https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/former-prime-minister-bob-hawke-dead/news-story/5f4a4f44a99632c53a0502fd5efaad20
Whatever your affiliation... a Great Australian
RIP
I actually spoke about him earlier today and someone said he was not doing well.....not too well at all. :-[
As Aussie icon and all round top bloke.
RIP Bob
RIP Scomo
Sad news indeed. RIP Bob.
We have lost a great Australian.
RIP Bob.
Very saddening news. RIP.
What I loved about Bob Hawke, more than anything, was that he loved Australia and all Aussies and everything about our nation. It was often his criticism of Keating, that he didn't LOVE Australia. And he was extremely intelligent with a very low tolerance for fools in the media.
The quality of political leaders in our country, IMHO, has declined... badly.
R.I.P. Hawkey, you were a bloody rip-snorter mate.
:)) :)) :)) :)) funny thing is, Hawkey would love that post MBB.
Perfectly put Baggers. If only we had leaders of his ilk today, sadly they are all a joke. Shorten or ScoMo wouldn't carry Bob's esky. A loveable larrikin God love him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMa0j5A3nWw
Met him a couple of times. Great bloke, had time for you.
Interesting, he was barely taller than our coach. He got up past my chest and that was it.
Mixed feelings about Hawke. I felt as though he gave Keating’s neo-liberal agenda a leftie sheen which it didn’t deserve. He seemed affable enough, but his hobnobbing with Holmes à Court and Bond never sat well with me, especially for an ex-union boss. Great Labor politicians of the past (Chifley, Whitlam, JJ Cahill) would be turning in their graves. And the way he treated his ex wife after he took up with Blanche was pretty poor IMO. His daughter had to come out and publicly defend Hazel from accusations that she was a gold digger, accusations that were never countered by Hawke himself.
Given the fairly low political standards under which we currently live, it may seem churlish to pan him, but I’m only a partial fan.
To use football parlance, his "off field" form was very ordinary at times.
As for hobnobbing with the affluent, it happens all the time and quite frankly makes the world go round. I read a couple of quotes in the small paper from him, made me stop and think about the type of bloke he was:
“Do you know why I have credibility? Because I don’t exude morality”
“The essence of power is the knowledge that what you do is going to have an effect, not just an immediate but perhaps a lifelong effect, on the happiness and wellbeing of millions of people and so I think the essence of power is to be conscious of what it can mean for others”
On how he wanted to be remembered
“As a bloke who loved his country, still does. And loves Australians and who wasn’t essentially changed by high office.
On the third one, he certainly was the same old Bob IMO.
@ GTC/Paul
He was no saint for sure but his off-field antics are not exactly rare within the political class. Ruthlessness, being two-faced, carefully choosing when to comment, partying etc. are all too prevalent - some just cover it up better than others. The Simon Pures of this world are a rare breed in politics.
Hawke was a good prime minister, as good as they can be as they all get turned into something worse when they get the job, but his treatment of his ex wife was terrible, gold digging was the domain of the replacement IMHO.
And some prime ministerial candidates are the ones doing the gold digging. ;)
Think you have to be the megalomaniac type to want the job and be prepared to sell everything from your soul to your grandmother
to make it happen. Hustling and being almost Real Estate agent like in the skills of deception are all part of the makeup of a wannabe PM.
ScoMo and Bill Shorten are over qualified for the job on this basis....
Very true EB. Making a good marriage can also be a very useful tool to have in the bag.
So what did you like about him?
Couldn't have said it better.
If you're looking for credibility, leadership and integrity we need only look across the 'ditch.'
Not to mention Oscar-winning acting skills.
He seemed affable enough, and he seemed to have a certain common touch. I think also he and Keating went part of the way to protecting workers as they deregulated the economy.
Baggers....really?
Agree she has that in spades
Yeah she is ready and waiting with wallet in hand.
A mother close by to bail out and just happens to be in front of the cameras
And a lack of gravitas and statesmanship. ( At the risk of shooting bambi)