THE MAN IN THE ARENA!

The man in the arena!

Arena Warriors by Ariel gutierrez (Photo credit: Generation-J Designs)

As arguably the most contentious, vitriolic, nasty, parliamentary term in our political history comes to a close, and the election for the next parliament draws near, I thought it was worth reflecting on a Prime Ministership that Could and should have been seen as a coming of age for Australia.

It could also have been somewhat of a cultural watershed,  as a leader of fine intellect, courage, determination, skill, substance and vision, stepped up to negotiate the political minefield of forming minority government, with the help and confidence of two of the most truly decent (albeit right leaning) independent politicians that this country has seen.

A formidable task for any Labor man, but this was not a Labor man, but rather a Labor woman, Julia Gillard, who went on to become our first female PM.

Now we all know the history of her rise to power, and much has been said and written (mainly from those of the the rabid right, both politicians and the MSM) about how she “stabbed” Rudd in the back, even though Rudd resigned as PM, meaning that she was elected by caucus unopposed.

That was really the start of the lies and deceit, from the rabid right, that dogged her throughout her tenure as PM, fuelled to some degree by a few mistakes she made in the early days , as she sought to navigate the treacherous and uncharted waters of first female PM.

And while she set about implementing a reformist agenda that dragged this country (some would say kicking and screaming) into the 21st century, the Murdoch backed Abbott LNP team set about the most dishonourable, disgusting, despicable, mendacious, and arguably treasonous, dummy spit campaign to oust a duly elected government (that they refused to recognise as legitimate), that we have ever seen.

Not only did they denigrate her daily, with the help of a highly complicit MSM, including the despicable Jones , Hadley and Bolt, but they denigrated the office itself.

The truth is that the hero of a million photo ops, who sold his arse and his party to Murdoch, would have crumpled under half the pressure that was applied to Julia Gillard.

A couple of posts back, one of my commenters “russputin2” asked if I could post an

Theodore Roosevelt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

excerpt of a speech by Theodore Roosevelt, called “The man in the arena”.

Russputin2 asked;

Question for Truthy, can you post the “Man in the Arena ” speech here in honour of Julia G, I think it aptly describes her performance.

I agree.

So this post is not about repeating all the disgusting things that were done to, or said about our first female PM, by the gutless and dishonourable rabble that make up the current crop of rabid right politicians, as well as some from her own side, but rather to say;

Thank you Julia for a job well done, with courage and dignity, in the face of the most appalling and morally bankrupt opposition our democracy has ever coughed up.

Now I would not presume to rewrite this great work, or even to change it in any way, but I would suggest that when it says “Man” the reader should substitute “Woman”, for In Australia, Julia Gillard was;

“The WOMAN in the arena!”

THE MAN IN THE ARENA

Excerpt from the speech “Citizenship In A Republic”
delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

Julia Gillard PM