|
August 17, 2007
Last night's Lateline interview with Kevin Rudd started to consolidate some of the more symbolic behaviour behind Rudd's Labor.
There's no point trying to get around what has become the institution of Prime Minister John Howard. Traditional Labor voters didn't start voting in 1996 for the Liberal philosophy which brought them Workchoices. They've been voting for Howard, which works splendidly until somebody points out the distinction between the office and the man currently holding it.
The Labor Party disappeared into the Christmas break last year with a new leader, and emerged from that with a whole new bearing. They seem to have spent the break at charm school. There was, and still is from time to time, a bit of fuss over Julia Gillard's new look, but there's more to it than that.
Labor have been performing the dignity of office. Even on the odd occasions when Labor have taken a blow you'd never know it from looking at them.
All of the more memorable outbursts, tantrums, indignant snortings, smirks and various other explosions have come from the government side. Howard has been visibly rattled. Downer, Hockey, Turnbull, Costello and occasionally Abbott slouch in their chairs through interviews and question time. They're not far away from chewing gum, flipping the bird and scratching their armpits.
If you weren't paying attention you could easily get the impression that Labor had already won, which is precisely the point. Rudd's Labor have been conducting themselves like office-bearers and Rudd behaves like a man to be taken seriously. He's already assumed the conduct of the office of prime minister.
It's only natural then for him to point out, as he did last night, that the government is behaving like an opposition and that's not the way to govern a country.
|
Your planning to vote Labor then are you Gary?