The Queen
The shadow men are at it again. Steely and stealth, they overthrow governments, rulers and generals with the glistening of a sharp and exacting knife in the back. They lurk in the back rooms sucking leaders dry, until their worth has been spent, then unceremoniously chop off their heads, later seen rolling down and out of the halls of power.
The Prime Minister of Australia is their latest victim. PM Kevin Rudd, has been dethroned by his Deputy Julia Gillard, giving the land down under its first female Prime Minister. A leadership challenge was launched against the increasingly unpopular Rudd, after it became clear that Gillard had the support of a majority of the Labor Party. The shadow-men powerbrokers making clear that the time had come for the political coup, and that time was yesterday afternoon.
And today less than 24-hours later, their mission has succeeded. Few powerful men who pounced when the iron was hot have managed to overthrow a Prime Minister, without an election or battle in sight. And whilst at their head now stands a woman, make no mistake that she only stands there because her purse strings are being held up by more powerful men. A feat for womankind will be when the shadow men become shadow women, and they will hold the real keys to the kingdom. Until then, we must wait, and wonder until they once more will cry – now, its off with her head.
Will Not Be Shut Up 
It may have been the “shadow men” who made the move but they were only realising the obvious: that a combination of Murdoch press tactics, mining baron self-serving advertising, and his own unwillingness to collaborate, together destroyed Kevin Rudd’s electoral prospects. It’s a tragedy that a good and decent man goes in such a way, but it did need to happen. History will eventually show that Kevin’s record as prime minister has been overwhelmingly positive. Here’s hoping that Julia can capitalise on those strengths but transcend those factors (both internal and external) that ultimately made his position untenable.