Back to the Future: Moving forward... By going back to Kevin?

It may sound ridiculous - absurd even - that the Labor party would consider taking backing former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd... but that is exactly what they are doing. The Labor Party's relationship with the former leader is a strange and confused one, a love-hate relationship of sorts. While the party loves that Kevin is adored by public (especially the youth demographic, which has been deserting Labor in droves...) they hate, well, pretty much everything else. Kevin Rudd was a dictator, a control freak with a violent temper who chucked tantrums when he didn't get his way. In many ways K-Rudd is the physical embodiment of the Labor machine: policy and politics informed almost exclusively by the polls and gets stroppy whenever anyone dares to disagree with them. Kevin was a notorious poll watcher, as all politicians are, but he took being a reactionary leader to new heights. The "Greatest Moral Challenge" was turfed onto the policy too-hard-to-do basket faster than you can outrun the rising sea levels, all because the polls got a little jittery. It is this which is at the heart of Labor's current dilemma.

Make no mistake, the backbenchers are teeming with an undercurrent of anger, sharpening their swords with their eyes fixed squarely on what they view as their greatest vulnerability: Julia Gillard. No Prime Minister in history has burnt their way through public goodwill following an election faster than Gillard. Cast your minds back a few years, to the post Kevin07 euphoria, the longest honeymoon in Australian political history. The people loved Kevin and the polls secured his position... but the moment the polls with south their was no faction or friends to protect him. Given the outrage over the assassination of one of Australia's most popular PMs in modern history (a first term PM, which was unprecedented) Labor fears replaying this scenario with Gillard and incurring the wrath of the electorate. It is ironic that it was the very manner in which Gillard disposed of Rudd which is now protecting her from the same fate. I would argue, however, that the backbenchers and the factional heavies might want to reconsider leaving her in the top job...

Yes, there was outrage at Kevin's dismissal, but with Gillard languishing in the 30% satisfaction range, no one would shed a tear for her should she be removed from power. In addition, there would not be the same sense of insecurity; Kevin Rudd is a tried and tested PM who has demonstrated that he can do the job (not well, but still better than Gillard...). Gillard, while well know for her role in the 'Gang of Four', was still an untested leader, and this concerned the electorate. After all, you don't put an under-18's rookie in Barry Hall's full forward spot... Another source of outrage at Gillard's ascension was the means by which she achieved it: The factional heavies gave her the job, not the Australian people (even though the Australian people don't elect a PM, we still like to think that we do...). If Rudd was returned as PM, given our knowledge that he is not from a factional background, would allay the fears of the public over the 'faceless men'. In this situation the public would be more likely to view this as the Labor party doing what is necessary (and best) for the nation, as opposed to what was rightfully seen as Gillard's personal quest for power when she staged her coup.


Kevin Rudd, Come-Back Kid? Not such a laughable suggestion, really...


There is an even more powerful force which needs to be taken into consideration. Forget the factions and the Union warlords, I'm taking about the Australian psyche: we love a good underdog story. We love to see the little battler defy the odds to claim the title. Given the angst and distrust of Gillard, Kevin Rudd is perfectly positioned to make a public go for the top job. Kevin "K-Rudd" Rudd, after being KOed by his sneaky sparring partner, the Ginger Ninja, and beat out of the title fight, has returned to claim his mantle. "Save like a fiscal conservative, sting with detailed programmatic specificity. The public can't knock what the polls don't see..." The odds are against him, everyone doubts his ability to win... but that is exactly what you want in a good 'comeback' story... There is an undeniable mood in the electorate that Kevin was robbed of the top job and the Australian public would not react the same way to Gillard's assassination as they did when Rudd was knifed. In many ways I think the public would see it as justified pay-back, both to Gillard and the factional bosses. Who knows, the Return of the Rudd might just be the circuit breaker that Labor needs to free itself from the tyrannical hold of the factions...

So look out Ginger Ninja, Come-Back Kev is going in for a tune up and I suspect he will come out swinging...

Rocky eat your heart out...