What an amazing day it’s been. I’ve resented every minute away from the internet, TV, radio. Yet only 24 hours ago, as someone said somewhere, this was no more than …
Chris Uhlmann’s wet dream.
Australia has its first female Prime Minister, sworn in by its first female Governor-General.
Headline of the day?
Gillard grabs her moment in history
This is what’s really inspired. How she seized the day. She didn’t squib it or get cold feet or play “nice”. She just reached out with both hands and took power. In doing so she demonstrated what power is: taking the thing desired and accepting the consequences, whatever they may be. It’s what Peter Costello couldn’t do.
Most searing moment of the day? When Kevin Rudd talked about the Stolen Generations and how they’d come in “that door” on that day in 2008 — here he broke down for several minutes — and
… they were frightened.
Ahhhh. His greatest achievement, and the one for which every Australian will remember him with gratitude: the apology to the Stolen Generations.
Well-played, Mr Rudd! Well-played, Ms Gillard!
*****
Amazing news and it will be interesting to see what happens. From what I can tell both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard are class acts.
Will be fascinating to see what happens. In the very first press conference she made a masterstroke: announced she was withdrawing the Government’s ad campaign in support of the mining tax, and asked the miners to withdraw theirs too. And about an hour later, they did. Then she went in and led parliament. All probably on zero sleep the night before. What aplomb!