Post by Freddy on Nov 13, 2013 17:02:20 GMT 11
and we all the much poorer for it.
A lot of people would have watched the interview of Keating last nite, with baited breath, and what an informative interview it was. Simply captivating.
Australia is a much better place because of PM Keating, not even Howard and his idiot love child, Abbott, can dismantle his legacy (try as they might), and long after Typhoon Tony is forgotten, we will still be talking about his Legacy.
Australia's best PM was Keating.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/12/they-dont-make-them-like-paul-keating-anymore
It feels like a cruel joke on behalf of schedulers at the ABC that the four-part series, Keating: The Interviews, premiers tonight – the same day we watch the new crop of mediocre politicians enter the 44th parliament. It’s impossible not to mourn that they really don’t make politicians like Keating anymore.
Think of Keating’s intellect – he was a high school dropout who, save the occasional lesson from rebel Labor mentor and former dismissed NSW premier Jack Lang, was completely self-taught. He wasn’t a law grad (Julia Gillard), he didn’t have a Bachelor degree with honours (Kevin Rudd), and he wasn’t a Rhodes Scholar (Tony Abbott). But, far from being disadvantaged by his background, he turned out to be a brilliant seller of complex reforms to the Australian public – a task Rudd and Gillard both failed. Keating would never be caught dead uttering weasel words like "moving forward" and "programmatic specificity". Sure, his style got him in trouble from time to time – like when he said Australia was in danger of becoming a banana republic – but at least the Australian public never had any trouble understanding his policies.
Think of Keating’s "big picture" outlook – he was the architect of APEC, a forum for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Yet, most of our new government’s interaction in that region consists of petty squabbling over asylum seekers.
Think of Keating’s language - he delivered insults to his opponents like every politician – engaging in “the vaudeville”, as he termed it – but he did so with creativity and class. Listening to John Hewson was like being “flogged with a warm lettuce”, Peter Costello resembled a “talking knee”, Wilson Tuckey was “flat out counting past 10”, Alexander Downer was “the salmon that jumped on the hook for you”, John Howard was a “desiccated coconut”. The best insults our politicians can come up with now are corny puns like “the Noalition” and “electricity Bill Shorten”, as well as sub-Carrot Top prop gags like Joe Hockey’s Rudd cardboard cut-out.
Think of Keating’s speeches – he had multiple memorable ones (his Redfern speech, his Remembrance day speech, his sweetest victory of all speech). Whereas our recent prime ministers are one hit (or no hit) wonders: Rudd (the apology speech), Gillard (the misogyny speech) and Abbott (TBA speech).
Think of Keating’s fight – he was always prepared to drag Australia kicking and screaming into the future: the republic, Aboriginal reconciliation, deregulation, superannuation. “The great things are always worth doing; they’re hard because they’re valuable,” he told ABC Radio National’s Fran Kelly in 2010. Yet, our current government wants to create a slower national broadband scheme, to ditch the mining tax and leave miners to themselves, and abandon strong action on climate change.
Think of Keating’s character: he likes his Mahler, his antiques, his fine italian suits. Whereas Abbott likes to exercise, Gillard liked to knit, and Rudd liked to do whatever he thought the electorate would like he liked.
So, as we begin the 44th parliament of Australia, keep your fingers crossed that the series finale of Keating: The Interviews involves PJK declaring he’ll once again be contesting Blaxland. Because they really don’t make them like Keating anymore.
A lot of people would have watched the interview of Keating last nite, with baited breath, and what an informative interview it was. Simply captivating.
Australia is a much better place because of PM Keating, not even Howard and his idiot love child, Abbott, can dismantle his legacy (try as they might), and long after Typhoon Tony is forgotten, we will still be talking about his Legacy.
Australia's best PM was Keating.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/12/they-dont-make-them-like-paul-keating-anymore
It feels like a cruel joke on behalf of schedulers at the ABC that the four-part series, Keating: The Interviews, premiers tonight – the same day we watch the new crop of mediocre politicians enter the 44th parliament. It’s impossible not to mourn that they really don’t make politicians like Keating anymore.
Think of Keating’s intellect – he was a high school dropout who, save the occasional lesson from rebel Labor mentor and former dismissed NSW premier Jack Lang, was completely self-taught. He wasn’t a law grad (Julia Gillard), he didn’t have a Bachelor degree with honours (Kevin Rudd), and he wasn’t a Rhodes Scholar (Tony Abbott). But, far from being disadvantaged by his background, he turned out to be a brilliant seller of complex reforms to the Australian public – a task Rudd and Gillard both failed. Keating would never be caught dead uttering weasel words like "moving forward" and "programmatic specificity". Sure, his style got him in trouble from time to time – like when he said Australia was in danger of becoming a banana republic – but at least the Australian public never had any trouble understanding his policies.
Think of Keating’s "big picture" outlook – he was the architect of APEC, a forum for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Yet, most of our new government’s interaction in that region consists of petty squabbling over asylum seekers.
Think of Keating’s language - he delivered insults to his opponents like every politician – engaging in “the vaudeville”, as he termed it – but he did so with creativity and class. Listening to John Hewson was like being “flogged with a warm lettuce”, Peter Costello resembled a “talking knee”, Wilson Tuckey was “flat out counting past 10”, Alexander Downer was “the salmon that jumped on the hook for you”, John Howard was a “desiccated coconut”. The best insults our politicians can come up with now are corny puns like “the Noalition” and “electricity Bill Shorten”, as well as sub-Carrot Top prop gags like Joe Hockey’s Rudd cardboard cut-out.
Think of Keating’s speeches – he had multiple memorable ones (his Redfern speech, his Remembrance day speech, his sweetest victory of all speech). Whereas our recent prime ministers are one hit (or no hit) wonders: Rudd (the apology speech), Gillard (the misogyny speech) and Abbott (TBA speech).
Think of Keating’s fight – he was always prepared to drag Australia kicking and screaming into the future: the republic, Aboriginal reconciliation, deregulation, superannuation. “The great things are always worth doing; they’re hard because they’re valuable,” he told ABC Radio National’s Fran Kelly in 2010. Yet, our current government wants to create a slower national broadband scheme, to ditch the mining tax and leave miners to themselves, and abandon strong action on climate change.
Think of Keating’s character: he likes his Mahler, his antiques, his fine italian suits. Whereas Abbott likes to exercise, Gillard liked to knit, and Rudd liked to do whatever he thought the electorate would like he liked.
So, as we begin the 44th parliament of Australia, keep your fingers crossed that the series finale of Keating: The Interviews involves PJK declaring he’ll once again be contesting Blaxland. Because they really don’t make them like Keating anymore.
