Whatās weird about Aussie politics is how those stabbed in the back can then bounce back later. Kevin Rudd did this. Iām sure Labor have had a few leaders who have served more than one term?
Hawke was the best.
Harold Holt died peacefully in his bed in Beijing in the 80ās.
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Strange wording indeed.
I think itās the 3 year dynamic there. Itās become a much greater issue in recent decades due to mass media coverage of politics and polling.
Even apart from Hawke-Keating, Gilliard-Rudd and Abbot-Turnbull, you had the constant simmering of Howard-Costello. Itās very interesting, the rivalries come to the surface more than UK or Irish politics.
Yeah Rudd was hated internally in the Labor Party but still made a comeback.
Keating was written off in 1991 but came back as well.
Howard had two goes as Leader and was written off after Keating schooled him in the late 80s on their manifesto.
Turnbull came back as well.
The aussies just donāt have what it takes to become a parent nation, they struggle badly actually in this regard
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Would have been great to see a leadership contest between Abbott and Costello.
Any country that has a union jack on itās flag in this day and age isnāt a proper country.
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This series is well worth a watch
Thereās a good series of Paul Keating interviews out there too. Heās a politician I really admire and he is still very sharp.
I watched some of them on a plane once. He used the phrase āmoral clarityā a lot and said Winston Churchill was his political hero. I presume he was thinking of the 1940 on period rather than 1915.
In fairness donāt think anyone would have the termerity to describe Australia as a country let alone a proper country
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Thereās five or six world leaders where if they were in ICU, Iād be unapologetically cheering for the virus.
Bad as Bojo is, heās not one of them. That whiff whaff speech bought him some credit.
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It is a colony of China
Though he might have used the phrase āBritish Taoiseachā?
Bryson had a bit about Holt in his Australian book, Down Under, (one of his best) as well. Had the line about having a swimming pool named after him too.
Is there anything to be said for invading the North first thing in the morning?
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His Liverpool pyjamas?
Yes but theres a better strategy. The brits have been out of their depth from the off on this, the dogs on the street will tell you that. But rather than attack now when they are utterly butterly fucked we need to offer them a shoulder to cry on , maybe take them under our wing a little, and have Leo the 2 Simons, Paschal and co on call 24/7 to help them out.
Watching the UK news the last month has been like watching a slow motion replay of Ireland only with posher accents, as they struggle to make sense of it all, behind the 8 ball as they so proudly pronounced themselves at the beginning.
For better or worse they happen to be our closest neighbours and we should do for them what we can