Rudd revival twisted pub talk

WA Senator Mark Bishop and Victorian MP Alan Griffin are not exactly household Labor names.

But thanks to ALP powerbroker-turned political commentator Graham Richardson, they are portrayed as the key henchmen behind a cross-factional plot to have Kevin Rudd replace Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.

Using his program Richo on Sky TV, Mr Richardson went public last week with what he knew about the Machiavellian goings-on inside the Labor caucus.

Of Mr Griffin, Mr Richardson said: "He's doing a lot of the telephoning, a lot of the ringing around. He's a very clever operator this bloke, no fool."

This was exciting for political junkies but unfortunately for the conspiracists, the truth is more benign.

Here's what really happened.

In July, Senator Bishop met Mr Griffin at the Imperial Hotel in Melbourne opposite the Victorian Parliament. Ironically, given what would be said about them three months later, the fine old establishment was known as Richardson's Imperial Hotel from 1863.

Despite being of different Labor breeds (Mr Griffin is from the hard Left and Senator Bishop is of the right-wing Shoppies), they have a rapport because of Mr Griffin's old job as veterans affairs minister, a portfolio Senator Bishop had as shadow minister when he was in opposition.

Over beer, the politicians did as politicians do - talked politics.

And given Labor's dreadful polling, Ms Gillard's leadership was one topic of conversation.

It's no secret among colleagues that Mr Griffin is no fan of Ms Gillard. He's also mates with Mr Rudd, with whom he chats regularly.

Senator Bishop, on the other hand, hardly ever talks to Mr Rudd. Indeed, he was a critic of the former prime minister, especially of his handling of the mining tax last year.

Unknown to Mr Griffin, Senator Bishop arranged also to catch up at the Imperial with old Senate friend Steve Hutchins and his wife Natalie, a Labor politician in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

Mr Hutchins, a Labor senator for NSW until July 1, was one of the chief assassins of Mr Rudd's prime ministership last year.

The four stayed at the Imperial for about an hour and a half until Mr Griffin left for another function.

Senator Bishop, Mr Hutchins and his wife went off for dinner at an Italian restaurant in West Melbourne.

Mr Griffin and Senator Bishop insist nothing special was said that night. But it came back to haunt them last Tuesday evening, 15 minutes before "Richo" went to air on Sky.

Mr Hutchins phoned Senator Bishop to tell him Mr Richardson was about to finger him as a plotter against Ms Gillard's leadership.

"I have to apologise to you because I passed on some comments to Leo (McLeay)," Senator Bishop recalls Mr Hutchins telling him.

"Unbeknown to me, I think Leo has passed them on to Graham and Graham is going to do the job on you and Griffo shortly on TV. If you're near a TV, have a look.

"I'm sorry. It's done and there's nothing I can do about it."

Mr McLeay was a Labor MP from 1979 to 2004 and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1989-93. He was assistant general secretary of the NSW ALP when Mr Richardson was general secretary in the late 1970s.

Senator Bishop asked Mr Hutchins: "Why has Leo done that?"

Mr Hutchins: "Leo is still enthralled by Graham." Senator Bishop said yesterday he had not talked to Mr Richardson in more than 20 years.

"I deny I was or am participating in any plot and I note, in passing, that Mr Rudd advised on Friday that he had not spoken to me for months," he said. "It strikes me as a funny plot when one of the two principal plotters hasn't spoken to the beneficiary in a long time."

But the hares were off running. Pub talk had become dangerous.