Compared to the dignified tiffs of NZ parliamentary politics what the Aussies get up to, or down to, looks more like brawling than disagreement. The internal partisan ructions even more brutal than with each other. So with Julia Gillard's gambit of calling the election date early she would have expected to avoid the bloodshed in caucus. She's brought it to a head:
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SMH: PM heeds call for leadership spill
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has heeded Simon Crean's call for a spill of the Labor leadership.--
SMH: PM heeds call for leadership spill
''For the information of the House I have determined that there will be a ballot for the leadership and deputy leadership of the Labor party at 4.30pm (Melbourne/Sydney time). In the meantime, take your best shot.''
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SMH live blogging the drama in parliament as the opposition try to make havoc. They survive by one vote...
Labor looks set for a leadership spill as Simon Crean calls on Julia Gillard to hold a ballot and says he'll back Kevin Rudd.
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The vote is for 4:30pm - which is 6:30 NZ time.
I think Gillard is the better leader - better than Rudd anyway. She's staunch and that counts for a lot in Aussie politics.
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UPDATE: Rudd didn't run. Crean got himself sacked. Gillard didn't blink. She gets the cred for having faced it and resolved it. The polls still have her and the ALP as toast, but Abbott is a loathed creep who will find it difficult to get over the line.
