Just when you thought politics might be getting boring and predictable again,

[Matilda]

out comes Paul Keating with a blast at Bob Hawke.

I love Keating when he’s taking a swipe at someone; he still has a stinging turn of phrase.

"I will bet, London to a brick on, that the book will do way less than share those years of achievements with me, or my work or indeed adequately with the work of other ministers. I will also bet, London to a brick on, that notwithstanding what the serialised account on Saturday had to say of your breakdown in 1984, that the book will fail to make clear that your emotional and intellectual malaise lasted for years. All through the Tax Summit year of 1985; through to your lacklustre performance through the 1987 election, to the point when in 1988, four years later, (John) Dawkins had to front you, asking you to leave. It was only after that that you approached me, at your initiative, to enter into an agreement with me to succeed you following the 1990 election. An agreement you subsequently broke.

The fact is, Bob, I was exceedingly kind to you for a very long time. I knew the state you were in in 1984 and notwithstanding a lot of unhelpful advice from Garnaut and other obsequious members of your staff, I carried you through the whole 1984-1987 parliament, insisting you look like the prime minister, even if your staff, the Manchu Court I called them, were otherwise prepared to leave you in your emotional hole. No other prime minister would have survived going missing for that long. But with my help, you were able to."

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2954219.htm


I watched Kerry O’Brien’s interview with Hawke & D’Alpuget early this week, and I think some of their comments were very self-serving. For instance, she claimed that Bob Hawke was responsible for deregulating the economy – anybody around at that time knows that it was Treasurer Keating who did that. Hawke just did what Keating told him to.

I always thought that Hawke was more into just basking in the adoration of the masses than actually doing anything, and I think Keating’s probably saying nothing less than the truth – sure, he’s an egomaniac, but he’s a clever and entertaining egomaniac, and I think it was he who ran the country as de facto leader for most of Hawke’s time as PM.

Makes such a change from all the scripted and spun comments that pass for political exchange these days.

[Matilda]

1. A bit of Keating fun ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdAoQvqh7eY


Parliament was much livelier in his day!