The Apotheosis of Julia Gillard

Is Julia Gillard becoming something of a cult figure?

If not, what then was this all about:

"Julia Gillard told a captivated audience at the Sydney Opera House last night she would take up a fellowship at the Brookings Institution in Washington to focus on global education... There was little dissent in the audience who paid to hear the former Labor leader, and there was no discussion of controversies such as shifting single mothers to the dole..." (Gillard jokes of murderous rage at bloggers, Rick Morton, The Australian, 1/10/13)

They actually paid... to hear that deadly Kath & Kim voice? They were captivated... by what exactly? News of her gainful employment... in a Zionist think tank? Details of her $1.8 million (landing-) pad in Adelaide?

They actually paid to hear her pose as the hapless victim of the slings and arrows of outrageous misogyny:

"She said there was 'an underside of sexism, really ugly, violent sexism' in Australia but it was not clear that it was merely a function of the new media age. 'I would have thought we were beyond that and it's kind of depressing that it's [?] not'." (Gillard accuses Rudd of 'disloyalty', Mark Kenny, Sydney Morning Herald, 1/10/13)

Needless to say, an awareness of the really ugly, violent racism of her beloved Israel - support for which has been described as residing 'in her bones' - still eludes her.

Speaking of Israel, for services rendered - in particular, I suppose, her extraordinary display of fealty to the apartheid state in the face of last November's caucus revolt against her decision to side with USrael against Palestine in the UN* - Gillard has just been declared "winner of the 2013 Jerusalem Prize, in honour of her work strengthening Australia's connection with Israel. The prize is presented by the Zionist Council of Victoria and has been awarded to former prime ministers Bob Hawke and John Howard, as well as to foreign minister Alexander Downer... The award will be presented during the 75th Annual Assembly of the Zionist Council of Victoria on November 26, at which Ms Gillard will be keynote speaker." (Jerusalem Prize honours commitment to Israel, Ben Westcott, The Australian, 1/10/13)

But how curious of The Australian to mention Bob Hawke, John Howard and Alexander Downer... but not its very own Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan! Now why is that?

Could it be because the 2007 winner of the Jerusalem Prize is on record as saying, in effect, that the 2013 winner is barely fit to tie her nemesis' shoelace:

"Rudd... towers over Julia Gillard intellectually, politically, morally, in his connection with the Australian people and in every other way that counts." (Gillard is not prime ministerial material & Rudd ought to return, Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 27/2/12)

[*See my 18/1/13 post The Prime Minister Who Put Her Job on the Line for Israel.]