Please, just put us out of our misery

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KEVIN Rudd’s sudden resignation in Washington as Foreign Affairs Minister has forced the Labor Party’s manipulations over the prime ministership of Australia into the open, where it can be exposed to a searching public gaze.

It will start a vicious war of words when Mr Rudd flies back to Australia today, cutting short his visit to the United States and Britain. But yesterday he was clearly focused on events that have been forced upon him.

They have their origins in the night of the long knives when Mr Rudd was deposed so ruthlessly by Julia Gillard and her team of faceless men.

There is still much to tell of that plot to overthrow Mr Rudd if what he said in Washington is any indication.

Never again must an Australian prime minister in his first term be removed by “stealth”, said Mr Rudd.

Once again, Australia has been plunged into crisis by a Labor party intent on its survival at any cost.

Gough Whitlam stood on the steps of the old Parliament House calling on people to “maintain your rage” after he was sacked from office.

But it was the people’s rage that was turned against him.

The rage of the electorate against a destabilised and dysfunctional Labor Government comes this time as Prime Minister Gillard, supported by the coup plotters who brought her to power, struggles to keep Labor afloat.

It is of that magnitude.

Mr Rudd has not said so, but he will undoubtedly challenge Ms Gillard for the leadership when Parliament resumes next week.

As events moved quickly last night, it was announced a leadership ballot would be called on Monday.

It will be a no-holds-barred battle, but one that behind the scenes had descended into the most unedifying struggle by Ms Gillard to keep her job when so many in the party say Labor’s queen should already have lost her head .

The tragedy for Labor and its true believers is that in the event of Mr Rudd being elected leader next week, the electorate will exact a terrible price whenever an election is held.

Should he take up the challenge and win, Mr Rudd is unlikely to be returned as prime minister, though he might save the party from an annihilation at the polls.

But whatever the outcome of the struggle that has now been dragged shamefaced into the open, whoever wins must call an immediate election.