Most politicians, noted Harold Macmillan, are undone by developments no manifesto or focus group can anticipate. The tragedy of Kevin Rudd, deposed on Thursday as Australian prime minister, was that there were no “events.” The economy barrelled through the global financial crisis, thanks in large part to China's ferocious appetite for its resources, and an oligopolistic banking system that never had to chase yield in strange places. Then, while politicians elsewhere were squaring up to their banks, Mr Rudd decided to go one better, and take on the miners. By this act of hubris, he becomes a historical curio: the only Australian prime minister to have fought just one election.
英國前首相哈羅德?麥克米倫(Harold Macmillan)曾說過，多數政客是被任何競選宣言或焦點小組都無法預測的情況趕下臺的。對于周四下臺的澳大利亞總理陸克文(Kevin Rudd)來說，悲劇在于沒有“情況”。澳大利亞經濟安然度過全球金融危機——很大程度上得益于中國對澳洲自然資源的旺盛需求，同時也是由于該國銀行業體系由少數大銀行壟斷，從來不需要到陌生的地方去追逐收益。于是，在其它國家的政客們準備對付國內銀行之際，陸克文決定勝人一籌，對礦商開征資源暴利稅。由于這一狂妄之舉，他成為了一個歷史上的異類：唯一僅參加一次大選的澳大利亞總理。