Australia has a new Prime Minister today, courtesy of dissatisfaction with Kevin Rudd within the Labor Party. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed for Kev, but also that I’m disappointed in Kev. He just didn’t make it happen in the end, in spite of a promising start. In his defense though, he did have to try and steer us through some difficult times, and he had some great wins on the way, but overall, it’s been disappointing.
I’ve been fascinated to see the commentary flowing through Twitter and Facebook and other online contexts in which a lot of Australians are expressing shock that this has happened, and I’m particularly surprised that people think that Julia Gillard stole the job. “We didn’t vote for her!”
At the time of writing this, this is what Julia Gillard’s Wikipedia entry looks like:
The entry has thankfully been amended since I took this screenshot.
To all the Julia haters, to all those who say she didn’t earn the job, or that we didn’t vote for her, please educate yourselves about our political system. Only the people of Lalor voted for Julia, and only the people of Griffith voted for Kevin. The rest of us voted for representatives in our seat. We don’t decide who the PM is. Welcome to the Westminster System. (We’ve had it for over a century.)
If you thought you were voting for Kev, then the joke’s on you. This isn’t the USA, they just WANT you to think that we have presidential style elections. Remember that for the next election. Unless you’re in Lalor or Warringah, you’re not going to be voting for Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott.
Julia Gillard has earned the job as much as anyone else – she was elected, she was chosen. Done.
If you’ve got an issue with her appointment, take it up with your local member, if you know who that is.
</rant>
