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Armchair_Politician
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It astounds me that Labor is so desperate to reverse its fortunes that it would consider going back to the guy who is the cause of many of the problems facing the minority ALP government today. The border protection problems and the enormous debt are just two of the major problems caused by Rudd that have plagued Gillard (although she's had ample time to fix the border protection farce). I also don't believe Swan's threat to resign as to do so would mean the ALP no longer had the numbers to stay in power. This story from the Daily Telegraph...
KEVIN Rudd is being urged by key backers within the Labor Party to challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership as early as this month.
Labor figures behind the push for the former PM to take back the job he was removed from last June have confirmed he was now being advised by his closest confidants not to wait until next year but to launch a challenge as early as the second last week of November.
Senior sources within the NSW Right claim the leakage of support away from Ms Gillard, who flew out to France last night for the G20 leaders' meeting, was snowballing.
"There are three things that are certain: there is a leadership challenge under way, Rudd doesn't have a majority yet but has enough numbers to be a contender, and they are strategising about how to get it done," said a senior NSW right-wing source.
But there was mixed support for the idea of an early move, with some MPs claiming they would "deliver the leadership" to Mr Rudd in February - if he waited.
In a sign the PM is now taking seriously the threat of a challenge, an internal counter-offensive has been launched to shore up her leadership.
The PM is reported over the past week to have lobbied key affiliated union officials with influence over caucus members to stick with her. Treasurer Wayne Swan is also believed to have privately warned several NSW Labor colleagues that he would resign if they supported a move to return Mr Rudd as leader.
The Daily Telegraph revealed two weeks ago that federal NSW Right MPs were softening in their support for Ms Gillard following the bungled Malaysia asylum seeker deal and their deepening concerns about the PM's poker machine reform deal with independent Andrew Wilkie.
"It sent Gillard and Swan's office into a panic. Swan has told people that he would quit if we went to Rudd but I doubt he was serious. He wouldn't want to be remembered as the bloke that brought down a Labor government," a senior member of the NSW right said.
Mr Swan would not comment last night.
Parliament has only one sitting week left after this week, during which a full meeting of the Labor caucus - required for a ballot - could be held. The next opportunity would not come until February when parliament returns from the summer break.
Sources close to Mr Rudd said he was well advanced on a policy pitch to address Labor's desperate electoral problems over issues including asylum seekers, the carbon tax and problem gambling.
One senior Labor figure, a Rudd supporter, claimed business was starting to "get edgy" over the government's unresolved leadership crisis.
"Business knows it's a question of when and want it sorted," they said.
Despite Mr Rudd's commanding public popularity, a boost in support for the government if Ms Gillard was rolled was not assured. Secret Coalition research conducted recently concluded voters believed the country was drifting.
Voters believe Labor's policies were out of synch with mainstream values, targeting key policy areas including the carbon tax and asylum seeker policy. They also expressed concern at the influence of the so-called faceless men.
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