Thanks everyone for all the really kind messages after yesterday. They mean a lot to Therese the kids and me. Let’s stay in touch. KRudd
That’s the first tweet that ousted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wrote since he was pushed out by the Labor Party and new PM Julia Gillard.
There was no doubt that yesterday’s quick and dramatic removal of Rudd, who was elected as the leader of the country in 2007, left many Australians shocked.
There were some that celebrated the ascension of Gillard, Australia’s first woman PM, but others were also stunned by the manner in which Rudd was swiftly dispatched.
The usual hotlines for expressing opinions were exercised by the public, including letters to the editor, calls to talkback radio shows, vox pops etc.
But tonight I believe the Twitter generation had their say, after Rudd tweeted the thank you message above to his 935,810 followers. His tweet immediately became categorised a “Top Tweet” by Twitter because it was retweeted hundreds of times, and so did a reply to his tweet:
@dailydoseofjess Thank you @kevinruddpm for beating Howard + WorkChoices, saying sorry, Kyoto, and cushioning us from GFC #thankskev
Now, #spillard was trending heavily on Twitter yesterday as the whole drama unfolded, but today, after the dust has settled, Rudd’s succinct tweet was an opportunity for people to thank him directly, and publicly.
As I am writing this, about one reply every second has been sent to Rudd’s tweet.
Here are a selection:
@OISAS8 @KevinRuddPM Mate, didn’t support you, but a PM shouldn’t be treated like that. Bow out and blow Gillard-Labour out of the water NOW!
@mymilkspilt @KevinRuddPM Thank you for ending the Howard/Costello years. I’ll remember the joy and relief of that election night always.
@xXRariiXx @KevinRuddPM voted for you not her my first ever vote i feel ripped off and like my vote was pointless saaaddd day All the best Ruddy
@AussieElvis @KevinRuddPM You big blubber, you had me in tears listening to your speech yesterday. Wishing you and the family best of wishes for future.
@azzob @KevinRuddPM stay on twitter mate. People still wanna hear from u!
Politics and Twitter don’t always mix well in Australia. The @Phoney_Tony account set up by the Labor Party has only 561 followers at the moment, while an attempt by NSW politicans to have a Twitter debate descended into chaos. Much has also been written about Australian politicians and their general failure in embracing the medium well.
But tonight was perhaps good example of what social networking sites can do — literally bring people in direct contact with their leaders.
There was no doubt that yesterday’s quick and dramatic removal of Rudd, who was elected as the leader of the country in 2007, left many Australians shocked.
There were some that celebrated the ascension of Gillard, Australia’s first woman PM, but others were also stunned by the manner in which Rudd was swiftly dispatched.
The usual hotlines for expressing opinions were exercised by the public, including letters to the editor, calls to talkback radio shows, vox pops etc.
But tonight I believe the Twitter generation had their say, after Rudd tweeted the thank you message above to his 935,810 followers. His tweet immediately became categorised a “Top Tweet” by Twitter because it was retweeted hundreds of times, and so did a reply to his tweet:
@dailydoseofjess Thank you @kevinruddpm for beating Howard + WorkChoices, saying sorry, Kyoto, and cushioning us from GFC #thankskev
Now, #spillard was trending heavily on Twitter yesterday as the whole drama unfolded, but today, after the dust has settled, Rudd’s succinct tweet was an opportunity for people to thank him directly, and publicly.
As I am writing this, about one reply every second has been sent to Rudd’s tweet.
Here are a selection:
@OISAS8 @KevinRuddPM Mate, didn’t support you, but a PM shouldn’t be treated like that. Bow out and blow Gillard-Labour out of the water NOW!
@mymilkspilt @KevinRuddPM Thank you for ending the Howard/Costello years. I’ll remember the joy and relief of that election night always.
@xXRariiXx @KevinRuddPM voted for you not her my first ever vote i feel ripped off and like my vote was pointless saaaddd day All the best Ruddy
@AussieElvis @KevinRuddPM You big blubber, you had me in tears listening to your speech yesterday. Wishing you and the family best of wishes for future.
@azzob @KevinRuddPM stay on twitter mate. People still wanna hear from u!
Politics and Twitter don’t always mix well in Australia. The @Phoney_Tony account set up by the Labor Party has only 561 followers at the moment, while an attempt by NSW politicans to have a Twitter debate descended into chaos. Much has also been written about Australian politicians and their general failure in embracing the medium well.
But tonight was perhaps good example of what social networking sites can do — literally bring people in direct contact with their leaders.
