So yeah, when Typhoon Tony said that the 44th Parliament would be different I pretty much figured it was just another slogan but oh, nope, no, think again! I knew there would be no leadership spill, or attempted leadership spill every five minutes, nor would it be impossible to get through a Question Time without suspending standing orders at least twice, but never did my imagination concoct something like this.
As everybody was turning their radio onto the jazz station, cooking tea and generally winding down for the evening a certain individual was psyching himself up for the last hoorah. The immediate former Prime Minister Kevin "KRudd" Rudd retired, plucking himself from the squabble that is the daily grind of federal politics - and more so, federal politics in opposition. As I wrote earlier, many I am sure one can only feel relief that really the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd era of politics is over. The extraordinary legacy they leave behind include the introduction of the NDIS, the NBN, the building revolution in schools, the navigation of the Global Financial Crisis and the list could continue. The pair may have done great things but at the end of the day all good things must come to an end, and the self destructive nature of federal politics caught up with the both of them. Changes to the way in which ALP leaders are elected may help history from repeating itself but time will only tell. The mourningful way in which members from all sides of politics remembered one of the most popular PM I found quite astounding, I know they all have media and public personas, distorting their one true selfs but seriously, if this man was as loved as everyone made him out to be, then why the hell was he deposed in the first place?? Huh?? I know you are not supposed to speak ill of the dead (or in this case the recently retired) but guys c'mon i know 'shit happens' - quoting our newest Prime Minister but still!
After the fact people remember the good, the better and the best times and maybe that is all we should look at, but this is politics and the one thing I am constantly reminded is that it is a bleak and murky area. Despite the fact Praise the Ruddinator will be on every Facebook page tomorrow and the fact Kevin07 will get another 5 minutes in the spotlight, and maybe he will even take another leaf out of our former former PM Julia Gillard and after taking some time out have a 'conversation with the male equivalent of Anne Summers' one thing is certain; the 44th Parliament will not be like the last. That is unless Rudd gets to Liberal climate believer Malcolm and injects some libspill virus creating an even more hectic parliament to come.
Looking back over Rudds reign it is apparent he could muster up momentum like the best of them, conjure a fighting army of T-shirt wearing supporters like no other and rally the troops for war. What is also quite apparent is that another generation of young people may turn off, tune out and give up on (most) our decrepit old pollies that line the walls of the new parliament. My friends can call bull8$it like it is an Olympic sport and honestly I don't think they would give five minutes to wonder about the lack of transparency that is about to become commonplace in the Government. While Rudd leaving perhaps finally cleans the ALP slate to start fresh, it exposes the party and in order to capture the young vote in time for the next election it will take something special, and only time will tell how uninterested young people will become.
Truth. :)
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