Downing a schooner in 11 seconds flat, stirring
up the old embers of bitter political rivalry, offering gratuitous and
unwelcome advice to his current successor. Hawkie’s getting up to his old
tricks again. But why?
Boredom would be one obvious answer. It has
been noted that Australians don’t really know what to with their ex-leaders.
Where most countries either line them up against a wall, sling them into
prison, or get them to set up their own library, your average Aussie ex-PM soon
finds himself – once the memoirs have been published and the requests to appear
on Q&A have dried up -twiddling his thumbs in a twilight retirement.
But for Bob Hawke, the great populist of
his generation, being ignored doesn’t sit well. Hence the need to remind the
crowd of his proven skills both as a beer-swiller and as a power-broker.
Grabbing the headlines several times over the silly season, it is clear that
RJH has a specific motive in mind. Berating Julia for being in bed with the
unions comes across as a bit rich from the former head of the ACTU, so what’s
the real story?
Bob Hawke never got over his chosen son Kim
Beazley being knifed by Rudd and Gillard. He will not tolerate a return to
Kevin, and presumably, like his old buddy Richo, he suspects the game’s up for
Gillard. The polls say so.
What Bob has always craved is a successor
in his own image. A down-to-earth bloke with a proven track record in the union
movement. A pragmatist with the negotiating skills and economic nous that allow
for progress, stability and reform. Someone who will be widely regarded as “the
best Labor PM since Bob Hawke.”
Over the summer recess, let’s hope Greg
Combet has been working on his skulling technique.
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