Triumph and Demise is the inside account of the hopes, achievements and bitter failures of the Labor Government from 2007 to 2013. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard came together, defeated John Howard, formed a brilliant partnership and raised the hopes of a nation, yet fell into disagreements, tensions and then hostilities under the pressures of politics and policy.
Veteran journalist Paul Kelly probes the dynamics of the Rudd-Gillard alliance and dissects what tore them apart. He shows that the tragedy of Rudd and Gillard is that both should have been better Prime Ministers, yet they were brought down by their personal flaws and entrenched rivalry. He tells the full story of Julia Gillard, our first female Prime Minister; her character, her struggle for legitimacy in office, Rudd's chronic de-stabilisation, the tribulations of minority government, the carbon tax saga and how Gillard, despite her tenacity, was finally pulled down on the eve of the 2013 election by a desperate party. He also examines Tony Abbott: ruthless, underrated, measured, pragmatic. It is Abbott's pressure at decisive moments that denies either Rudd or Gillard the chance to recover. Labor misjudged Abbott and paid the price.
Kelly writes with a keen eye, sharp pen and fearless determination. He is neither a Rudd nor Gillard partisan but has the benefit of remarkable disclosures from more than 50 'on the record' interviews with all the major players. His revelations will provoke shock, admiration and dismay.
