Gillard and Rudd:A parallel universe has a similar outcome

The ALP’s leadership tensions are portrayed by the press as something new.

But The Blowfly is aware that Rudd and Gillard have been competing for many years.

In the early days of Rudd’s ambitions, during Beazley’s time, Gillard began to overtake Rudd in the popularity stakes. They were both improving their profiles and thwarted by Caucus. It was in their interests to talk and combine their ambitions.

Gillard had the factional support and an understanding of the union movement and Rudd had the profile and not much else.

So it won’t surprise you to know that in a parallel universe Kevin Rudd did not get rolled by Julia Gillard.

Somehow Julia managed to suppress her concerns about Rudd’s foibles and convinced herself that a move against Rudd was simply not in the best interests of the nation.

Somehow she managed to take the Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne view that an elected Prime Minister had a divine right to rule no matter how chaotic and controlling they were and no matter how much they had become a world unto themselves------ and no matter how much their ‘anality’ bogged down the decision-making processes of government.

She even managed to convince herself that because John Howard had bypassed Cabinet as a decision-making device for the big, big issues such as the introduction of a GST and the funding of the Murray-Darling Basin it would be okay if Kevin did too.

She also convinced herself that although his availability to his Ministers was minimal and his office was a black-hole into which submissions disappeared without further trace that this did not matter because Kevin was very good with detail and he was on top of it all.

It did not matter what Ministers, Caucus, public servants and various Premiers thought about his actions as long as the people, especially Queenslanders, were ignorant of all these things it would magically work out at the next election.

In short she was a red-headed, non-professional politician without a spine.

He was stuffing the nation and she ignored all her instincts in order to keep him in power.

In this parallel universe public servants and his compatriots simply had to get used to his ranting and raving, his micro-management and being kept late for all manner of meetings.

Rudd suffered two nervous breakdowns during his term but these were covered up and his recuperation was described as ‘well-needed rests.’

Ministers and public servants held back decisions until Rudd was overseas or ‘recuperating’ and Gillard dealt with them with grace, good humor and aplomb. On average Rudd spent about 13 weeks each year overseas or ‘recuperating’ so the decision-making wheels absolutely whirred during his absences. For the remainder they were invisible.

After a particularly heavy policy period Kevin had a massive heart attack and died. He was found slumped over the Productivity Commission’s report into the poker machine industry. His last actions were underlining a couple of obvious grammatical errors with his red fountain pen.

Julia then became Prime Minister to the acclaim of all those in the Party and the populace.

The Coalition was decimated at the ensuing polls and Tony Abbott was then appointed the Ambassador to the Holy See to replace Tim Fischer.