Apparently Kevin Rudd may not have been as surprised by Gillard’s 2010 challenge as he now claims……………
DATE
ORIGIN
Embassy Canberra
“9. (C) Rudd has unprecedented power for a Labor leader; one MP told us he had never seen a Labor Caucus as subservient to its leader, noting Rudd's control over promotions.
Possibly aware of this, Rudd in 2009 further courted New South Wales factional heavyweights Anthony Albanese (New South Wales Left) and Mark Arbib (New South Wales Right) and elevated Senator Joe Ludwig (Queensland Right - Swan's faction) to a more senior position in Cabinet. Ludwig is the son of powerful Queensland Right union official Bill Ludwig.
One theory is that Rudd is developing a "praetorian guard" based on the historically powerful New South Wales Right to head off any challenge from GILLARD; that it was no accident that Rudd promoted Arbib, Bowen and Clare (all from the New South Wales Right). Bitar, who is close to Arbib and succeeded him as New South Wales General Secretary, became ALP National Secretary in late 2008……
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