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Phase change: Australian politics turns liquid

Who says it’s only Rudd versus Gillard? Abbott came from nowhere.

Australia may have a new Prime Minister as soon as next week. Former PM, Kevin Rudd has just resigned from his Foreign Ministership so he’s going to challenge the current PM, and it could be any day.

Here in Australia everyone seems to be saying it’ll be either Rudd or Gillard… but think back to the way another candidate can emerge when the heat is on. That’s what happened to the Liberals (our conservatives) when Abbott appeared.

Back in 2009 the Climate Change monster rose up to break our conservative party. It was the week after ClimateGate I broke and we were supposed to be getting the emissions trading scheme the day after the unlucky New Zealanders got theirs. The uproar was huge, the Liberals were reborn, and we got a leader that no one expected — Tony Abbott — albeit by just one vote.

(Thanks again to FOIA, you barely just saved us from Carbon Trading Hell at the time. One. Vote.)

Once again, the climate change monster is at play (with a whole team of bogeyman compatriots) and the other half of politics coming undone (I did say it would).

Rudd and Gillard are flip-sides of the same coin. Neither has a new policy or position to argue. It’s not about philosophies but about egos. For the sake of the Labor Party I hope they can find someone, anyone else.

The conservatives will be hoping they can’t.

 

BACKGROUND

Our former PM – Kevin Rudd (who promised us a carbon scheme, then didn’t give us one) is somehow (bafflingly) popular in the polls. He wants the top job again from our current PM Ms Gillard (who promised us “No” carbon scheme, and then forced one on us).

There’s an extra bonus in political entertainment here in Australia — any serious upset could cause one member to change sides, or retire, in which case, all agreements are up for grabs, and we could get an election too.

ALP = Australian Labor Party, currently holding power by one tiny extra seat of 150 in an unstable, arrangement with a Green, and several independents (some of whom used to be “conservative”). Anything could happen.

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