber Gillard survived the leadership challenge thus proving that she is the more ruthless political survivalist. It is said that her caucus majority was the largest of any incumbent PM who has faced such a challenge.
This means her reign in Canberra will continue uninterrupted, despite polls showing that the people of Australia would have preferred her a loser in today's earlier confrontation. Even the Labour Party membership would have apparently preferred that.
Taking all of this into account, it amazes me that the caucus can blatantly ignore the will of the public and the party. Where is democracy? Or did Julia somehow stab it in the back too?
Tony Abbott, the Coalition candidate and leader of the opposition, must be laughing at the split in the Labour Party ranks, knowing full well that he can exploit the damage done to the governing party in the eyes of the public.
I suspect the Greens and the Katter Party have also enjoyed the spectacle no end. The Greens because they are a fairly natural alternative to Labour and Katter because he knows they've shot themselves in the foot in North Queensland. Katter's seat won't be the only one won for his party in the next election.
For Kevin Rudd, the pundits are already saying that he's finished as a force in Labour, and will never again lead the party. Many suspect that he will resign his seat when the next election is called.
For us, it means that we must suffer through the rest of the term with a PM that probably wouldn't be there, if we lived in a proper democratic country.
When the people do get a chance to speak, we can, as Australians, take heart. No PM who as ever faced a leadership challenge has survived the following election.
Of course, that means Tony Abbott becomes PM.
Decisions, decisions.
Copyright 2012, all rights reserved.
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