I AM NOW ONE OF THOSE WEIRD PEOPLE WHO HAS AN ICON OF THEIR COUNTRY'S POLITICAL LEADER

KRudd makes history: first PM to be overturned in first term.

First female PM to be sworn in sometime soon, by first female Gov. General.

Labor Left PM backed my Labor Right.

Also, clearly the much-overdue day of redheads in this country has come!

GUYS OUR PM IS LIVING IN SIN WITH A HAIRDRESSER. THIS IS MORE INTERESTING THAN THE USUAL PARADE OF BLAND STABLE MARRIED BLOKES.

FURTHERMORE the Libs had just released a Krudd smear campaign! Much money and planning NOW DOWN DRAIN. PeopleSkills himself is on record as saying he thinks Spillard would make a great PM (quite some time ago, but I expect to hear a lot of this footage).

ED: HER DAD HAS THE MOST ADORABLE WELSH ACCENT.

Still reeling

Guys, this was a stunning speech:

I, I just... holy crap, we have a prime minister who's actually a decent orator. Haven't seen THAT since Paul Keating.

The closing line: There will be days I delight you. There may be some days I disappoint you. On every day, I will be working my hardest for you. Oh, my. That was beautifully written and brilliantly delivered. Very big on the 'dignity of work' side of things, though. Work hard! Work hard! Work hard some more! Also Tony Abbot is bad for people who work hard!

The Ruddbott's farewell speech was very moving. People were calling it eloquent, but it wasn't; it was as bland in oratory as the rest of his career, but this time it was heartfelt. I had to listen to it on AM radio (so glad I didn't chuck out my old discman!), and toward the end you could actually hear him crying. It was - moving. He's sort of adorable, in a bland way. Gillard on the other hand, she's impressive.

I was trying to find a still photo of the swearing-in, because Gillard and Bryce make a fabulous picture together. Quentin, as usual, was all in pastels and perfectly made up, with this lovely well-modulated voice; it doesn't come across so much on TV, but if you ever meet her in person, she's terrifying. Absolutely terrifying, in the way that perfectly polished women are. Gillard, on the other hand, looks like a hatchet: a hatchet with awesome hair and a Serious Business suit, and every bit as terrifying in her own way as is Quentin. In the absence of a still photo, have the video:

I still don't know what to do about the fact that I am now a person who likes the Prime Minister. Not that I think I'm going to approve of all of her policies, whatever they turn out to be. But I *genuinely like her*, and there's something fundamentally UnAustralian about liking the PM.

For the information of confused foreigners and TWITS who don't understand how PMs are appointed:

I refer you to Minna's succinct explanation of Australian governance as pertains to the appointment and deposition of Prime Ministers.

For serious, Julia Gillard's choice not to move into the Lodge until she's "elected" is politically savvy, but for god's sake, WHY IS EVERYONE TALKING LIKE A MID-TERM PM IS NOT LEGIT? It happens frequently! The only odd thing about this is that Rudd is the first PM since 1932 to have it happen to him *in his first term*. The Governor-General invites the majority party to form a government; said party elects a leader; the G-G appoints said leader Prime Minister. Should the party change leaders, THEN THE PM CHANGES.

If Julia Gillard thinks that Kevin Rudd was elected Prime Minister directly by the Australian people, or that the people think he was, or that leaders of government *should* be directly voted in, then she needs to do one of two things:

1. Revise the republican debate quicksmart and make provisions for the election of a head of state in the constitution.

or

2. Direct her new Education Minister to drag this country's primary and secondary teachers over the coals for failing to instill a basic understanding of our system of government in the citizens of the nation.