This really outlines the priorities of the left.

Little time is spent describing the capabilities of the people put in power nor their policies.

Instead, you consider things such as the sex of the deputy prime minister, that the prime minister is bilingual, and that the first lady didn't take her husband's names to somehow be relevant.

Can one imagine how the stock holders of a company would react if this kind of nonsense was somehow used to bolster the credentials of a new CEO or management team?  No wonder the right runs the world.

Well, I don't think that's very fair. I know next to nothing about Aust. politics, but he seemed to outline details about why he thought the new prime minister would be good for their country.

As for the right running the world, that's just not true. It's not even true here in the 'gol ol USA. I'm shaking my head. It might be true in your world, but certainly not mine. Are we in a parallel universe???

Congrats on the new leader. I hope she is everything you expect her to be.

Congratulations Champas! I was running on the treadmill at the gym when the news was announced on TV, and almost fell off. I hope that this is a sign of good things to come.

Aye Draginol, but a country isn't a company. You don'T have the same standards for both organisation.

I was happy to hear it to when Howard conceded. I felt a bit uneasy though when I realised Tintin said 'blood' three times in his acceptance speech. That doesn't bode well.

Interesting sidenote - a great way to watch any political speech is to add 'with blood' at the end of every sentence they say - it adds a bit of honesty and occasional hilarity to the event.



Well as you're no doubt aware Tintin campaigned on a raft of 'me-too' policies, so his main differences from ickle Johnny are the cosmetic ones.

But that bilingualism is important. He's the first PM we've ever had who's culturally comfortable with both of our main superpower patrons - the US and China. It may well work to our advantage to have someone who can negotiate with Jiang in China in his own language.



Good thing Australian federal government is nothing like business then! That and it's nice to have a pm who is actually representative of the people.

I normally vote Liberal but voted for Labor this time, mainly because of the difference in their repective environment policies (principally Kyoto) and that the Liberals (though not necessarily Howard, I think you've been a bit harsh on him, although his normally reliable political judgement had left him of late) had been in power too long. The other policies either didn't affect me or were too similar to influence my vote.

While Work Choices wouldn't have affectd me if I still lived in Australia, its not something that I thought was a good idea. In this respect I think the Liberals were a victim of their own success (ie if they hadn't won control of the Senate last time they would not have been able to push it through). I hope (probably forlornly) that the new unfair dismissal laws don't get changed (I do think they are important), but I don't begrudge any people put on AWA's getting their entitlements back.

One thing that has struck me while living in London is that it was reported how far behind on climate change the debate in Australia was, since there they are still talking about ratifying Kyoto, whereas everyone else has moved on to talking about the next agreement. And I cringed with embarrassment when the BBC's Sydney correspondent talked about how painfully slow broadband in Australia was, when discussing Labor's broadband policy.

One thing I wouldn't mind your view on Champas is the Senate, now that the Democrats have been obliterated, what are your views on the Greens effectively having the balance of power? I must say it's the one thing I am disappointed about.



she is a he

Yeah, I can understand why certain types of people would be afraid of performance based pay. In this country those people are normally referred to as slackers.

Clearly. Hence why I prefer governments be as small and weak as we can get away with.

I am one happy chappy too. Wet blankets aside (Draginol) it seems as though most are very happy with the results. I am still blown away by Maxine's (potential) win in Bennelong. For a PM to lose his seat is a crushing blow.

Maxine is an outstanding candidate though. Her previous fame pretty much entirely came from being intelligent, attractive, compassionate and a hardarse when necessary. She was the perfect candidate for any electorate.

That she has a chance of winning is entirely due to her talents; we could have expected a strong shift against Howard (especially with the boundary changes) but a spill? That takes an exceptional person.

Little time is spent describing the capabilities of the people put in power nor their policies. Instead, you consider things such as the sex of the deputy prime minister, that the prime minister is bilingual, and that the first lady didn't take her husband's names to somehow be relevant.

Firstly, they are as relevant as any of that right wing Christian moral stuff we always hear from the other side. Secondly, this article is not intended to outline Kevin's policies. I have spent countless hours already discussing them and that was why I voted for the Labor Party. This is a celebratory article. Nothing else. Thirdly, having a PM who is going to have a positive view of women in business does shape your view of feminist issues. Having an understanding of other cultures shapes your view of multiculturalism and foreign affairs (which is in contrast to John Howard, who suggested slowing Asian immigration in the 1980s. I'm not saying you have to agree with Rudd's multiculturalism, but you can't say that this makes no difference to policy. Well you can, but I don't think you're that stupid). That he has a more modern view of marriage also bodes well for a raft of policies related to spousal rights.

Congrats on the new leader.

Thankyou! I'm still grinning!

Interesting sidenote - a great way to watch any political speech is to add 'with blood' at the end of every sentence they say - it adds a bit of honesty and occasional hilarity to the event.

I'll bear it in mind.

now that the Democrats have been obliterated, what are your views on the Greens effectively having the balance of power?

I voted 1 Democrats 2 Greens 3 Labor, so this is a big disappointment to me. However, last election my Greens and Dems were the other way around. The Democrats actually stand for exactly what I believe in 100% and I would ideally love Natasha as PM. I also prefer their more negotiatory style to the Greens' combative style. That said, the Greens are important and may mature from this experience. The Democrats were completely lacking in any talent ever since they got jealous and ditched Natasha. I hoped that they would remain existant so they could gain talent in the future, but alas it was not to be. It will however be good to have the Greens making sure Kevin Rudd is not tooo John Howard-like. And I stand by all my criticisms of him, in fact, I think I was kind to him.

Yeah, I can understand why certain types of people would be afraid of performance based pay. In this country those people are normally referred to as slackers.

You're the one who has time to be a Top Ten JoeUser. I work between 70 and 100 hours a week. More this week as I'm writing report cards. But the fact is I don't expect to be nearly as effective with the kids I'll be teaching next year as I have been this year. This year my kids have had some phenomenal results, and I'm very proud of them. Next year however will be tough as I'm going to a low socio-economic area, and there are just so many things to combat there. But I will work just as hard, if not harder, because that's where I want to be.

Maxine is an outstanding candidate though. Her previous fame pretty much entirely came from being intelligent, attractive, compassionate and a hardarse when necessary. She was the perfect candidate for any electorate.

Totally agree. I think Maxine is destined to be one of the absolute best in the party, up there with Bob McMullan and Kevin himself.

Also Draginol, when you go from a PM who is generally angry at society and people and a racist and a sexist to one who likes people and thinks well of them, that means we have a new era. I actually believe the same of Malcom Turnbull, who looks set to be the new Leader of The Opposition, and formidable he will be. But right now I don't care. All I care about is that Kevin Rudd is the Prime Minister!!!!!!! John Howard is unemployed!!!!!!

Congrats to the Socialists of Austrialia!

'In '04, Labor made a dreadful mistake in handing their leadership to a working class thug that the Australian people hated.'

Far be it from me to wish to compromise your celebration, Champers. I do think it's a little naive at this point to make such claims as 'We will see an end to race-based commentary on immigration and assimilation from our Government'. However, please don't get me wrong - I too am happy to see Howard out on his ear, and the likes of Rudd, Gillard, Combet, McKew et al given an opportunity to do some significant good.

I concede that Latham was a 'thug', at least intermittently. (Actually, I rather think that this was a hat he was vigorously encouraged to wear by the Labor Party and its adherents, every bit as much as (say) Keith Moon was urged to play 'the loon' by the Who's followers ... but that's a discussion for another thread.) And, eventually at any rate, yes he did become extremely unpopular with the electorate. (At which point the Labor Party turned on him with the ferocity and unexpectedness of a mother devouring her own young ... but again, that's a discussion for another time and place.)

However, what exactly is the significance of your pointing out that Latham was 'working class'? Isn't Kevin Rudd the son of a share farmer, whose family had to leave the land due to financial hardship? Does that make him somehow less fit for the role of Labor leader / Prime Minister?

Or, in the land where the 'amber nectar' is the chosen drink of the working class, is this merely a prime example of 'Champagne Socialism' in action?   

I do think it's a little naive at this point to make such claims as 'We will see an end to race-based commentary on immigration and assimilation from our Government'.

Aye, and all I can think in reading this is to compare this to his rantings in 4 years. About how they Rudd government betrayed them.