Bob Hawke Has Died

[SBD Gonzalez]

Anyone who says that Finland do it better should go and live there.

Been there many times so I know the place pretty well, but quite happy here thanks.

Spectacularly dumb comment, if I may say so.

 

[Kram]

You fool. For starters, at my age I’m more looking at retirement planning than HECS (except I’m concerned for my grandchildren of course).

Secondly, you’re just proving my point. Actual examples exist of modern, democratic, highly successful economies that offer free tertiary education (just like Australia used to), but the existence of such real world examples sets off such cognitive dissonance in you that your only way of coping is to reach for dumb stereotypes about a poster as anonymous to you as you are to me.

Sorry pal, if your 'grandchildren' are smart enough to pick a degree that isn't useless and that earns a reasonable pay afterwards then they can chip in a bit for it rather than sponge the whole lot off taxpayers.

 

[madmug]

I think Bob will forever be the longest-serving ALP PM in history for two reasons:-

-Australia loses patience with its PMs, and change them more often than I change my underwear (which either says something about how often Australia changes PMs, or how rarely I change my underwear. LOL).

-Hawke actually brought something to the table, unlike the duds Keating, Rudd, Gillard, and Shorten.

The parties actually change leaders more than the voters do.

Rudd did a fantastic job of keeping recession from Australia after the 2008 Global economic crisis. His ego was his problem. Gillard undermined Rudd, maybe for the right reasons, but suffered by being undermined herself.

Just a question, what does Scomo bring to the table? Another meaningless 3 years?

 

[Rotayjay]

Speaking of classless...

Stupid old fool. Your prime ministership was a waste of Australia's time.

 

[Crankyhawk]

And here's the ABC's relic of the 70s cheering on Abbott losing his seat in a couple days time. ABC not biased my arse.

I thought Barry was finishing after this election maybe referencing his own “one more day then it is over?”

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Sorry pal, if your 'grandchildren' are smart enough to pick a degree that isn't useless and that earns a reasonable pay afterwards then they can chip in a bit for it rather than sponge the whole lot off taxpayers.

Care to explain the quote marks around “grandchildren” before I proceed with pointing out how ignorant and myopic your opinion is?

 

[Crankyhawk]

Apart from gun control what did Howard do that made him a great PM?

Getting more $ per share for Telstra 2 than it is currently worth
(Still bleeding from that purchase fml)

 

[kirky]

Absolute beast.

OMG - can still remember this from 1983.

Why don't politicians do this to our MSM now. Put them in their place.

 

[kirky]

Prime Minister wasn't interested.

And Howard never had any balls.

Howard is one of Australia's worst PMs (not unsurprising given he was Australia's worst Treasurer - got the economic trifecta!) and Abbott one of the worst as well. Wasted the mining boom on handouts to the middle class and wealthy which the ALP are trying to wind back this election.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Also, being progressive WAS great in the 80s. Mostly because I was five years old and didn't have to pay for it.

Hilariously misjudged comment.

Babies and kids are the most insanely self-centred creatures in the world. They have to be, of course. They're completely helpless, so it's an evolutionary mechanism for getting them through the most vulnerable and dangerous period of their lives.

But of course, good parents know that one of their prime tasks is teaching their child to not be self-centred little shits, and to realise that their later success in life hinges very much on their ability to empathise with others and develop a sense of being part of something much bigger than Numero Uno.

Something we lefties are constantly having to do - try to get supposedly grown up right wingers to stop being so juvenile in their relationship with the rest of the world.

 

[kirky]

Presided over the biggest leap in real incomes and living standards in Australian history? Got us through the asian currency crisis, attracted $1trillion in construction investment and this along with his surplus got us through the GFC.

How about all the structural issues he created in the budget? You know all those unnecessary handouts and concessions which still exist today.

How about their Tax to GDP ratio?

What about sending us to a war? You know with one with the WMDs.

Besides the Gun Control and GST, what actually are their other significant financial and social reforms?

Asian crisis - had minor impact on the world inc Asia. Nothing in comparison like the GFC and 1990/1991 world recession.

Delusional

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Which is a real shame because you seem like a bright and articulate bloke elsewhere, love reading your cricket board stuff in particular.

I know the feeling. On a certain newspaper site I post on, there is one guy who has the most perceptive, funny political insights, and yet is a complete and utter f**head when it comes to anyone who professes to follow the great game of Aussie Rules. Like, an embarassingly stupid persona. Weird.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Not really, Hawke could play cricket, Howard was a physical imbecile. Howard also rode on the changed economy & so we were in a great position to benefit from good world trade conditions that followed the tough 12 months in 1990/91. Howard managed the politics well but didn't really do much else. Wasting our surplus in his giveaways in his last budget, we're still paying for that.

The trick with Hawke was concensus & bringing people along with his ideas. Modernising the economy was done by bringing unions & business together. By giving education & training for people to move out of the losing industries like TFC & expensive inefficient manufacturing. Economic nationalism is a long term failure, tell Trumpy that someone!!

Under Thatcher & Reagan such change was done by force & misery being forced on working people.

The ideologically straight jacket of people like Thatcher, Reagan, Abbott etc from the RW could not understand what Hawke did, be open, positive, inclusive & show you do care. People will cop some pain if they see the benefit coming to them & especially to their kids. And boy did we benefit & still do. But we need another change to kick start us off again.

Thats why the RWNJ fail. They paint pain fear of the left of Oz politics. Its all they have. Negativity & fear is a terrible policy. Thats all they seem to have. It gets us nowhere, like the last 6 years of LNP stupidity masqueraded as leadership. LNP is riven with divisive ideologues. Dummies.

Great post.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

I think Bob will forever be the longest-serving ALP PM in history for two reasons:-

-Australia loses patience with its PMs, and change them more often than I change my underwear (which either says something about how often Australia changes PMs, or how rarely I change my underwear. LOL).

-Hawke actually brought something to the table, unlike the duds Keating, Rudd, Gillard, and Shorten.

Australia doesn't change its PMs, our political parties keep changing their leaders even though we tell them to f*** off and stop being so childish.

Six years ago Labor took concrete steps to arrest the stupidity, and it worked. Hence, Shorten/Plibersek, nothing but loyalty, stability ever since. And probs the keys to The Lodge in about 24 hours.

After mocking Labor mercilessly, the Coalition then went right ahead and tore themselves to bits even more spectacularly, if that is possible.

Finally, at the end of last year, they introduced their own (watered down) version of the Labor leadership challenge rules which have been so spectacularly successful.

A thank you wouldn't have gone astray.

 

[Craven Morehead]

Hmmm, an interesting night at the local Golf Club in Qld's bible/ultra-conservative belt.
Bob's passing was obviously a talking point.
The negativity just gave me the shits.
So I asked about the special green card they had in their wallets?
'Hmm'
How is your super going?
"hmmm'

Yeah, yeah but I remember the 17% interest rates, the bastard!

How is the export trade on cattle, grain etc going with a floated dollar?
"hmmm".

I have locked my door for the first time in years tonight.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Doesn't it have like one of the highest suicide rates in the world?

No-one said it was paradise on earth.

But there are posters on here who seem to believe it doesn’t even exist.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Or handing out $900 to people for no reason, or pink batts.

But keep drinking the Rudd Kool-Aid.

Stimulus packages are recommended by Nobel Prize-winning economists. How do your credentials stack up against them, just out of interest?

The pink batt scheme was a resounding success. An astonishing 8 inquiries failed to turn up anything of substance. CSIRO (you know, scientists) found there were FEWER installer deaths than before the scheme.

But I doubt you’d read that in the Murdoch birdcage liners.

 

[Sainteric]

Stimulus packages are recommended by Nobel Prize-winning economists. How do your credentials stack up against them, just out of interest?

The pink batt scheme was a resounding success. An astonishing 8 inquiries failed to turn up anything of substance. CSIRO (you know, scientists) found there were FEWER installer deaths than before the scheme.

But I doubt you’d read that in the Murdoch birdcage liners.

Context or lack of is what your reaching for. Krudd was a joke the 900 $ to buy a new flatscreen was probably his most stopid decision, that or trusting shifty bill

 

[Sainteric]

Hilariously misjudged comment.

Babies and kids are the most insanely self-centred creatures in the world. They have to be, of course. They're completely helpless, so it's an evolutionary mechanism for getting them through the most vulnerable and dangerous period of their lives.

But of course, good parents know that one of their prime tasks is teaching their child to not be self-centred little shits, and to realise that their later success in life hinges very much on their ability to empathise with others and develop a sense of being part of something much bigger than Numero Uno.

Something we lefties are constantly having to do - try to get supposedly grown up right wingers to stop being so juvenile in their relationship with the rest of the world.

Ceaser is pretty balanced where as your views are very partisan. The alp ran up a massive debt under hawke/Keating.

 

[Black_White]

Great man,
Great Australian.
I knew him when he was PM and he was a very approachable and likeable man, no matter your politics.
I was in his office most days dropping off extracts of the evening before's news.
As the sitting PM he was patron of the ANU Australian Football Club, who I played for, and I had the pleasure of his sporting wit over dinner several times.
Sad day.

Vale Bob.

You are an extremely lucky person to have been so close to greatness.

 

[Black_White]

Stupid old fool. Your prime ministership was a waste of Australia's time.

Except for the gun buyback/laws.
Over his whole prime ministership this alone was his only highlight.
And one we should all be eternally grateful for.

 

[Black_White]

Ceaser is pretty balanced where as your views are very partisan. The alp ran up a massive debt under hawke/Keating.

Hmm...
So when the current Liberal Government came to office (can’t really remember who lead back then...) we had a debt ceiling of 250billion dollars.
The Libs then raised it to 500billion dollars.
Then they passed a law that REMOVED the ceiling. Effectively giving any Government unrestrained spending ability.
The question is, why did the “small Government, no deficit, no spending “ party decide it needed an unlimited spending cap?
Because truth be known, they spent like a drunken sailor in electorates that had a slim margin, and projects like the Air Force fighter planes and the submarines.
Both of which don’t really suit our needs.

 

[Black_White]

Context or lack of is what your reaching for. Krudd was a joke the 900 $ to buy a new flatscreen was probably his most stopid decision, that or trusting shifty bill

How about the Costello baby bonus rort? (Most used the payment for a new...plasma!)

Much more damaging than any “flatscreen” payment. (We used ours towards a spa...)

 

[kirky]

Or handing out $900 to people for no reason, or pink batts.

But keep drinking the Rudd Kool-Aid.

It would be interesting to see a Coalition response to the GFC in 2008/2009 and the worldwide recession of 1990/1991 however we know what happened in the 1981/1982 recession when they were in power - double digit interest rates, inflation and unemployment. The only I repeat the only time this has occurred in our history.

Coalition - supposedly great economic managers when times are good, crap when they aren’t.

Perhaps some of you should do your homework.

The great reformers in Australia are the ALP not the Coalition.

 

[madmug]

Ceaser is pretty balanced where as your views are very partisan. The alp ran up a massive debt under hawke/Keating.

Australian net debt has doubled in the last 6 years. from 174.55bil to 341 bil. That's without any International financial crisis to contend with. Only internal LNP stupidity & backstabbing.

So much for good financial management.