And, so what? He supported the US, good move Bob given some of the loonies in Labor at the time.

The man's dead. There are plenty of live scoundrels to complain about. Even though Hawke was Labor, and his private life and drinking were nothing to write home about , he deserves to be remembered as one of our better PMs - he actually had beliefs and values.

My contempt for Hawk followed by Keating, holds no bounds, as they say.

It’s hard to disguise the word “drunk”.

Between the two, aspirations of the working classes were lowered to the level of casual shifts at Maccas, and a business model of coffee shop proprietor.

Another pair of traitors that missed their calling and final moment against a brick wall in front of a firing squad, as productive entertainment for the public before the Saturday football match.

Dan

diver,
>Between the two, aspirations of the working classes were lowered to the level
>of casual shifts at Maccas, and a business model of coffee shop proprietor.

How so?

Bob Hawke remains one of Australia's most
beloved leaders. He achieved so much during
his tenure as PM. He launched Australia's
first affordable, universal system of health
insurance, struck an industrial relations
agreement with unions, outlawed gender
discrimination in the workplace, passed a law
that enabled the government to protect world heritage
sites from threatening actions. He revolutionized
the Australian economy, and much more.

He was a staunch ally of the United States - but
looked after our interests first and foremost.

And he was valued and respected by them.

A US informant? Nah, not our Bob! He knew how to play
the game to our advantage - not theirs.

Aidan

Since it appears you wish to contradict my opinion, the obligation is on you to prove your own point, not for me to defend my own conclusions based on close personal experiences applicable to my own life.

The floor is yours.

Dan

Whatever Binoy, the "Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge" Pommy Uni forelock tugger, Dislikes, must be good.

Ergo, Bob did good.

Don't know anything about that and a dead man cannot defend himself or reveal any possible inaccuracies?

What I do know is the man publicly confirmed his one major regret as policy while in government. And that was we did not become the world's major repository for the world's nuclear waste. And reap the huge financial reward that that would entail.

An opinion I share, for somewhat different reasons, namely we could use that material as largely unspent fuel in MSR nuclear technology and grant ourselves possibly thousands of years worth of virtually free energy!

And with the right economic template, i.e., cooperative capitalism. grow an economy way too large for any aggressor to threaten let alone take! And on the back of that energy, always providing it is not asked to carry ether passengers or drones, i.e., governments using it as their personal ATM or double-dipping via totally dumb front loading taxes etc-etc!

Instead, leave it virtually free and managed by super-efficient co-ops, even if the government need to facilitate and fund their existence

And given all that is so? Thereby ensure a recovery so large that even a trillion or two in debt will simply disappear in the massive economic growth that will surely follow!
Alan B.

Yes, he drank an oft-times to excess! So what, he wasn't a violent drunk and had his habits were reflected in many working-class households. And way too easy in a climate that gets as hot as ours every summer in most of Australia!

Moreover, Dan, nobody is claiming he was in his private life, a bloody saint! And reportedly, inclined to dip the wick on too many occasions? And not alone in that regard? Even so, one of the better PMs of recent years!

Two inebriated gentlemen walking home down a railway line, after a night on the town.

Bloody long shtaircase Bob! Yesh Bill. And bloody low banishishters ash well!
Alan B.

Alan. I sense you put too much Thorium on your weeties today.

Concerned.