Furious about shadowy hatchet men

By Diet Simon

I am furious that David Feeney, Mark Arbib, Bill Shorten, Bill Ludwig, Karl Bitar and Don Farrell have been able to topple a prime minister a majority of Australians, including me, voted into office. To quote political commentator, Professor Ross Fitzgerald , “In terms of the exercise of power, when push comes to shove, the factions, and especially the right faction, wields tremendous power in the Australian Labor Party federally and in most states”.

Who are these shadowy hatchet men of the Labor Party? What gives them their unaccountable power? How can a party make such a mockery of internal democracy? Gutless, bought backbenchers? Rules have to be changed so that in such momentous issues, the rank-and-file membership of the Labor Party get to vote on them.

That said, Rudd failed miserably on a lot of issues that matter to me, most painfully on the ongoing failure to treat Aborigines fairly, like all other citizens, following the hollow apology.

That said, from her public persona, which I can only judge by what the media give me, I like Julia Gillard’s leading the country, though I fear the job will turn her into another Margaret Thatcher monster.

And lastly, I cannot help wondering whether mining money was thrown at MP’s to buy Rudd’s assassination. One mining boss did say, I seem to recall, something like, “We’ll get him!”

Diet Simon