Disappointing, Mr Rudd

Andrew Wilkie

But already I am disappointed that Rudd appears to offer little hope for those who crave admirable political leadership. His promise of a hasty withdrawal of Australian forces from the fiasco in Iraq has been qualified with a commitment to first check with the Americans. And now he has backed off from former leader Mark Latham’s pledge to protect more of Tasmania’s priceless forests, preferring instead John Howard’s vandalic pro-logging policy.

LIKE anyone who cares about this country I’ve followed Kevin Rudd’s ascendency to the leadership of the Labor Party. Although not agreeing with all his views, I’ve long admired Rudd’s intelligence and drive and felt that talented people like him were the ALP’s best chance of helping to arrest Prime Minister John Howard’s systematic corruption of Australia’s democracy.

But already I am disappointed that Rudd appears to offer little hope for those who crave admirable political leadership. His promise of a hasty withdrawal of Australian forces from the fiasco in Iraq has been qualified with a commitment to first check with the Americans. And now he has backed off from former leader Mark Latham’s pledge to protect more of Tasmania’s priceless forests, preferring instead John Howard’s vandalic pro-logging policy.

And this is just the start of it. Rudd will never change the ALP’s policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers. Nor will he ever depart from the ALP’s opposition to the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. Climate change in particular is set to illustrate Kevin Rudd as offering only a limited alternative to John Howard — he will continue to speak about the evils of nuclear power but at the same time push for the expansion of Australia’s uranium exports. And he will never agree to meaningful limits on our filthy coal industry.

The electorate has little to choose from when it comes to the Liberal and Labor parties. Both are determined to forsake their ideological heritages if that is what it takes to win votes. Australians deserve genuine political leadership but instead political self-interest continues to rule over the public interest.