TheeKeating interview

How many watched the first part of this interview with Paul Keatng last night?

I have long held the opinion that Keating is by far the most intelligent PM we
have ever had, despite the fact that I could not abide his arrogance when he
was in office. That arrogance did not show through last night and I thought
the interview was a fascinating glimpse of both the man and some of the events
of his time.

Forget the politics. Here is a man who was the consummate political operator
AND had a vision to go with his skill.

Totally agree. Can't wait for the next instalment.

Fascinating also that he essentially a self educated man.

Craig

Yes, I watched and love it.

Others will argue but I think Keating is one of our most esteemed elder statesmen of our time, way above Whitlam or Howard.

I was reading about one of his speeches he gave at the funeral service of the Unknown Australian Solider, 11 November 1993. (Service speech can be found here). That oration has now been engraved on a plaque and some of those words inscribed on the tomb. Part of the speech:

Quote:

---

We do not know this Australian's name and we never will. We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, nor precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances – whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.

Yet he has always been among those whom we have honoured. We know that he was one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front. One of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered for service in the First World War. One of the 324,000 Australians who served overseas in that war and one of the 60,000 Australians who died on foreign soil. One of the 100,000 Australians who have died in wars this century.

He is all of them. And he is one of us.

---

Inspiring, especially the last sentence.

Keating was seen as a polariser, mainly by those who didn't get the joke. Parliament just ain't the same without him.

It "may be some time" before we see the likes of his vision again.

Gotta watch it on iVeiw.

I kept thinking about the Clarke and Dawe interveiw ... 'Keating fesses up'..
Clarke and Dawe (09/10) - Paul Keating Fesses Up (Audio) - YouTube

I watched most of the interview. I also thought it was interesting. But I'm one of those who "never got the joke." I thought and still think that Keating was one of the most arrogant and harmful PMs and treasurers we've ever had. I thought at the time that he was only interested in power, not in service, and the interview backed that up completely. I can't believe that he thinks that he knows what the real world is like when he "worked" for 6 years, then became a full time union rep, then entered parliament at 25. Sorry, he's been living off the public teat for over 40 years - the real world is something he is far removed from. Try working for 30+ years, paying a mortgage without the guarantee of a full pension whenever you get sacked (which pollies get after 9 years service!), raising kids, etc, before you tell me that you know what real workers experience. He has no qualifications, no life experience, and as for being self-educated - that's like conducting your own defence at a trial - you have a fool for a client. The man is an arrogant, over-puffed buffoon, not a statesman. And we're still paying him! The gall...

Strong views Poppa!!

I have long since learned to to take a more dispassionate view of such matters.

I don't have political heroes, never did have and will never have. All politicians
are flawed in some way and in the hurly burly of the moment it is very easy
to overlook faults and magnify pluses.

History is the best judge of most things as long as it is based on sound knowledge
and considered judgement.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Keating was seen as a polariser, mainly by those who didn't get the joke. Parliament just ain't the same without him.

It "may be some time" before we see the likes of his vision again.

Gotta watch it on iVeiw.

---

Does anyone remember the radio series "How Green Was my Cactus"? It was compulsory listening every day as far as I was concerned. The one where the loggers set seige to parliament hose was gold.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Does anyone remember the radio series "How Green Was my Cactus"? It was compulsory listening every day as far as I was concerned. The one where the loggers set seige to parliament hose was gold.

---

I was living in Canberra when the loggers blockaded Parliament House. They were protesting about the government stopping them working because they paid too much attention to the greenies wanting to stop logging.

I vividly remember a large banner on a truck that summed it up pretty well, and this is a direct quote, (For the moderators - the words are not mine)

"What do Greenies wipe their #### on?"

Cheers

Doug

Keating is one of the greatest politicians Australia has ever had, and humble to boot. Australia wouldn't be as prosperous as it is today if it wasn't for his efforts... or at least that's what we kept hearing from him over the course of the program last night. My opinion differs, and I'm sure Kerry's does too.

Fascinating viewing once again.

Craig

Keating was under-appreciated at the time - he did drag us out of the 1950s mindset that the economy was in, but there was a bit of pain came with it.

Probably PJK's greatest attribute was that he had no false modesty.:rolleyes:

No doubt that Keating was brilliant but Gough was right when he said to him
"go and get a degree and then come back..."
The uncontrolled de-regulation of the banking system was an outright disaster that cost Australia billions.
But who could forget the comments like when Peacock was running for the second time
"A souffle only rises once".

Clever yes,humble Noooooo way,arrogant OH yes yes,yes,big ego yes yes,yes,and what does that give you??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nrb

Clever yes,humble Noooooo way,arrogant OH yes yes,yes,big ego yes yes,yes,and what does that give you??

---

A PM who never shirked telling it how it is. Unlike the current mob we've got.

Actually, you are all wrong! What you are seeing is the public persona that he deliberately presents. I know people personally who know him socially and politically, and to a man and woman, they all say what a highly intelligent and very friendly and charismatic person he is in private, one who goes out of his way to advise and assist those in trouble.

I for one will be eternally grateful to him for the superannuation that I have which will allow me to live my final years in relative comfort, not totally relying on the Age Pension. That is, until the Aged Care homes grab everything I have, under the new legislation about to be passed. If you don't know anything about the draconian changes coming up, I suggest you get in contact with Centrelink advisors, and attend their forums on the matter

The collected insults of former PM Paul Keating - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

"All tip and no iceberg"

"Little dessicated coconut"

"You boxhead you wouldn't know. You are flat out counting past 10.You stupid, foul-mouthed grub."

"the Opposition crowd could not raffle a duck in a pub."

"It was the limpest performance I have ever seen ... it was like being flogged with a warm lettuce.
It was like being mauled by a dead sheep"

C'mon .... That's what I want from my politicians!

"Bring him back. Bring him back. Bring him back. Bring him back..." :)

Cheers,
Paul

PS (quoted)
Nancy Astor was a native Virginian who became Britain’s first woman member of the House of Commons. In the 1930’s she headed a clique in the House of Commons that found something to admire in Hitler’s Germany. Churchill described an Astorite as an appeaser "who feeds the crocodile hoping that it will eat him last." One time shortly thereafter, Churchill found himself at Cliveden, the Astor mansion.

After dinner Lady Astor presided over the pouring of coffee.
When Churchill came by, she glared and said. "Winston, if I were your wife, I’d put poison in your coffee."
"Nancy," Churchill replied to the acid-tongued woman, "if I were your husband, I’d drink it."

Sure he was arrogant and egotistical but some of the economic policies he put in place or in motion are to our nations extreme benefit. Short term pain for very much looooong tern gain springs to mind and usually the ones who complained about them either then or now had a vested interest otherwise.
He was very good on his feat in a debate and coupled with a razor sharp wit came up with some crackers of a reply.
Being a Bankstown boy through and through and having a mild pity or at least a disinterest in anything rural or smalltown Australia led to his wonderful jibe about our northernmost city.
A reporter asked him once what he liked about Darwin and his reply was " Flying over it at 40,000 feet on the way to Paris".
Another was his infamous "well if you're not living in Sydney, you're really only camping out ".
And perhaps the one I liked best was when he described Malcolm Fraser as " an easter Island statue with an a..e full of razor blades.

Stewie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scott

Yes, I watched and love it.

Others will argue but I think Keating is one of our most esteemed elder statesmen of our time, way above Whitlam or Howard.

I was reading about one of his speeches he gave at the funeral service of the Unknown Australian Solider, 11 November 1993. (Service speech can be found here). That oration has now been engraved on a plaque and some of those words inscribed on the tomb. Part of the speech:



Inspiring, especially the last sentence.

---

And from the Western Front

I'm not sure that Paul Keating is Australia's greatest PM, but he may be the greatest enigma among the PMs. Uneducated and yet highly intelligent; Arrogant in his public persona and yet different in private life. I suspect there are many more contradictions in this man's personality.

I can't agree with those of you who say he is no longer arrogant. I still see that in him, but it is Keating the man. He believes wholeheartedly in what he says and he believes he is absolutely right. He may be! I admire him for the courage of his convictions. Despite his labour connections, I don't see blind following there and in many respects this would ordinarily be my biggest criticism of party politics. I suppose he doesn't have to toe the line any more. (Malcolm Fraser is the same in this regard.)

I don't believe a university education automatically qualifies you for senior responsibility. Keating is a prime example of how wrong it would be to assume that a higher education is absolutely essential. Keating appears to have a better grasp of how things work than most others in public office and there are a huge number of tertiary educated men and women and also the occasional Rhodes scholar to boot (it doesn't noticeably seem to help the one of whom I'm thinking.)

I can understand Poppa's viewpoint on Keating's lack of "real" work experience. Keating seems to have defied the odds on that one too. Another enigma perhaps.

Regards
Paul

Unfortunately I was not in a position to view the last 2 interviews. I must catch up.

I think what Keating had to say about Bob Hawke is very sobering.If ever parliament was adorned
with arrogance then Hawke was that arrogance. I saw him as a powder puff and Keating as the true
thinker and instigator.

A fellow I was at high school with, Tony Cole, was Keatings private secretary and later had a top
treasury position. He always considered Keating to be very focused and knowledgeable and very easy
to work with.

I don't know the series of events that lead him to having Don Watson writing for him ...

but a marriage from heaven I think.

Paul.