Me-tooism with a catch
As predicted in the last blog, Kevin Rudd's official campaign launch included no primeval screams or yelps of "well alright". True, he was 30 minutes late. But time-keeping lapses are hardly the stuff of You Tube - unless, of course, they involve turning up to a televised debate way after it has started, and then being caught on camera swearing about it afterwards, as the , can testify.
Just for the record, when I tackled a senior Labor aide about this uncharacteristic and unexplained tardiness, she deployed the same fixed grin that her leader has perfected when asked to comment on all things embarrassing. "Smile and the World Smiles With You" could almost become Labor's unofficial campaign song.
As for the speech, it was perhaps noteworthy in two respects.
First, Mr Rudd not only emphasised his credentials as an economic conservative, but implied he was even more conservative than John Howard. Call it "turbo-charged me-tooism". But there was a crucial difference as well.
Referring to the government's pre-election spending splurge, he argued that the prime minister had displayed the fiscal profligacy of an inebriated mariner.
Just listen to this section of his speech, delivered with a suitably scolding tone. "Monday's feeding frenzy of expenditure would actually make inflationary pressures worse... How irresponsible can you get?"
At the end of this reproachful rift, he was in full St Kevin of Rudd mode (was that a halo appearing above his head?). "I have no intention of repeating Mr Howard's irresponsible spending spree… Today I am saying loud and clear this sort of reckless spending must stop."
An aside. For those who take note of such things, Mr Howard arrived from stage left when he delivered his launch speech in the same auditorium on Monday. Mr Rudd made his entrance from stage right.
A second quick thought. While Mr Rudd tried hard to avoid the appearance of hubris or triumphalism, this did come across as the speech of a man who fully expects to be the prime minister by the end of the month.
Arguably, there was a slightly desperate and pleading tone in Mr Howard's offering on Monday. It sounded a bit like the last-gasp pitch of a car salesman seeing a once-keen customer disappearing out of the door. Realising the difficulty in selling what has long been a trusty and popular model, he threw in some last-minute, flashy add-ons - the satellite navigation, go-faster stripes, a green-friendly engine.
To prolong this rather tortuous metaphor (and I promise I won't for too much longer), Mr Rudd offered German engineering and efficiency.
Put another way, the speech was designed and manufactured to sound like a blueprint for action rather than an election-eve sales pitch.
A footnote. For those interested in Australia's fairness doctrine (see "Fair Dinkum"), Mr Rudd scored a quick hat-trick: by the middle of page two of the speech, we had got "fairness", "fair go" and "fair dinkum".
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Hey Nick man,
You're in danger of manking an A1 galar of yourself when the Liberals draw or win this election. Study the demographics chief. The Liberals won't win but nor will Labour, You're badly out of touch. The Labor leaning in the sense of taking a side is unusual for the ´óÏó´«Ã½.
Jamie, Brisbane
Interesting views of our election process from an 'outsider'. I found your post on fairness really interesting.
I wouldn't pay much attention to a blogger who can't even spell that great Australian word 'galah'.
I agree with Sue. Well said.
As you're showing symptoms of Canberraphobia already, and as your commentary is raising the standard of journalism in Australia - in the main abysmal, you deserve to be told of the best bon mot about the place: 'It's the planet's strangest town, not so much a planned city as a plan-without-a-city' wrote Danil Granin.