Hey America! Did you know Australia “overthrew” its unpopular Prime Minister a week and a half ago? And replaced him with a her? The first woman Prime Minister in Aussie history? Had you heard the name Kevin Rudd before? Chances are you won’t be hearing it again any time soon, so that’s okay (but for reference, that’s him in the photo to your left, next to someone else you might be more familiar with).
What about Julia Gillard? Heard of her? She looks a bit like Cynthia Nixon from “Sex and the City” (there, that got your attention). A friend of mine thought she looked more like Jodie Foster playing Cynthia Nixon in SATC, but I digress. Julia’s the new PM, but she wasn’t elected by the people.(Remember Jerry Ford? Sure you don’t! He was the guy who took over when Nixon resigned. The one that put Chevy Chase on the comedy map for mimicking his various physical stumbles off Air Force One during his short two years in office.)
Julia Gillard, Australia’s new first woman in charge may not be there very long. She’s unmarried and an atheist! (ah, yes, now there’s some real stumbling blocks in American politics). Truth be told, though, Australians could really care less about this. PM Gillard has called for elections next month to determine if she will become Australia’s first woman elected Prime Minister, or just have been a brief fluke on the Australian political landscape. Either way, our friends Down Under will “get on with it” as they say about life and its ups and downs. If they are unhappy with the outcome of the election they will not start a campaign the next day to run a telegenic Alaskan who can see Russia from her backyard against the new PM or try to prove Hawaii was really part of Kenya when whoever is elected fairly and squarely by the people takes office. It will be business as usual in Australia, as it pretty much has been since its “coup d’etat”.
Source: KazzaDrask Media via ABC.net.au “In America’s Eyes Australia’s Coup D’Etat” by Craig McMurtrie. Photo by Larry Downing, Reuters.
Kathy Drasky regularly writes about online culture. Her marketing and communications work with the ANZA Technology Network, Advance Global Australians and with various Australians and Australian enterprises has led to at least a dozen trips Down Under.
An accomplished digital photographer, her photos have appeared in 7×7 Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and Google Schmap.
