And Other ALP Leadership News
Nic White at The 52nd State has helpfully compiled votes in the blogosphere primary for ALP leader. So far Gilly’s got 6 bloggers backing her, the Beazer 3, Rudd 3, anyone but Beazley 1, and “never voting ALP again” 1. Elsewhere on the net, Margo Kingston is polling her readers at Webdiary. Quite a few webdiarists are backing Carmen Lawrence.
In other blogosphere ALP leadership contest news, Jess at Ausculture has a good roundup of recent posts. So does miss piss at piss’n’vinegar.
Moving from the hyperreal world of the blogosphere to the surreal world of ALP caucus politics, there are some (slightly) encouraging signs for Ruddy:
Another factional source rejected a rumour that the NSW Right had decided to support Mr Beazley unanimously, but said the support for him would be strong. “A strong majority would vote for Beazley, but there’s more support for Rudd than I expected,” the source said. “But a strong number of people would like Beazley to be unopposed, and that may still happen.” A Left faction source said he believed Mr Rudd would stand and had a good chance of being elected. “Working on the premise that the Right would split, the Centre would overwhelmingly support Rudd and the Left would split too. It would be a close ballot,” the source said.
The Australian quotes a figure of 35 votes for Rudd. And in one of those annoying comparisons to marketing, the Oz also discusses how to sell “Brand Labor”. It’s Kath and Kim, stupid, apparently. Doesn’t anyone these days remember the scandal when Joe McGinnis compared Nixon’s 1968 campaign to advertising in The Selling of the President? Politics is meant to be about democratic choice, not flogging stuff.
The Australian does makes one sensible point though – Greg Combet should enter Parliament.
Oh, and according to a recruitment expert, Latho could get a job in corporate strategic planning, academia or as a futurologist. I guess that would make Beazley a pastologist.
UPDATE: Zoe at Crazybrave has a candid snap of the leadership contenders. Suki joins the Gilly bandwagon, and Ms Fits provides a form guide. Liam’s off the fence.
Who wrote the piece about Combet? It says Combet himself did, but that’s obviously a mistake.
Put me down as another for the Beazley.
Robert, it’s by Ross Fitzgerald of Brisvegas Funny Hat Fame. incidentally, my entire family is convinced that Greg is the only real Labor leader around, with me being the exception … for it pains me to imagine someone of his ability wasting his life in parliamentary opposition. Leave him where he is, doing real work for real people.
Oh, and I’d go for Ruddy.
“Elsewhere on the net, Margo Kingston is polling her readers at Webdiary. Quite a few webdiarists are backing Carmen Lawrence.”
I really don’t know what to say but I must say something. The least vitriolic, bile ridden and the most inconspicuously indignant sentence that springs to mind is:
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
A model of civility, James!
Chris, normally I don’t think much of Ross Fitzgerald’s comment pieces and you may have a point. The online version of the Oz is still showing Combet as having written a column on the topic of Combet for PM, which is unfortunate!