The band’s back together for Howard’s last lap
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It was fabulous to see Peter Reith emerge yesterday from whatever dark cupboard he’s been hiding in since 2001 to come out and call for a new IR reform agenda. Clearly unused to being back in the spotlight (albeit only as background to John Howard’s book launch) Reith called for the Coalition to “continue to embrace reform”. Is he still in denial about the role of WorkChoices in the fall of the Howard government in 2007? And if so, given this is such a sensitive topic in the Coalition ranks, wouldn’t it be better to keep his trap shut? Actually, it was wonderful to see the old team back together again — Reith, Alexander Downer, John Sharp, Michael Photios and Wilson Tuckey — because it enabled the assembled hacks to reminisce about how they had all come to grief. Reith, of course, suffered a mortal blow over a $50,000 bill on a phone card in 2000 and retired the following year. Sharp, the former minister for transport and regional development, resigned from the ministry in 1997 over the Travel Rorts Affair, involving incorrect travel claims. Lord Downer’s fleeting leadership of the Coalition was ended after he joked that the party’s domestic violence policy would be called “the things that batter”. Ironbar, of course, lost his seat and has become a blogger, and Photios resigned after he was outed having an affair while his then-wife was pregnant with their second child. Sir Robert Menzies would have been proud. Actually, I spotted Downer reading the index of Howard’s book, Lazarus Rising, while standing in line to have it signed, but he furiously denied he was looking himself up in the index. He said he had seen the references to himself because John had already run it past him in draft form for historical accuracy. When asked, he said that apart from acting as the UN Envoy in Cyprus he was working in a consultancy in Adelaide called Bespoke Approach, in partnership with Nick Bolkus. According to the Bespoke Approach website: “Politics, like business, is the art of the possible: transition brings opportunity and opportunity always presents challenges. To explore the boundaries of what is possible and to gain advantage in any given situation requires measured advice from trusted counsel with wisdom gained from a global view. That is the Bespoke Approach.” So people would pay money to Lord Downer and NICK BOLKUS to “gain an advantage in any given situation”. What is the world coming to? The most cheerful person here, apart from the royalty-counting author, was Andrew Peacock, who told me he was now based in his wife’s home state of Texas. In his speech, Howard praised Peacock’s great contribution as the ambassador in Washington, triggering the memory of that great photo of a slumbering Shirley Maclaine in the audience of Howard’s foreign policy address in New York in 1997. Other pollies in attendance included Pru Goward, Peter Collins, Barry O’Farrell and Michael Yabsley, together with a healthy-looking John Fahey. A few business leaders were also there, including Paul Ramsay and Peter Ivany as well as Graham Morris, Tom Hughes QC and Kerry Jones. Harper Collins publisher Shona Martyn said they had originally printed 50,000 copies and have subsequently ordered another 10,000. Howard had been very good to deal with, she said, adding he had negotiated the contract himself, without an agent, and had written every word. “He is a natural story teller, also he has a good memory and also kept good diaries and notes,” she said, confirming that the advance was “north of $400,000”. The former PM was also behaving like he was back on the campaign trail, she said, telling her that if the publisher put up a table outside a shop in regional Australia he would go there and sign books. Howard gave a good speech, including a criticism of the narrow life experiences of many of today’s politicians. In the past, “…there were more people in political parties, particularly the ALP, who had real-life experience outside politics. Clyde Cameron and Mick Young actually sheared sheep and there were fewer people whose only life experience was only related to politics”. He also said that oppositions had a duty to support some aspects of government policy: ”When we were in opposition, we supported many of the Labor reforms of the Hawke-Keating governments. By contrast, when we were in government we received no support at all from the Labor party in relation to any of the difficult economic reforms we implemented. “It is important to remember, and this is as relevant today as it was in those years … that political parties have responsibilities in opposition as well as having responsibilities in government.” Just as I was leaving, I ran into Kamahl, who evidently goes to many Liberal Party functions to sing the national anthem, although probably not one of his greatest hits, Time to Say Goodbye. Although disappointingly dressed in a suit, and not his usual caftan, Kamahl looks amazing well for 76, and regaled me with stories about his friendship with Sir Donald Bradman. So many cheerful, smiling, energetic septuagenarians in the one place! There’s hope for us all. |
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13 Comments
I heard Mr Howard on radio talkback this morning.
He could not bring himself to admit that even with hindsight, the apology to indigenous Australians was a good thing. (He still disagrees and would not have done it had he been PM).
Nor could he admit that the war in Iraq that took so many troops from Afghanistan, and took so much energy and attention and divided the Allied focus - had been a major reason why Afghanistan was still going on after 10 years.
No… nothing he said or did, or did NOT do, was in anyway mistaken.
Wow… what utter arrogance.
I am so glad he is no longer in politics. How on earth did we put up with him for 11 years?
Because Jim the people of Bennelong all went to sleep while he was their droning member for 33 years.
Funny how Pru Goward always turns up to events involving Howard. Now that Honest John is out of politics I wonder if Mrs Bucket keeps him on a short leash still.
I’m shocked that News Corp book publisher, Harper Collins, is publishing Howard’s memoirs. Who would have thought that News Corp and Howard would do a book deal together?
Wow, that place must have looked like a snake pit. How the once arrogant and powerful have fallen. Out of morbid curiosity I look forward to them slowly turning on each other with snipe remarks confessing what was really going on behind the draconian rein of Howard. Now that book I would buy!
Another load of sycophantic bullshit Margot.
The Howard years were a disgrace and where Cronyism, Xenophobia and McCarthyism reigned. Costello is right.
” The evil that men do lives after them ” even Minchin admits that the Iraq war was a total disaster as Wiki Leaks attest.
The ICC got it right by rejecting Howard as President- they took the lead from the mess he left here.
just as The Eagles can’t get together for a reunion gig without singing ‘Hotel California’, the Howard benchwarmers can’t be in the same room without a singalong.
Howard was playing all the old tunes on Q&A the other night
altogether now…
Queue jumpers, work choices, GST, Australia’s greatest treasurer, highest taxing Government in history, second longest serving PM, children overboard…
Ah yairs, so different to sitting in a car in a terminal traffic jam on the Baghdad Highway back in 2003, the final gasp of super hot gasses, before burning to death. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong skin. It’s just so good to be a white English speaking boomer on the military industrial tiger’s back, eh JH?
The weird thing about Howard is just how much he resembles a gawping energizer bunny with those flash light eyes and gulping throat. He just doesn’t know how to quit, when quitting was the best of all choices, many a long year ago.
I’ve got a great T-shirt I could’ve worn to this gig. It’s an MUA one, that gives Reith, Howard, Sharp an ‘honourable mention’ - the only one missing was Costello - he’s on the shirt too? And Wilson (let older sufferers of asbestos related diseases die without any compensation)Tuckey! A load of manure, all in the one place. (kids overboard)Reith-I wonder if he keeps better tabs on his mobile phones these days?
I won’t be buying Howard’s book, I won’t be borrowing it from my library either! Yuk! I didn’t watch him on Q&A, and the only criticism I have for the bloke who threw the shoes, is that he was a bad shot! He missed! We only need Blair to cop the same welcome, and we’ll have three of a kind!!!!!
what was the saying ’ A conga-line of A-holes’? Howard has been never was, self important prig of a man who deserve no air time anywhere other than his cheerleading squad ie The Australian, Alan ‘Public Toilet’ Jones and the like. Seeing his mug on q & A unexpectedly almost made me bring up my rather delicious meal…enough already!
Alex , like the ” Alan ’ Public Toilet ’ Jones bit . Alan is Abbott’s only Gay friend .
@ALEX - I decided that my life deserved better than exposing it to Howard? I resisted. The only time I felt any regret, was when I heard that Peter Gray had thrown the shoes? I thought, ‘if he’d connected, I would’ve really liked to see that’? I hasten to add, that I abhor violence, but sometimes, my inner self takes over! Then I found out that David Hicks asked him a question via video! However, Howard kept to his usual weasel and disgusting rhetoric!
As for Alan Jones? It was ‘appropriate’ that he was the spokesperson? Too A-soles on the same platform! They deserve each other. I think AJ could even pip Howard re the most obnoxious and revolting excuse for a human being. Have you taken a look at his face when he doesn’t realise he’s on camera? It’s vile - his thin mean mouthed lips - what an ugly little man he is! Inside and out!
I didn’t take the risk with my nice meal - cooked by myself, but enjoyable!
@BARRY - te-he! now that made me smile! Talking about looking at faces when they don’t know the camera is on them - Abbott can look like the evil bastard he is when he’s been pushed or ‘found out’ etc - the look he gives to the interviewer or whoever - positively lethal! I have one such situation on tape! Classic! Another nasty ugly little man! I wouldn’t want to get on his wrong side - and I’m glad I don’t live with him? A petulant, spoilt, over indulged little ‘private (catholic)school’ boy! There’s a few of them, and too many are in the national parliament, I’m afraid! Scary!
There’s a saying about some blokes - ‘be carpeted but never cornered’!
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
A super read Margot Saville
Thanks.
Also…….
The evidence I have seen over the years clearly defines John Howard as quite a dope (within the context of what one would expect from achievers of leadership - not necessarily a dope compared to my Garbo) and now his friends and colleagues (Minchin etc) are confirming the collected evidences meaning.
Dr Harvey M Tarvydas
@TOM MCLOUGHLIN - Posted Wednesday, 27 October 2010 at 6:13 pm
Like you I weep at the ugly and horrendous legacy left to Australia’s good name by this goon.
Goon rather than monster because as I’ve said above the poor little chook doesn’t have a clue.
After all he thought that George was the sexiest thing in the world and during that friendship discovered his best jollies were got behind a Bush.