Pokies reform: Gillard pushing private over public interests

Embattled MP Craig Thomson backed the potential of the when he claimed that the betrayal of Wilkie was due to lobbying by New South Wales Labor MPs.

Perhaps Prime Minister Gillard wasn’t lying when she said poker reform legislation did not have the numbers to pass parliament, what she should have been honest about was telling the Australian public that a vote on the legislation may have turned into a test of her leadership as she could not secure votes from all Labor MPs.

When a Prime Minister rejects the desire for change amongst the people, the recommendations of the productivity commission and reneges on a promise, one must question what is really going on in this situation and how desperate is this person to maintain power?

This kind of short sighted thinking will ensure that Gillard is not re-elected as Prime Minister, the fact remains that Julia Gillard was installed as P.M. by the NSW Labor Right in the coup against Kevin Rudd. The question that is raised by this situation is whether Gillard can assert any independence from NSW Labor and if she can’t is she simply a puppet who places vested interests ahead of what is in the public interests of the Australian people.

History will not look fondly on Gillard, instead of viewing her as the reforming Prime Minister she so regularly asserts herself to be she will be viewed as a wavering fraud who is odds with the electorate and her own faction.

If Wilkie had been informed that the pre-commitment deadline could not be met in April 2011 surely he would have withdrawn his support then. If we read between the lines the question becomes did Gillard mislead Wilkie until she had a backup plan?

If this is the truth we must ask what kind of callous andknivingperson is leading this nation and does this leader represent the principles of a fair go society?

The poker machine reform proposal offered Julia Gillard the chance to be unpredictable, to go against all those who said she would fail to deliver. Instead of taking the opportunity to challenge public perception that she is a liar with no firm principles, she has chosen to strengthen public perception that she is a puppet leader who is more interested in appeasing factional warlords and vested interests over keeping her promise and protecting the welfare of the Australian public.