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Kevin Rudd’s fate is a cautionary tale for an announcement-prone Malcolm Turnbull
WHEN Kevin Rudd began his fleeting second prime ministership in mid 2013, he immediately set about filling the gaping authority vacuum that had troubled Australians for three years. His every move was aimed at generating incumbency, reassuring Australians that finally someone was in charge, someone they could trust.
Some elements of the exercise, such as lining up almost a hundred foreign diplomats for a meet and greet, were excessive; others, like the challenge to opposition leader Tony Abbott to a Press Club debate on government debt and deficits, were inspired. (Abbott declined that invitation and Rudd attended solo but then largely wasted the opportunity.)
As usually happens after a major leadership change – whether it turns out to have been a good idea or not – the opinion polls responded positively, with the government either drawing level with the opposition after preferences, or sitting slightly ahead…
