SHORTEN MUST SEEK POLITICAL REDEMPTION - BACK RETURN OF RUDD
Rudd to decide on leadership challenge later today - Labor at War ...https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-24/rudd-returns-to-face...ballot/384972
From: Danby, Michael (MP) [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 24 February 2012 9:34 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Save the ALP - accept responsibility and what has been done Are you the guy who tried to wind up the Elwood Branch + then disappeared? Its going strong 70 members no thanks to your grubby manouveres Remember you well +wouldnt pay much attention to any advice you proferred. Facsist ?You wouldn't have a clue........ From: Trevor Poulton [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2012 09:06 PM To: Gillard, Julia (MP); Rudd, Kevin (MP) Cc: Carr, Kim (Senator); Collins, Jacinta (Senator); Conroy, Stephen (Senator); Feeney, David (Senator); Marshall, Gavin (Senator); Burke, Anna (MP); Byrne, Anthony (MP); Cheeseman, Darren (MP); Crean, Simon (MP); Danby, Michael (MP); Dreyfus, Mark (MP); Ferguson, Martin (MP); Gibbons, Steve (MP); Griffin, Alan (MP); Jenkins, Harry (MP); King, Catherine (MP); Macklin, Jennifer (MP); Marles, Richard (MP); Mitchell, Rob (MP); Roxon, Nicola (MP); Shorten, Bill (MP); Smyth, Laura (MP); Symon, Mike (MP); Thomson, Kelvin (MP); Vamvakinou, Maria (MP) Subject: Save the ALP - accept responsibility and what has been done Dear ALP MP SAVE THE ALP - ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND UNDO THE COUP I am a long standing member of the ALP. I make the following comments in response to Kevin Rudd’s invitation for the public to participate in the debate over who is most appropriate person to be the Prime Minister of Australia. One thing that has not been considered in the debate is how the ‘coup’ against Rudd has affected the morale and political perceptions of members of the ALP nationwide. It is obvious to those familiar with the inner machinations of the ALP, that the coup was no more sophisticated and graceful than the knocking off of a President of an ALP Policy Committee. Such was the strategy applied in disposing of Rudd. The coup reflects on the characters of the protagonists who orchestrated it – it was a numbers game that relied on speed and surprise (hence the expression ‘stealth’) rather than democratic deliberation by MPs who were denied the chance to consider all the complex implications of a leadership change. Julia Gillard should have resigned as a minister at the time, as Rudd has done, and gone to the back bench and from there launched her justifications as to why she would be make a better a leader. Instead, she sought power the only way the former industrial relations solicitor, branch member and MHR knew best, and that was by forming alliances capable of mobilising factional MPs – opportunistically noting that Rudd was in a weak position because he was not a member of a faction – to strike late in the night. The coup leaders who are referred to as the ‘faceless men’ are renowned for putting power before policy. We are talking about Bill Shorten, David Feeney to some extent, and others. They are faceless because they present a kind of cuddly, empathetic persona to the public, but behind the scenes darkly expend excessive energy on mobile phones manipulating votes for promoting themselves and their allies on all levels of the party machine. They have little interest in policy development. The ‘faceless ones’ often resort within the party to describing their opponents as ‘lunatics’ etc, language which is not coincidentally now being used by Gillard’s supporters, including Crean and Swan, in order to defame Rudd. It is obvious from the manner of the coup that many MPs were made confused, dazzled, blind, and useless at the time it happened, and had to rely on the guidance of factional leaders such as Shorten to determine who they would support. That’s how coup’s work. And this is despite Shorten’s recent insincere comment on Q&A to the contrary. Many of the current sitting MPs must take personal responsibility for the situation the ALP now finds itself in. To date, they don’t. The achievement of supreme power by Gillard and Shorten and co very much reflects the stereotypical coup that takes place internationally within fascist organisations. There is nothing wrong with seeking power through democratic means, but not the way they pursued it. Many long standing members of the ALP resent the organic change that now characterises the ALP. It needs to be redressed in order for the ALP to rediscover its soul, its vision and its durability. Things need to be restored back to what they were prior to the Gillard-Shorten experiment in political fascism. Rudd will be the beneficiary of this. However, we do know that he could not be any worse than Gillard. It is the responsibility of all ALP MPs to now review their fears, acquiescence and paralysis at the time, and act to restore credibility to the ALP. In the long term, aspirants for the Prime Ministership, like Shorten, will never be able to claim credibility until the party’s political character is first restored. But they too will need to show that they have had a role in that restoration. This is called political redemption. The democratic process for a vote on Monday for the ‘best’ leader will mean nothing in its own right. It is only the result itself that will count in these circumstances where the party’s history must be redressed. Yours in solidarity Trevor Poulton Member of Northcote Branch (Vic) Former President of Elwood Branch Co-convenor of ALP Otway Ranges Interest Group http://www.alporig.green.net.au/
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