The signs are comforting

It is 23 days since the federal election and already four books about the campaign are out. Well it is Christmas and books are a great gift I guess.

Booklover that I am, I am still more than happy to simply watch events unfold rather than rely on rapidly gathered deep background publications. Many I have spoken with before Rudd’s win, people from both sides of the divide, shared the concern that we just don’t know who Rudd is.

In a parliamentary system that shouldn’t matter, but Howard showed us it matters immensely. Rudd’s campaign was well packaged, tight and didn’t give much away in any direction.

The divide itself was illusory to a great extent. After sticking to the ‘small election target’ plan Rudd seems to be now listening to what people really wan for our immediate future.

From both sides of the divide, those of us who were expecting an early showing of real Rudd have not been disappointed, more bemused that it seems he is what he portrayed only (tentative here) better.

The Bali Kyoto talks have gone down well, with the exception of the headless Howard halfwits. They are now supporting Rudd’s plans and attacking at the same time. Rudd risks our future relations with the US; Rudd’s Kyoto moves were not part of his election baggage & etc.

Rudd promised to rid the country of Howard’s odious Industrial Relations laws, and is doing so, but ever so carefully and slowly. He is treating it with the same caution we use to remove an unwanted program from a PC, because we don’t want to rip out interconnected DLLs and destroy our whole system.

There is even public talk that Rudd might have the guts to break the big tax cuts promise. Most Australians are aware that either spending $30 odd billion on tax cuts or on infrastructure will put pressure on inflation. They will wear the inflation if our health and education systems are bout up to scratch first.

Rudd has planned a full cabinet meeting to take place in a Northern Territory indigenous community. The point being that he wants his ministry to know from harsh experience what they are making decisions about. No government here has ever taken such an evidence based approach to the thorny Aboriginal issue.

The first woman to ever hold the title of Acting Prime Minister of Australia (during the Bali meeting), Julia Gillard, holds a far more important first - Minister for Social Inclusion.

None of this is wild radical stuff, and the signs are that it is infinitely more economically responsible that the Howard model. Personally I hanker for the ‘fire in the belly’ days of politics, but for now I am grateful for what is unfolding.