Notes from the Hawke years
 | Posted by Ant Rogenous on Monday 7 April 2008, 8:24 pm Categories: Politics Tags: Tags: BobHawke, FunnyBuggers, racism, StephenMills |
I’m reading a pretty good account of Bob Hawke’s prime ministership at the moment — The Hawke Years: The story from the inside (1993) by former Hawke speechwriter Stephen Mills — and thought I’d share a couple of interesting passages with you, seeing as I found the book at a garage sale and it’s well and truly out of print.
In the first passage, Mills is attempting to explain why Hawke — whose diplomatic skills were regarded highly among world leaders at the time — was never quite successful at “breaking through the starch and reserve of the Japanese”. It made me laugh out loud on the train:
Perhaps his style and abrasive vernacular puzzled them. On one occasion he told Japanese businessmen they would be ‘out of their cotton-picking minds’ if they didn’t support him in the pilots’ dispute; another time he assured the Japanese that Australia wouldn’t play ‘funny buggers’ on protectionism. He was told later that the phrase had been translated for the audience as ‘humorous homosexuals’.
The second passage describes a moment on Brisbane talk-back radio where Hawke “veered back to indiscipline” during the otherwise meticulously managed 1990 election campaign. Indiscipline aside, Hawke’s rebuke serves as a stark reminder of just how far John Howard’s latent racism and cynical opportunism later degraded the moral authority of the prime ministerial office:
On this occasion, when a caller offensively urged Hawke to hold a referendum on Asian immigration, he embarked on a passionate assault on racism. ‘I happen to believe profoundly in the concept that I learned from my father, and that is if you believe in some concept of a God, then if there’s a fatherhood of God then we are all brothers and sisters in this world. So I reject you profoundly in terms of fundamental patriotism for the future of this country, and I reject you with total contempt on moral grounds.’
Sadly, I’m pretty sure we’ll never again hear a prime minister publicly reject a bigoted citizen with “total contempt”. But with any luck we’ve also seen the last prime minister who will treat so many citizens with contempt, while enjoying the shameful cheerleading and apologetics of a most viciously partisan commentariat.
GrodsThink Ep.29 (26/8/08)
Monday 7 April 2008, 9:00 pm #Bron
Ha, yeah, I’ve heard that “funny buggers” anecdote - lost in translation much?!
Just love that “total contempt” story. Doubt Rudd would ever say anything like that, he’s far too controlled and diplomatic to just let fly.
God, think about it: who in parliament today have we got who could be like a Hawke or a Keating again? No one. All boring squares.
Monday 7 April 2008, 9:10 pm #alister
I miss Bob. And Paul. Not that they would have got my first preference, mind you.
Monday 7 April 2008, 9:58 pm #Zombie Mao
I was at a UnionsWA do during the election campaign where Hawkey was the guest. It was stirring stuff.
The rendition of ‘Solidarity Forever’ with hawkey singing the verses and everyone joining in on the chorus was awesome.
The Howard and Downer jokes were fantastic.
Monday 7 April 2008, 9:59 pm #The Editor
“So I reject you profoundly in terms of fundamental patriotism for the future of this country, and I reject you with total contempt on moral grounds”
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:04 pm #Wah
Here’s Bob Hawke at his best, bollocking Mike Carleton in 1983 - worth watching the lot (2 1/2 minutes) as it gets better and better
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V1tC2Ab-kPY
I can’t let this classic PJ Keating clip pass - it’s particularly funny from about 2:20.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gAAf9nSd3ig&feature=related
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:10 pm #Mikey
Love that last line. Almost worth seeing him in that crotchless terry towling robe along with Blanche.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:10 pm #Dave from Albury
I don’t think Australia will ever truly appreciate what Hawke and Keating managed to do for us. They balanced essential economic reform (which Fraser hadn’t the guts to do) with social conscience (which Malcolm only discovered after leaving parliament).
The one thing that Latham had right was his analysis of the fetid mess that is Australian politics. Why would anyone with genuine talent and enthusiasm for public service subject themselves to our political system? More to the point why subject yourself to our media pack of, cue Sinatra, “fags, pimps and whores”?
Hawke should have abided by the Kirribilli agreement, I personally think that his refusal to do so was a stain on his legacy, but thank your deity of choice that we had passionate and intelligent men like Hawke and Keating leading our nation. I can only hope that Kevin07 invigorates people the way that I was growing up in the 80s and 90s.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:14 pm #Bridgit Gread
“So I reject you profoundly in terms of fundamental patriotism for the future of this country, and I reject you with total contempt on moral grounds”
That’s the difference between leadership and vote-chasing: being willing to keep marginal views in the margins and being combative enough to put dickheads in their place. I can’t see the incumbent ever doing that; he’d quiver in fear at the likely press reaction.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:25 pm #Wah
Rudd admitted that he can be a bit robotic in his speech, especially when he talks about things he knows about - years as a diplomat will do that.
He’ll never be as charasmatic as Hawke and Keating, but it’s unfair to knock a guy because he has a decent vocabulary.
Rudd is very smart - unfortunately he’d be valued more if he could play sport well.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:27 pm #Bron
Richard, not Mike (sorry, I can’t help being damned impertinent tonight, Wah!).
Now, to watch the PJK one you offered.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:34 pm #Dave from Albury
Wah, that Keating clip is gold. Sad that he was so prescient when he referred to those fuckers as the next government.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:37 pm #Bridgit Gread
This Keating clip is worth looking at too - 12 years later and his evaluation of Peter Costello seems to be spot on.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:38 pm #Bron
What Dave said, gold. And the comments underneath from sore Liberal losers are gold too.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:43 pm #Dave from Albury
Yeah, I love the ‘Low altitude flyer’ quote. Costello is a turd, it’s no wonder that he can’t get a decent job offer. He’s destined to be the parliament’s most prominent back bencher for some time to come I suspect.
Monday 7 April 2008, 10:50 pm #Almost Always Wrong
Keating and Hawke are really the last of the statesmen in Australian Politics, two men who quite genuinely wanted to make Australia a better place, so that it was a better place. Not to gain some polling points or a place in the history books. And they were genuinely witty and had good speaking voices, these days all we get is a bit of a stutter and a sound bite every now and then.
The Humorous Homosexuals will agree. At least one will.
Monday 7 April 2008, 11:03 pm #Dave from Albury
Who? Peter Hitchener?
Monday 7 April 2008, 11:13 pm #Almost Always Wrong
Him too
Monday 7 April 2008, 11:54 pm #Damian
Interesting post, Ant. And refreshingly fleshlightless.
The “funny buggers” tale is awesome. Imagine a pollie letting something like that slip out today. Rudd, for instance, could tell the Japanese to stop playing funny buggers with the whales or ask the Chinese not to play funny buggers in Tibet.
Tuesday 8 April 2008, 12:49 am #Bridgit Gread
In a fit of pique Kruddy might invite Hu Xintao to “have a Cleveland Steamer” - and unwittingly instigate a multi-million dollar shipping deal.
Tuesday 8 April 2008, 10:05 am #Wah
How sad, I just learned that one of the great Hawke ministers, John Button has passed away.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23504973-661,00.html
Tuesday 8 April 2008, 12:55 pm #Damian
Wah, I didn’t know much about Button when he was a minister - I am a little young, I guess, like MK - but I had a lot of respect for him after reading his contribution to the Quarterly Essay a few years back about renewing Labor Party politics. Labor needs more like Button.