Labor would have us believe that Latham is an idiot, mentally disturbed or simply untrustworthy but this is a no win argument for Labor. After all they put forward Latham as not only their leader but as a future Australian Prime Minister.
Labor must think we are either stupid, or Latham is capable of running Australia.
Logic would have us conclude that the latter is the case for the alternative would be too horrible to contemplate.
So why did Latham leave the top labor job?
We know there was no challenge to his position so we must accept Latham’s explanation that it was a mixture of health, family and an acceptance that he was unable to change the party from within. Latham states in his book that the “Labor Party is irreparably broken. It is an organization based on a corrosive and dysfunctional culture-something I am happy to be no longer associated with (page 414)”
So what did Mark Latham think of KevinRudd ? Rudd is mentioned on no fewer than 40 occasions in his diaries and never finds one good thing to say about him. Here are just a few quotes from his book.
Rudd’s Foreign Policy. Monday 24th March 2003
Page 217
“War in Iraq and Simon has got himself into a terrible tangle. The basic lesson: never listen to Rudd on foreign policy. If that guy is an expert then I’m Henry Kissinger.”
Page 218
Today Rudd was even worse. At 9.15 am he played a role in drafting the troops resolution at Shadow Cabinet but at 5.00pm at the National Right Meeting after Robert Ray attacked the wording Rudd stood up and disowned it calling it hopeless. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief that it was the same person at both meetings. He’s an incredible piece of work.
Rudd on Trust Saturday, 22nd November 2003
Page 243 All the snakes are sliding around in the grass feeding their poison to Seccombe (SMH Journalist): Rudd, Swan, Albanese, Tanner and Comb-over.
Page 249 It is amazing that the journalist couldn’t see through him. Two factors: they are lazy and dumb and Rudd is a fanatical media networker. He is addicted to it worse than Heroin.
Wednesday, 14 April 2004
Page 280 I've had a suspicion for some time now that Rudd has been feeding material to Oakes. Decided to set him up, telling Kevvie about our focus groups on Iraq. No such research exists-Gartrell says he's doing some quantitative polling but not focus groups. Today, right on cue, Jabba has written in the Bulletin: 'The Labor Party's polling firm has been busily running focus groups to test the public mood following Latham's 'troops -out' announcement. The most significant finding, I understand, is overwhelming support for the alliance with the United States'. Trapped him. Two weeks ago in New Zealand, I announced our intention to have a Minister for the Pacific Islands. That's the job I'll give Rudd if we win. Joel thinks I'm joking, but I'm deadly serious. Rudd is a terrible piece of work: addicted to the media and leaking. A junior minister in Government, at best.
Rudd’s Vanity
Saturday, 30th December 2003
Page 256 Kevvie wanted his title expanded to the more grandiose Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Security. No worries, but then he rang me last Sunday to say he objected to McClelland also having the word `Security' in his title. At first I thought it was some kind of joke, but the crazy bastard was serious: he had a long and absurd argument about the alleged overlap between the two jobs. I suggested he talk to McClelland, hoping to never hear from him again. By the end of the day, Rudd was threatening to go to the backbench, over a question of semantics. I told him I was willing to accept his resignation and he went away to think about it. The ideal contingency plan was McMullan to Foreign Affairs and then I could save face with Coxie in Finance. Rudd called at about 11 p.m. and backed down, allowing the announcement to go ahead the next day.
Friday 22nd October 2004
Page 364 Another slice of Caucus chaos: Kevin Rudd. On Wednesday, ' The Australian ' carried a front-page story saying that if Rudd didn't became Shadow Treasurer he would go to the backbench. My thoughts went back to December last year and his tantrum over his title. He's such a prima donna Rudd came around to see me yesterday morning, lobbying to be Shadow Treasurer. He went into a long explanation of why he's so wonderful. When he finished I put my cards on the table: that I regard him as disloyal and unreliable, and he only holds his frontbench position because of his media profile and public standing among people who have never actually met him. I also told him that if the newspaper report was true, he should get ready for the backbench, as there was no way I could give him the Shadow Treasury. He appeared surprised, protested his innocence and then broke down badly, sobbing over the recent death of his mother, just before polling day. I told him to leave work and go back to Brisbane to rest with his family. But he wouldn't give up. Even though he was crying, he kept on lobbying to be Shadow Treasurer. It was becoming quite sad. Then he said words that I will never forget: 'I swear on my mother's grave that The Australian story is wrong, totally wrong, and that I've been loyal to you and will continue to be loyal to your leadership'. I don't mind people bull****ting to me in politics, but not like this. Last week he rang around Caucus to gauge the mood after our loss, and told Trish Crossin that my leadership was on notice: I had until the Budget Reply speech next May to prove myself. He's always bagging me to journalists and that's not going to change any time soon. I don't trust him, no matter what he says.
