What a Ruddy mess! We Australians awoke today to the news that we have a new (recycled) Prime Minister. Mr Rudd, or as one cartoon labelled him, Lazarudd, has managed to worm his way back into the leadership of the Australian Labor Party, and, thereby, the Prime Ministership.
As I contemplate this happening and all it entails, I can only think of two pictures that seem to describe adequately the sorry state we are in. The first was an advertisement for a stain resistant carpet, upon which Pro Hart painted using food stuffs. The resultant picture caused his maid to exclaim, “What a mess Mr Hart!” The second, and much less wholesome picture, comes from Italian politics. Some years ago, a porn star decided to run for office in that country. Her signature was to pop a breast out at public meetings.
I apologise for placing this second picture into your mind, but somehow these pictures combined seem to illustrate the confusion and chaos that currently marks the Australian political landscape. First, we have fouled our own domicile with the political equivalent of a childish food-fight and then left the resultant disorder for someone else to clean up. Rightly should the maid be exasperated to the point of exclamation. Second, like the politically inspired porn star, our politicians seem to be brazenly “strutting their stuff” in public, placing items on display for all to see without a care in the world. Such shamelessness only illustrates that these people are completely unworthy of the positions that they hold.
So where are we? What did this latest little coup achieve? The simple answer is, “Absolutely nothing!” Yes, the opinion polls may have climbed a little for those die hard Labor supporters, but what concrete gains were made in the places that really matter?
Let’s throw out an analysis:
- ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword’, an adage based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:52 has proven true. Julia Gillard came to power by a bloody coup. She has now been tipped out by a similar happening – and she has paid for this coup with her political life.
- Supporters of Julia Gillard have resigned.
- The Biblical idea of swearing to your own hurt has been trampled upon. Bill Shorten, prominent in the coup to out Kevin Rudd initially, has constantly affirmed his support for Julia Gillard. Well, that was until half-an-hour before this latest vote. At that point he jumped ship to support Kevin Rudd. So what is loyalty? What is friendship? Where is the idea that ‘your word is your bond’? What circumstances must now transpire for Bill Shorten to jump again?
Okay, nothing outstanding here. This just confirms what we already knew: politicians are liars and powermongers. They care naught about you and I, and much about being re-elected. So let us look at the serious issues.
- We have an outright liar as Prime Minister. Did not Kevin Rudd tell us that there were “no circumstances” under which he would resume the leadership? Our Prime Minister is not a man of his word.
- Not only did Kevin Rudd break his word, he now justifies it on a moral ground saying the he was begged by thousands of people. Talk about a “Messiah complex”! I doubt he is a Christian, but he seems to believe in salvation (by his own hand) and resurrection!
- What does Mr Rudd now bring to the table? Social commentators have rightly noted that this 11th hour coup means that the Australian people and the members of Mr Rudd’s party do not know what policies they are to believe. On what exactly are we to vote – Is Kevin Rudd prettier than Tony Abbott?
- Neither can I resit the question, “What happens after the election should Rudd win?” “Will Mr Rudd be “knifed” again should he get Labor back into power”?
- This question is valid as it was and is many of Mr Rudd’s policy ideas that have caused the Labor Party to feel the current wrath of the voting public. So what does the recycled and resurrected “Kevin 07” bring to the Australian people in 2013? Has he turned from the Carbon Tax and the Mining Tax? What about his shopping habits? He inherited money from the previous government which he frivolously spent on a popularity campaign. “What now?” seeing that the cupboard is bare.
- One real change is his positive support for homosexual union. After Mr Rudd’s “coffeearchy”, he now supports homosexual union. So Mr Rudd’s installation as Prime Minister is a step backward on at least this point. He is the first sitting Prime Minister to support homosexual union and the agitators are aware of this.
- This brings me to a second major consideration, Kevin Rudd’s hypocrisy. Julia Gillard was an atheist. She hated God and let everyone know that such was her stand. You could expect her to operate as an atheist. What of Mr Rudd? Mr Rudd claims to be a Christian (quasi-Christian?) We have, by Mr Rudd’s own claim, a Christian Prime Minister – how I wish! So what can we expect? Christian ethic and principle? Supposedly not. As Mr Rudd’s change of heart on homosexual union clearly shows, and as was highlighted in our critique of Mr Rudd’s new position, there is very little of a Biblical ethic in any of his principles. In fact, his own words justifying his change of heart tore at the Bible and highlighted Humanism more than anything else. Abraham Kuyper he is not!
- Then we must ponder, “What really brought about Mr Rudd’s change of heart on homosexual union?” Yes, yes, I am a conspiracy theorist, but allow me to muse – Did this change need to be made and publicised in order to garner a few crucial votes?
- Then we must ask regarding stability in the Government. Has this latest change really brought stability to the Labor Party and to the Government? Will Julia Gillard’s supporters go quietly into the night or will they hang around for a little revengeful boat-rocking? Can Kevin expect from them the very behaviour he never afforded to them? After all 57-45 is not a convincing victory. It is still close enough to say it is a fifty / fifty split!
The conclusion of the matter is that Mr Rudd’s return will do nothing for our nation at all! We and our fathers have sinned against God. We need a leader who will call us to repentance and who will lead the way in that repentance by changing laws so that righteousness is upheld. This Mr Rudd will not do.
My hope is this: May God decimate the Labor Party, the Greens, the Democrats and the Independents who have helped place this nation on a collision course with God’s just wrath. Labor’s desire for power saw it capitulate and pander to the demands of minorities. Consequently, we have been subjected to horrendous taxes and a moral onslaught, most notably in the accruing of benefits to homosexuals, but also in the continued attack upon marriage and the family.
Scripture does speak: “Sin is a disgrace to any people!” Surely, we are a disgrace in the eyes of many, but particularly in the eyes of God. The other part of that Proverb is, “Righteousness exalts a nation.” If we would see our nation exalted, we must turn from Rudd, not to Tony Abbott, but to God! We as a people must confess our sins and truly seek to follow the statutes of God.
Our nation is in political turmoil, precisely because God’s law does not rule our land as it should. We are as a Rudderless ship, tossed by waves, driven by winds, and at the mercy of any current. Destruction is the only real outcome in such a situation.
Sadly, it is the people who will once more suffer. Those responsible for orchestrating our mess, namely, Julia Gillard, Rob Oakeshot, and Tony Windsor, are all retiring on their nice government pensions with their lovely superannuation packages, while the people struggle under the burden of unjust taxes and gross immorality.
This is the result of ‘porn star politicians’, in whom there is no fear of God, strutting their egoistical stuff, rather than being ministers of God for the good of the people! With the Psalmist, I cry, “It is time for the Lord to act, For they have broken Thy law.” Otherwise the Ruddy mess will continue!