LOL! If she could do that, she wouldn’t have to go for the Deputy’s job. They’d make her leader, unopposed. Maybe Keating was right.

Glen, in case you didn’t notice during the campaign, they used Gillard to debate Hockey, Abbott, Downer and anyone else game to show their head. She trounced the lot of them. After a while it became pretty clear she was Rudd’s chief troubleshooter. Even helped out Nicola Cornes.

Did you notice at their joint press conferences that Gillard was there like a bodyguard – sizing up the vibes and where the trouble might come from. I think Insiders might’ve showed a clip of her eyes searching out the whole room.

She’s very controlled, but she’s good. Take her on at your peril.

Good times.”

That’s cos the right is too thick to follow arguments over anything more substantial than what jumper to put on – certainly if those Tories who come on here are anything to go by. And for what it’s worth, I can see a great deal of merit in what both Gary and marky marky are saying; it’s just that ultimately I disagree. That’s what politics is about. People arguing over stuff.

If you think the Tories should be expecting something else on a site, I heartily recommend

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1JynBEX_kg8

And it might be a comfort to them in their time of trial.

Are you afraid of the truth Glen?

Good times.

If you haven’t heard it already, you’ll probably find some support for your views in last Sunday’s RN Background Briefing. Paul Kruger gives a brilliant analysis of America’s move from a middle-class nation till the 70s to a 1920s-style economy and heading fast towards the Robber Baron era. He dates this to the emergence of Reaganism and race-religious politics. And he points out that none of it was economically necessary – the European and Asian countries have not had to go down the identical path and are doing as well (does a nice contrast with France).

Well worth ipodding.

Mind you, Kruger was one of Clinton’s gurus (I think) – so Paul K and others have a point: there is probably no going back to Keynesianism. That doesn’t mean that the world wouldn’t be a lot better place if there were a few more like Keynes, Galbraith and Kruger in charge of the economic machinery. Economics is a pretty tough gig, but it does need people dedicated to making things better.

Howard borrowed heavily from the US model, especially via Karl Rove. The first term of Rudd is likely to be softly, softly. But I have a feeling that he and Gillard (probably a lot more like Tanner and Combet) want to make a serious impact for the better in the long run.

gary Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 1:30 am

Mate the last Labor government was Gough’s and as I said above that was pretty right wing too, but he had vision and a program. He allowed working class kids like me to atttend university, he introduced socialist health care, he made a real difference. Of course stagflation and the oil crisis put paid to it all. All we have now are pale, watery imitations of Labor should be about and its sad. Yes, we should expect “good government” but we should also expect a good mdeal more. Unfortunately, I doubt we will ever get it.

You know, thinking about this. Your not likely to be in a union if you don’t work. Labor is about unionism, unionism is about workers, or working families ( assuming workers are part of a family).

So by what right has someone like you got to claim that labor government has to push a socialist agenda, and claim that if they don’t push that agenda that they are not “labor” governments. I would have though they should push the agenda that gives workers the best outcome. If the majority of workers have rejected socialism then socialism is not the agenda.

gary Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 1:24 am

One that doesn’t sell out public education by indulging in the subsidy of private schools, one that doesn’t engage in non means tested welfare where millionaires can claim benefit, or where valuable public utilities are not sold off at fire sale prices. One where governments dont offer business welfare through tax subsidies. One that introduces a decent standard of living for the elderly, disabled and their carers. Note they didn’t count in Rudd’s great scheme of things- only working families.

And without working families you have no economy and without the economy you have no resources for your agenda.

Oh the joy! I’m still floating!

Official swearing-in of new government later this week. Until then it’s all so much like a tantalising dream.