Bringing Back the Dudd

"Was it my poor choice of ties? Because I'm obviously smarter than her."

Rudd no doubt wants his old job back. The guy is prone to delusions of grandeur (think UN security council). Two big problems would need to be confronted if his self-righteous pomposity is to again be entertained:

1. What to do with Gillard and the rest of the front bench.

This is a case of who hates who in the Labor zoo. Rudd trusts few members of the current cabinet. Exacting revenge on the likes of Shorten and Swan would be enticing. As for Gillard, putting her on the backbench would be de-stabilising. She might get the urge to leak against him. After all, she'd only be returning the favour given Rudd's actions during the last election.

If Rudd were to return he'd have to dump key policies such as the carbon tax and the so-called Malaysian solution. The reason being, if the policies are good (in Labor's eyes) and better communication is needed then Rudd is not the man for the job. He has a proven record of being an awful communicator; he delivers his speeches with "programmatic specificity". Also, the ministers who previously advocated those policies would lose credibility.

The only things Rudd could feasibly do would be to tear up the agreement with the Greens (they'd never support the Liberals; so much for Gillard being a great negotiator, no negotiation was needed on that one). Rudd could also tell Wilkie to shove it and get Katter on board to hold the numbers. But this doesn't take into account the biggest flaw with such a move.

2. The gloss factor.

It took Abbott six months to knock off Rudd. They stared each other down and Rudd blinked and dropped the ETS. The comeback kid would have to race to an early election. Two years would see Rudd up chocolate creek without a popsicle stick (again).

At the end of the day, Rudd has two personalities: one for the public and one for behind-the-scenes. We caught glimpses of the latter when he irately spoke of 7.30 Report-land to Kerry O'Brien and his rudeness towards Kristina Keneally when they had a difference of opinion. Members of caucus loathe the guy which makes his return all the more impossible.

Read all about the personality of the "old fashioned Christian socialist" here.

The NSW-disease may be spreading to Canberra with these leadership rumblings. Labor would do well to save a few chairs and give whoever survives the next poll something to sit on.