It’s Julia Gillard’s first overseas trip as Prime Minister, Kerry O’Brien noted on The 7:30 Report last night. A sharp learning curve, he suggested: “All domestic portfolios until now; suddenly you’re meeting 11 world leaders in a day. Have you found your comfort zone yet?”
Apparently not.
JULIA GILLARD: Oh, look, Kerry, I’m obviously working my way through. Kerry, I’m just going to be really up-front about this: foreign policy is not my passion. It’s not what I’ve spent my life doing. You know, I came into politics predominantly to make a difference to opportunity questions, particularly make a difference in education. So, yes, if I had a choice I’d probably more be in a school watching kids learn to read in Australia than here in Brussels at international meetings. That’s what took me into politics, that kind of education work. But obviously in this role I will serve as Prime Minister doing the full job, and the full job includes coming to places like Brussels to be a feisty advocate for Australia’s national interest. And that’s what I will do. It’s what I’m doing here.
It would be kind of like those travelling businessmen who insist the novelty of luxury hotels and silver service wears off after a while. Except that the Australian Prime Minister — our representative head; our ambassador to the world — is entirely genuine in saying she’d rather be anywhere else.
Gillard may well prove an adept foreign affairs negotiator. There’s no evidence yet to say she’s anything but the “feisty advocate” for our interests. And there’s no doubt Kevin 747 needed to keep his feet on the ground more than he did.
But for our Prime Minister to say to the world she’s not having much fun is not just churlish, it’s decidedly undignified.
The comments by whoever wrote that Editorial, in particular the final sentence, can be summed up in one word…bullsh-t.
Get a life whoever wrote this – I thought she was refreshingly honest and in no way could you interpret her response as churlish or undignified. Sounds like foreign affairs is your passion and she dissed you.
If Jooles had acted inappropriately while giving a speech, not turned up for a meeting or criticised someone publicly, that would be undignified.
To my way of thinking, simply stating in a matter of fact way that a particular part of her job isn’t her passion makes her more human and is much more likely to get an empathetic response from other leaders.
Shame Crikey journ’os stooping the MSM view that any sign our politicians are human needs to be jumped on from a great height
Churlish? Undignified? Strikes me as refreshing honesty.
Ok, so she almost lost it all by sticking too closely to talking points and boring speeches, and now you’re criticising her for being honest? Sure, it’s a bit embarrassing to have a parochial PM, but she is what she is.