Bob Hawke by Paul Keating

[nero_bolt]

Bob Hawke's nude Prime Ministerial meetings 

PAUL Keating today revealed the delicate etiquette involved in a Treasurer conducting business with a naked Prime Minister.

And for the first time he gave a public evaluation of what might have been called the honourable member involved.

The former Prime Minister was launching the diaries of Gareth Evans, “Inside the Hawke Keating Government” (MUP), an account of the years 1984-86.

Mr Keating used the book to talk about his own place in that period, and to continue his insistence it was him and not then Prime Minister Bob Hawke who kept the Government going.

There were his difficulties with Bob, not least talking to him when he was nude.

“I’d arrive at The Lodge at 10.30 and find Bob sunning himself by the pool,” Mr Keating told a launch audience at the Australian National University where Mr Evans is chancellor.

“He often used to do this nude.

“I did have a few things to say about midgets ... on the occasion, but this is not the occasion for elaborating”.

But that’s what he did, revealing a story which long had been in circulation to illustrate the Hawke/Keating divide, but which he had never before used in public.

“Gareth and I went out there in suits one day, sweating, and there’s Bob in the nude,” he recalled.

“I said, Don’t worry, midgets ...” and gave a hand gestures involving his thumb and index finger extended parallel and close together.

Riffling off the diary’s less strident recollections, Mr Keating argued Mr Hawke was ineffective as Prime Minister between 1984 and 1989, a five-year period in which he said he drove the government’s agenda.

And he was unsparing with his predecessor.

“Bob could cry for Aborigines but he wouldn’t do anything for them,” he said at one point.

Another target was for minister Graham Richardson, with whom he said he clashed over the issue of fixed mortgage rates.

“These people have to realise there is number one and a number two in this place. And Richardson was a number two,” he said.

But he praised Mr Evans’ book, saying there was “an immediacy and an authenticity about it”.

Mr Evans compared the rigorous cabinet meetings of these days with what he knew of meetings in the Abbott government executive.

He said the Prime Minister was first among equals, “but only just”.

“The concept of a captain’s pick or captain’s call, “ he said, referring to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, “just didn’t exist in those days.” 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/bob-hawkes-nude-prime-ministerial-meetings/story-fni0fiyv-122703889...

[debra9275]

here's another that I remember from last year

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/10/05/mps-claimed-rinehart-pals-wedding-trip

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said he'd repaid the money after the Department of Finance told him it could not guarantee he was entitled to it. 

[raptor_rebooted]

and the next time that the usuals on here mention our Lifesaver PM in his surf life saving club uniform of speedos I will bring out this picture again

[i-need-a-martini]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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Comfortable being nude is one thing. Exposing yourself is just plain EEE-EW. Especially for a senior member of government, one would expect a bit of decorum.

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I must have missed the bit where Abbott actually attended the Cancer Centre for any purpose that served the public interests. In fact, his own Ministers pointed out that he was not there to launch anything, unveil anything, grant anything.

And I couldn't give two hoots if Hawke OR Abbott want to run around in the nud. Their business in private in their place of residence.

I suspect the main reason that Abbott has come under fire for showing up in his Speedoes is that we (now) know that all those Speedo photo opts where he pretended to be volunteering/competing were paid for by the taxpayer. That's what got on peoples wicks.

[polksaladallie]

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@icyfroth wrote:

While we seem to have seized on the men in budgie smugglers theme, I think the point of this thread is the sheer hypocrisy of  Labor party faithful who can indulge the outrageous behaviour of a  Labor PM, while condemning a Liberal PM for the smallest error of judgement.

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You acknowledge this?

[karliandjacko]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

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Comfortable being nude is one thing. Exposing yourself is just plain EEE-EW. Especially for a senior member of government, one would expect a bit of decorum.

---

I must have missed the bit where Abbott actually attended the Cancer Centre for any purpose that served the public interests. In fact, his own Ministers pointed out that he was not there to launch anything, unveil anything, grant anything.

And I couldn't give two hoots if Hawke OR Abbott want to run around in the nud. Their business in private in their place of residence.

I suspect the main reason that Abbott has come under fire for showing up in his Speedoes is that we (now) know that all those Speedo photo opts where he pretended to be volunteering/competing were paid for by the taxpayer. That's what got on peoples wicks.

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The Peter Mac Institute have to send staff to front the TURC this week.   Perhaps some urgent coaching was required.

There was an outstanding claim for underpayment worth millions.  They paid $250,000 to Kathy Jackson and the case didn't proceed.  

[nero_bolt]

[lightningdance]

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@*julia*2010 wrote:

and the next time that the usuals on here mention our Lifesaver PM in his surf life saving club uniform of speedos I will bring out this picture again

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Well why don't you write to the Surf Life Saving Clubs of Australia and demand that they ban the uniform they have been wearing since Speedo donated this Iconic swim wear to the cause of community service.

Not to forget "saving lives" or is that too much for your eyes to gander at? you'd rather post your Abbott  hating pictures on here and call it comment.

[lightningdance]

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@nero_wulf wrote:

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priceless, thanks for posting 🙂

[nero_bolt]

So good ol’ Bob Hawke had a predilection for getting his gear off? Hmmm, tell us something we don’t already know.

Bob always thought it looked better out after a few beers and the stories are many and quite comical, particularly those emanating from my old drinking hole, the ANU Bar at closing time, which was any time the next day.

At a Canberra Press conference Bob had sworn off alcohol in preparation for his stint as PM and I recall a cartoon I drew the following day: Bob was reading the headlines at breakfast with Hazel and saying, “Bloody hell, I must have been **bleep** saying something like that!”

As likable as Bob was, he is, and remains still, an alcoholic. But you have to admire his candidness and his dedication to dousing the demon that stood between him and high office.

But Bob was never a nasty drunk, he was funny and adventurous when tanked and how he remains alive is a still a mystery.

Often, after Bob had quaffed his 17th beer at the ANU bar, his clothes had disappeared and he was scrambling on to the roof warbling “Solidarity Forever”. No-one could coax him down except for the members of the local Canberra fire brigade who promised never to disclose the regular incidents, and they never did.

After another late session on the slops, and again without a stitch on, Bob had decided to go swimming in the ANU fish pond. It was a well executed dive but unfortunately the pond was no deeper than six inches and Bob had left half his chest and thighs on the concrete base. He was a bloody mess but apparently had felt nothing as he conducted an interview on Channel 9 a few hours later, with his eyebrows independently moving up and down in earnest thought.

How times have changed. I can’t imagine the Press ignoring any similar antics performed by PM Abbott.  Hmmm.

But Whitlam was a different kettle of fish. He was the inscrutable egoist who never duelled with the demon drink and never ventured where we mug lairs go. He even sued me for drawing a tiny ----- on his flabby frame. I always drew Gough covered in band-aids and his ------ on the yearly calendar was no exception. But he had claimed the band-aids suggested a social problem and was determined to drain me of $500,000.

He eventually dropped the writ. Apparently Gough was not as keen as Bob to expose exhibit A to a full courtroom.

It’s a shame media have lost the art of reporting rough and tumble politics.

But to be fair they have recognised the gravity of someone who may have punched a wall some 35 years ago.

[debra9275]

Who cares? He was PM about 25 years ago lol