Politics and all that

I am here... still. I was up at 5am yesterday and caught a cab to the airport. Met my colleague and boarded the plane to Sydney, to get the first flight to Papua New Guinea. Another domestic flight had some problems, so QANTAS decided they would divert some passengers from that plane to Sydney. Thus we arrived in Sydney with 30 minutes to get to the International terminal and to board our flight. Only by the time we did get there, the flight had closed. So there we stood, with four other passengers due to fly business class to PNG. I returned to the office and went from work to meet David at the shops. We bought Nicholas' birthday present. So nice I could be here to do that. I was tired by early evening!!
Nicholas had asked me to bring him a coconut home... or if I couldn't get a coconut, then a book about coconuts!?? I don't know where his interest in coconuts has come from, but thankfully David had bought him one from the supermarket. He was thrilled! So today I was at home. And this afternoon I reflected a bit more on political events in the last week.

Last Wednesday I came home after having written a paper to Executive, recommending the Deputy PM as a guest speaker for a conference I am organising on the topic of social inclusion. I also came home with a copy of Quarterly Essay: David Marr's essay on The Political Journey of Kevin Rudd. The Prime Minister I was pleased to see win office in 2007. The Prime Minister whom I had become disillusioned with and disappointed in. I was determined to try and understand the man. No need now, really...

David went to the shops later that evening as we were having a dinner at our house the following evening. When he came home he said to turn ABC on. he said there was going to be a leadership challenge. My response was that it was incredulous. They won't do that now?? Maybe after the election... So what i was hoping to be an early night soon became a late one. And the following morning I watched the news from 7:30am. That morning as the Returning Officer came out to the media my heart sank a little as he said "The new..." I was disappointed and frustrated that it had come to a challenge. I feel for Kevin Rudd. I like Julia Gillard. I do not like factions. there are many good political analysts and journalists I to listen to (in my opinion). Barrie Cassidy, Kerry O'Brien, Annabel Crabb, Chris Uhlmann... but I particularly liked this discussion between Philip Adams, David Marr and Laura Tingle on the day Julia Gillard became Australia's first female PM.