^
We are a country of inches. Things take time. It took us 11 years to get rid of God save the Quoon for God's sake.
So when one of the greats, who is also beloved, be it Lou Richards, Slim Dusty or Bob Hawke passes, then there is some outpouring of emotion.
I compare his passing to that of Harold Holt. That was a WTF moment. No one knew what to say. To this day people are still scratching their heads about that one. Apart from feeling sorry for his family, nobody, apart from the ruling class, even cared. The chief mourners at his memorial were Lyndon Johnson and Prince Charles. Surely we have come a long way from that.
Vale Bob Hawke
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stui magpie
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^
Interesting.
I liked Hawke but it's insightful to see the airbrushing of his achievements in office to stick to the narrative.
No mention of introducing HEC's fees at uni's, privatising the Commonwealth Bank, selling Australian Airlines to Qantas then privatising Qantas, maybe because people think that's the stuff that Liberal governments do.
Closing tariffs and opening Australia up to the world was the beginning of the end for the protected manufacturing industry in Australia, but provided access to far cheaper overseas imports.
In late 1984 I was working shift work at the Kraft factory in Strathmerton getting $400 a week (when the average wage was $355) and spent $400 on a 14 inch colour TV for my bedroom. The equivalent of $1200 today.
That TV became my primary TV when I moved to Melbourne in 1985 to a job paying $180 per week.
I think Hawke/Keating did a great job modernising the Australian economy, but it's interesting how everything that doesn't fit the left wing champion narrative is airbrushed out.
He was also a prolific pants man.
Interesting.
I liked Hawke but it's insightful to see the airbrushing of his achievements in office to stick to the narrative.
No mention of introducing HEC's fees at uni's, privatising the Commonwealth Bank, selling Australian Airlines to Qantas then privatising Qantas, maybe because people think that's the stuff that Liberal governments do.
Closing tariffs and opening Australia up to the world was the beginning of the end for the protected manufacturing industry in Australia, but provided access to far cheaper overseas imports.
In late 1984 I was working shift work at the Kraft factory in Strathmerton getting $400 a week (when the average wage was $355) and spent $400 on a 14 inch colour TV for my bedroom. The equivalent of $1200 today.
That TV became my primary TV when I moved to Melbourne in 1985 to a job paying $180 per week.
I think Hawke/Keating did a great job modernising the Australian economy, but it's interesting how everything that doesn't fit the left wing champion narrative is airbrushed out.
He was also a prolific pants man.
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
