Photograph by Grant Matthews Australian Women’s Weekly July 1, 2013
This was the picture I planned to use this week for a pome and post about our lovely PM, Julia Gillard, or should I now say former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard? I had intended to write a satirical comment on the never ending criticism she gets from some sections of the media, typified by a pompous Business Review Weekly article about an upcoming photoshoot in the AWW featuring her hobby of knitting. I thought too much had been made of it by the Australian newspaper and now the BRW writer was questioning the wisdom of it too.
Perhaps there is nothing that Gillard can do to save her prime ministership, a prime ministership conducted in the most toxic political climate experienced since the rancour of the Whitlam years. One suspects that history will remember Gillard and her achievements more kindly than current-day pundits and voters. And perhaps, when that time of kinder and more considered judgment comes, the photo of Julia Gillard knitting a toy for a new royal will be seen in an entirely different and more loving light.
Sadly that paragraph has proved shockingly prophetic. By the end of the following day Kevin Rudd who had solemnly given his oath that he would not challenge her leadership had done so and replaced her as Prime Minister. I don’t propose to comment on any of that here. For the past forty eight hours I have been lost for words, unlike hundreds of others who have poured out their grief in tributes to a woman they recognise as a great Labor leader. We have not had to wait for history to cast a kinder judgement than that of shock jocks and gossip writers.
There are many thousands of compliments being paid to her and the achievements of her government in the face of overwhelming difficulties both in mainstream media, on blogsites like Cafe Whispers and The Political Sword. Even on little sites like mine here.
I leave you with this from Dedalus, writing at The Pub where tributes poured in throughout yesterday and today to “The Glory That Was Gillard.”
Julia, you are a diamond in the flotsam and jetsam of politics. You showed many people how it can be done with integrity and dignity and humour. You never went on about the bad treatment you received from every quarter, you just got on with the job. I’m so proud of you and so sad for the country. You are a legend. And I think history will prove this.
POSCRIPTS worth mentioning have been appearing all weekend. I was very impressed with the view of Andrew Elder, a very fair and reliable analyst of our political scene, in his overview of events since of events since Wednesday night –
I miss Julia Gillard and I still think she could have turned it around and beaten Abbott…….
We haven’t seen a policy wonk like her in the Prime Ministership since Deakin. Australian Labor is still playing catch-up since it failed to rethink its purpose to the extent that other social-democrat governments did in the 1930s and ’40s, but Julia Gillard has brought them almost up to date. I’m fairly unsentimental when it comes to Labor as a delivery mechanism for policy outcomes, but I stand in awe of the sheer love in this piece, and with it the notion that progress is meant to be made, set back, reassessed and moved forward again, whether at the general political and policy level or at the lives of particular little girls and their family.
I too had been moved by the love which so awed him in the video tribute prepared by Nancy Cato as were hundreds of others like Lyn and Ad Astra at the P0litical Sword. In a post today not intended as a tribute to Julia Gillard but rather an attack on opinion polls and the undue weight given to these ‘killing machines’ by politicians I thought Ad Astra’s summing up of her character and performance was one many of us would agree with wholeheartedly.
Those of us who have supported Julia Gillard so fervently are appalled at the way she has been treated, and lament her fate. We have lost an outstanding politician, and a strong and steadfast female warrior. We commiserate her untimely exit from public life and hope she will reappear in another influential role that will engage her outstanding talent and her strength of character. We shall miss her bubbling personality, her strength, her courage, her resoluteness, her devotion, her graciousness, her capacity to get things done against the odds and bring about much needed traditional Labor reforms, and her determination to stand up for women’s rights.
Some testimonials that have since appeared in print media and on the web………………….
http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2013/07/07/An-accolade-for-Julia-Gillard-a-fine-prime-minister.aspx
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/august/1375315200/chloe-hooper/road-julia-gillard
POST POST SCRIPT by Mary Delahunty
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/last-orders-20130805-2r9yj.html#ixzz2bZCtOieM
Patriciawa…I just visited your page on the web…and yes…I agree very much with your sadness and feeling of loss….as do we all…but loss may not be the correct word, for Julia Gillard still works for the principles she stood, as we have seen of her appointments of late…she still resides locally and her partner, Tim, is not shy about “mixing it” with the clowns in the govt’ side……so while we may still grieve on the blatant injustice and harbour an ache of sadness for the empty place in our parliament….I am holding that sadness in my heart NOT as a heart-breaking sadness, but as a beautiful sadness…..a beautiful reality of a beautiful and (still) inspiring Prime Minister.
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
Why was this intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, patriotic woman, loved by her staff, glowingly admired by the independent MPs who’d just helped her minority government pass the highest rate of legislation of any prime minister, why was she being killed off? One would have thought from the frenzied, almost primitive calls for her head that she’d brought the government or the country to its knees, not just proven herself to be the most capable person in the Labor party.
http://theaimn.com/wipe-brough-im-trouble/
Patriciawa, September 9, 2014. Julia Gillard’s appearance at the Royal Commission today was another reminder of what Australia has lost. I look forward to the launch of her memoirs in two weeks time. Meantime I’ve just revisited my last few posts on Julia, and Ive been re-reading all those lovely comments about her from commentatotrs I respect like Andrew Elder and bloggers like Gravel and other internet friends, particularly the one about her still standing!
https://polliepomes.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/julia-gillard-is-still-standing/
I don’t think that giving Julia Gillard the opportunity to again show her mettle was what Tony Abbott had in mind when he set up this Royal Commission. Old friends and lovers from way back came out to support her too! Did Tony Abbott really hope to nail her this time!
This Pope cartoon from last month was almost prescient!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BxKQTVzIAAAQdhd.jpg:large
POST POST POST POST SCRIPT! Patriciawa, June 16,2015. Julia being interviewed on the BBC today about her upcoming memoir. Getting in there before tonight’s second program, in The Killing Fields,
A p0me coming up here? “I didn’t crack!” Made it clear she won’t be back!
Who said the camera cannot lie? It’s surely not so long ago? But now worldwide we hear the sigh That politicans in the know Can make that very truth a lie.
richo, 02/08/13, All that maybe true and rightly or wrongly her fate was sealed the day she did Kevin in. Now having said that I concur she was a Prime Minister who got things done. I suspect what she failed to do was to sell her many achievements. In the end if you can’t communicate it clearly you are kind of stuffed.
my say, 02/08/13, julia never had a chance,she was hounded out of office by a coalition government ,who never got over loosing in 2010 to a woman, by the murdoch media, who believe their man abbott was born to rule,and by some in her own party, although i don’t agree with everything rudd has done i will still vote labor as to not let julia down for all the good policies that she had got passed in the parlament. we have a lot to thank her for
Gilly, 02/08/13, Another lie about Julia. “Julia did Kevin in”, absolute rubbish, the Labour caucus voted out a man who is not a leader but someone who could never function as a leader. A leader leads others, to do this others need to be trusted, respected and taken into consideration. Kevin was too full of himself to ever have any responsibility for others. As for a communicator, it takes two for communication, someone to listen. Nobody wanted to listen about Government, all the focus was on politics. One of the greatest PMs the country has had was not a politician, she was too honest and focused on what she was elected to do, an adult who was not trapped into playing the immature game of politics.
Patricia Bensted, 02/08/13, Julia did Kevin In. What a load of rubbish. Rudd went into Julias office and abused her for not being loyal to him and this is after she REFUSED to go against him. She wasmade a scapegoat for the likes of Shorten etc: so get all your facts straight. I for one will miss the kind, compassionate lady. What she has done for the women ofAustralia and the World for that matter is remarkable. I will always voteLabor because I am aLabor person not like some of the friends of Rudd who even gave up their Membership of the Labor Party, so one must ask did they resign from the Party because Rudd was ousted or was it because a woman took his place. Methinks the latter.
Sandra, 02/08/13, Gilly, Patricia couldn’t agree more. We will never know just what went down at either of the deposings. All I know is that I miss that wonderful courageous lady’s smile, her compassion etc. Don’t think that the new team is as good as hers, they have a slightly different agenda. Hope Bowen is as good at managing the books as Swanny was. Hope that Gonski doesn’t get watered down either. Julia got so many good things through didn’t she. Miss her heaps.
freedomsmoker, 02/08/13, My only feeling was relief when Gillard got killed off. She definitely evoked polarized opinions. Worst prime minister in Australian history in my opinion.
Mobius Ecko, 02/08/13, ……….can you tell us why she was the worst PM using something like facts. Oh and it wasn’t Gillard who polarised opinions, that would be Abbott and the MSM lies and deceptions putting Gillard into a no win situation no matter what she did or said. My opinion she was the best PM we’ve had, and the runs are on the board to prove it.
richo, 02/08/13, Whatever the reality is……………..the perception out there is that she did Kevin in. Whether she did or didn’t she was part of it………
bilko, 02/08/13, PatriciaWA, Well said, now you have brought out the mists in my old tired eyes once again. Sad that Julia has vanished from the airwaves but not forgotten in our hearts.