RSS Feed
February 20th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Labor backbencher Bernie Ripoll says Kevin Rudd’s backers are gutless and should stop wrecking the government.
Mr Ripoll is challenging the foreign minister’s supporters to come out into the open.
“What I am saying very clearly to those people who are being very disloyal, who are wrecking the party and doing it behind closed doors, (is they) ought to go out in the open and either declare their hand if they have one, and if they don’t then they ought to back off,” he told ABC radio.
“It’s completely gutless.”
Mr Ripoll says he and other Labor MPs have had enough of the on-going death by a thousand cuts.
He says it will be a matter for history as to whether Mr Rudd has reformed the ways which led to his dumping from the leadership in favour of now Prime Minister Julia Gillard in mid-2010.
“What I would say though is somebody, anybody who is not a happy little vegemite, they ought to go find something else to do.”
“I am not picking on any one individual. I’m just saying those who are being disloyal and wrecking the party and wrecking any chance that we have at the next election should reconsider their position.”
Speculation is mounting there could be a leadership showdown between Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard as early as next week.
Greens leader Bob Brown said Ms Gillard had the backing of the majority of Labor MPs and just needed to assert her authority.
But Senator Brown on Tuesday said he wouldn’t advise the Labor party what to do.
“That will be resolved next week I predict,” he told ABC radio.
Senator Brown said in terms of outcomes, Ms Gillard had the runs on the board but that wasn’t well recognised.
“Part of the reason for that is the effectiveness of the negativity of Tony Abbott and the media that goes along with him,” he said.
Senator Brown said he had talked with both Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard last week but not on the Labor leadership.
He said he discussed foreign affairs, including the situation in Syria, with Mr Rudd, and the upcoming school funding report with Ms Gillard.
Human Services Minister Brendan O’Connor, a well-known Gillard supporter, is warning colleagues they need to be aware that if Labor changes leader the government may not survive.
“I think people have to understand if we are looking at changing the leadership we may be arguing who is going to be leader of the opposition because there is no reason to believe there will be a government if there is a change of leader,” Mr O’Connor told Sky News.
“There is no arrangement with members of the parliament in the lower house for such an assumption.”
Mr O’Connor says while Mr Rudd has publicly said he isn’t challenging the prime minister he should repeat the statement.
“He needs to clearly make further unequivocal statements and support the prime minister.
“And indeed those people who say they are acting on his behalf, because he refutes that, must desist because without unity of purpose, without the government working together, we can’t get through these fundamental reforms.”
Mr O’Connor says he is not aware of any talk among Ms Gillard’s supporters to make sure they have the numbers.
Neither is he aware of a petition reportedly being drafted by rebel caucus members to force a leadership ballot next week.
Nevertheless, the human services minister insists the prime minister has the confidence of the “overwhelming number of caucus members and of cabinet”.
Trade Minister Craig Emerson refused to say how many Labor caucus members he thought supported Mr Rudd but insisted the number was small and not increasing.
“It is well short of a majority,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.
Dr Emerson insisted Labor’s leadership rift was not preventing the party from developing policies but conceded it was a distraction for the public.
“We had (on Monday) a major reform in the education system … it got reasonable coverage but it had to share the media coverage with leadership issues.”
Liberal frontbencher George Brandis doubts Labor MPs would have time to read the Gonski report on school funding reform.
“I bet they are not,” he said.
“I bet the prime minister and the other senior ministers in the government are trying to shore up numbers for one or the other respective sides.”
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
