Killing time

Stroll down memory lane with tonight’s premiere of the ABC’s warts-and-more-warts documentary on the short life and fast times of the Rudd-Gillard government.

A thread for discussion of the troubled life of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, apropos tonight’s premiere of ABC Television’s epic fantasy series, The Killing Season. Please keep this thread on topic – the general discussion continues on the post immediately below this one.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

151 comments on “Killing time”

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  2. Jake

    How about

    [Is the treacherous (to Prime Minister Gillard) failed immigration minister wannabe treasurer Bowen going to feature?]

  3. [“Stroll down memory lane with tonight’s premiere of the ABC’s warts-and-more-warts documentary on the short life and fast times of the Rudd-Gillard government.”]

    Hate to be a nit-picker but that’d be the Rudd-Gillard-RUDD Government

  5. I just really hate the title image for this show, Kev looking like big brother staring down Gillard who’s all bowed and emotional as if at someone’s grave – ooh is that a sarcastic reference to her dad?

    Who scripted this crap?

  8. MikeHilliard,

    [Who scripted this crap?]

    I know, it’s almost as bad as the years of endless squabbling we inflicted on each other on PB.

  12. I know I said I was not going to comment, but I can’t resist. Every time my wife sees the promo with Kevin whining ‘but Julia, you’re a good person’ she cracks up.

  15. A perfect opportunity for all of us to find further evidence to support our cemented but fanciful suppositions.
    Just if anyone is wondering, I expect to be very disappointed that Rudd is not nailed for being the cherous mendacious leech who singlehandedly brought us Abbott. Unfortunately.

  16. The actual Killing Time series with David Wenham as Andrew Fraser was great viewing.

    I liked the bit when Fraser went to collect his fees after representing Bondy and one of his sons told him to join the line of creditors.

    I wonder if he got 0.1c in the dollar?

  17. [“I just really hate the title image for this show, Kev looking like big brother staring down Gillard who’s all bowed and emotional as if at someone’s grave – ooh is that a sarcastic reference to her dad?

    Who scripted this crap?”]

    Bill Shorten? Oh! Snap!

    Gonna be a long night

  20. [ Every time my wife sees the promo with Kevin whining ‘but Julia, you’re a good person’ she cracks up. ]

    Lol. That does make him look like a weepy dweeb. 🙂

  21. [ It is like licking pus off a dog’s balls. ]

    Dont say that BW. You will attract ESJ and Desert Faux to the thread. 🙁

  22. How unsurprising.

    A festival of Rudd hatred as we watch again how he did so much to win the 2007 election and is acknowledged by all for his efforts.

    There are some very sick people on PB.

  24. Labor Party’s got to demonstrate that all this bs is in the past. Yes, Shorten has all the fight is a wet lettuce and even makes John Howard look charismatic, but the ALP chose him as their leader. If that means nothing, then all they’re offering the public is government by soap opera.

  25. At least the Opposition benches weren’t empty for K.Rudds stolen generation speech. Must have had something to do whith who was LotO.

  26. This is the media trying to justify itself; I’m waiting for the “The stalking of Julia” as a movie. The media is crap, is more my cup of tea.

  27. When ruddy says he was relaxed jg was doing a splendid job in his absence, I don’t know why his dishonest look makes what he is saying believable. Maybe I am just sick.

  29. The biggest take-away so far is how incredibly superior Rudd and his government was compared to the absolute joke that runs our country now.

  31. Windhover@27

    When ruddy says he was relaxed jg was doing a splendid job in his absence, I don’t know why his dishonest look makes what he is saying believable. Maybe I am just sick.

    Probably.

  32. [“And it has been revealed that Ferguson used an ingenious technique to extract the explosive comments from the politicians, according to The Australian.

    The Walkley Award-winner, known for her take-no-prisoners interviews, encouraged reluctant pollies to speak on the record by sharing the worst details of what their colleagues had revealed about them.

    The strategy meant that Ferguson was able to interview the main players multiple times. Mr Rudd was reportedly interviewed four times over 17 hours.

    This “he said, she said” approach may explain why sitting Labor MPs — including Jenny Macklin and Chris Bowen — also agreed to participate in the documentary.”]

    17 Hours! That’s one long interview.(and yes I get there would have been breaks inbetween.. but 17 Hours!)

  33. [The biggest take-away so far is how incredibly superior Rudd and his government was compared to the absolute joke that runs our country now.]

    Well……you would really be hard pressed to find a worse one than now so thats not much a complement.

  38. Episode 1 – a government doing its job with some issues, guiding us through the biggest financial disaster in 70 years, ooooh what next? Can’t wait for the current mob to be discussed.

  39. @TheKouk: Funny how Hockey’s budget has govt spending over next 2 yrs higher than any 2 yr period during the spending spree of the GFC #killingseason

  41. Gillard coming cross less well than I would have predicted in the first episode. Looking a wee bit shifty, and a creature of the factions.

    Rudd not very convincing on his denial that he intimidated her. But aside from that, episode 1 is a reminder how how well Rudd handled the apology and the GFC.

    Suspect this episode was worst of all for Turnbull – still a player who we just got a big reminder about. What terrible political judgement.

  43. I’d imagine there’s been considerable trepidation for many around here about how this show would depict the previous government.

    From the first forty minutes I have to say that the take home message is one of a very competent Labor government wih the stature of giants in comparison to what we have now.

  44. Nothing to trouble Labor in episode 1

    Turnbull looks bad.

    I thought that Rudd looked shifty about his dislike of Julia being in favour while he was overseas, but clearly absolutely shocked by the allegations of bullying Gillard in the 2007 election campaign. Given the obvious GOOD vibes between them in the election campaign, I go with Rudd’s version, especially because of the remarks made by Gillard at the time.

    The ONLY one who clearly disliked Rudd from day 1 was Combet.

    Jenny Macklin comes across as a REALLY nice person.

    Gillard’s close working relationship with Arbib was a surprise to me. I had thought it was more a factional play thing,not quite so personal

    The admission of many “meetings” with Swan was also an eye opener, because I had tended to think it was other factional heavies, not swan who did the heavy lifting.

    Chris Evans was clearly mighty peeved over the oceanic Viking thing, and probably explains part of the reason the left opposed Rudd, apart from the simple tribalism of right/Left

  46. Observations:

    Every time Kevin said something that sounded a bit unlikely (eg, he never lost his temper with Julia, not disbanding the gang of 4 after the GFC was Julia’s doing rather than his) his eyes shifted sideways and upwards. Coppers have a standard interpretation of that body language.

    Sam Dastyari and the people he partied with on election night 2007 had the same negative reaction to Rudd’s bizarrely narcissistic victory speech that I had.

    Kevin is a profoundly clever bloke. Ken Henry – a man of very strong intellect – was in awe of him.

    I’d forgotten that Godwin Grech’s voice was a dead ringer for Harold Steptoe.

    For me, the most perceptive comment of the night was Julia saying that Kevin’s preferred style was a continuous campaign, which worked well in Opposition and an election context, and during the GFC, but perhaps not at other times.

    Sarah Ferguson seems to be setting up Mark Arbib in a sort of Brutus role vis-a-vis Rudd’s Julius Caesar. But the move in 2010 did not emanate from the NSW Right, but initially from the Vic Left, and then the Vic Right. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in Part II.

    The first episode was superbly researched and brilliantly put together. Riveting TV.

  48. meher baba@46

    —
    For me, the most perceptive comment of the night was Julia saying that Kevin’s preferred style was a continuous campaign, which worked well in Opposition and an election context, and during the GFC, but perhaps not at other times.


    There is some merit in operating that way PROVIDED the campaigning leader has a loyal deputy with an eye for administrative detail who can run the shop.

    I thought that was how things were running before the coup.

    Sarah Ferguson seems to be setting up Mark Arbib in a sort of Brutus role vis-a-vis Rudd’s Julius Caesar. But the move in 2010 did not emanate from the NSW Right, but initially from the Vic Left, and then the Vic Right. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in Part II.

    The first time I saw Arbib interviewed as a minister on TV, I wondered how such a nong became a minister.


    The first episode was superbly researched and brilliantly put together. Riveting TV.

    Agreed!

  49. Meher

    Sorry I thought Kevin looked shifty only the once. I saw only anger in his response to the bullying issue. He believed what he said.

    I think the saddest thing is (and the reason for his bitterness) is that he actually DID think Julia a good person. Naive to the point of idiocy but still!!!

    I thought Gillard seemed very off her game. A little sad in fact.

  50. As someone who never cared (And continues not to) for Labor or Liberals, I think I probably felt less invested than most in what was going on, even a bit miffed that my people haven’t had a look-in. One thing I am really quite excited about is the introduction of the Greens into the equation, and whether they bother interviewing actual Greens over the CPRS / Shared power or whether they just gloss over it with a Labor spin handwave. I’d love to see Greens-Rudd and Greens-Gillard relationships explored with comments and anecdotes from both sides about how it worked or otherwise.

    So far it seems very well made and surprisingly fair-minded, looking at both good and bad (So often we focus down on the negatives in politics). The big thing I’m keen to see is whether they treat the Greens as an ‘event’ for Rudd/Gillard to moan about or as new players elected into the scene with their own legitimate perspectives to share.

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