It took his political execution for Kevin Rudd to show some authenticity again. His last press conference as Prime Minister was a harrowing affair. By turns there was pride, shame, shock, gratitude, humility, even a touch of the old arrogance, all against the backdrop of the sudden, swift, and merciless betrayal.
I’m told some journalists who were present in the Prime Minister’s Courtyard were close to tears.
The perception that Rudd was a fake and a phoney who lacked authenticity, was always on for the cameras, and was led by focus groups rather than his own heart and instinct, began as a niggling complaint in his early days in office. By the end the phoniness was one in the long list of electoral liabilities. He smiled like an awkward uncle when the cameras were on, but swore like a sailor when they weren’t. Who, really, the country wondered, was Kevin Rudd?
We saw him today, politically humiliated and emotionally shattered, but standing up to be counted for his achievements.
Had he communicated like this when he was in office he might still be leading his party into Question Time today.
Before a huge but deathly silent press pack he spoke about how having a heart valve transplant some time ago, having part of another person inside him, had made him think.
Anchoring his speech on repeated use of the phrase: “I’m proud of the fact that…”, he listed things he had done in office.
The country was kept out of recession. The education revolution got underway. The first thing act in government was to ratifying Kyoto. The apology to the stolen generations.
Here he choked up again.
“What I remember most about it,” he said, “for those of you who weren’t here, was as the stolen generations came in from over there”, he pointed and paused, for just over 10 seconds, his throat constricting around a sizeable lump. “They were frightened.”
Three words, and he needed another 10-second pause.
It was time enough to recall that day, and reflect that for all the hollow bickering over symbolism that preceded it, the apology was a deeply significant moment for the nation.
“Our job was to make them welcome,” he concluded, speaking into the rostrum and the ground, his eyes only flickering upwards once as he shuffled on his feet.
“The apology was unfinished business for our nation,” he said. “It is the beginning of new business for our nation.”
Here’s that moment:
He spoke about the “good people” around him, including his family. From behind, his wife reminded him that he was one, too.
There was no lapidary parting line, just a simple, “And, having said all that folks, we’ve gotta zip,” and left to applause from the assembled press.
(This post was updated at 1.40pm EST with the video and some further additions.)
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