There's something about the current political situation in Australia that feels eeerily familiar. A right-leaning party, with a remarkably boring frontman, has just been exchanged for a left leaning party called "Labor" (forgive the American spelling, they don't mean it) with a very media-savvy frontman. The right leaning party has been pulled up on interest rates and other issues with mortgage holders. The leader of the left party takes great pains to appear good-humoured, friendly and trustworthy, and appears on every available TV programme. Anyone who knows politicians can tell he's having to try very hard.
Throughout this whole process I find myself trying to remember why I liked the idea of Tony Blair taking over in '97, and why I now find the man, and his legacy in the Labour (note correct spelling) Party so distasteful now. I wait with anticipation to see if I hate Kevin Rudd as thoroughly in 10 years' time as I do Tony Blair now. If anyone can summarise a decade of political history in Britain for me in the comments I'd appreciate it. Maybe we can warn Australia when the right time could be to rid themselves of their new Tony. On the other hand, maybe Rudd and Australia have a bright future together, and Tony Blair is a problem for Britons alone. I hope so.
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6 comments:
A decade of political history for Matt.
At the start of the decade Matt left college and began the drugery of long term employment. In the years that would follow it became apparent to Matt that Tony Blair was a bounder.
The end.
Alec
Probably fair. Though as you're an Irishman, doesn't he qualify as a bounder by being British?
True, true we can't be forgetting those EIGHT hunnnndred years of oppression.
Ergo, Tony Blair is a bounder.
I concede the point.
Throughout my time in London, Mr Blair seems to have been a constant, boring(sorry) talking point. I've been wondering, these last few months, what ye were all going to discuss now that he has faded from the political scene; the weather, real ale, cricket, plumbers etc. It looks like Australia has saved the day by electing this Rudd chap. The English can continue to vilify Blair ad nauseam.
I wish I'd written this post when I was sober now, it would have been muhc more light-hearted then... True, we do bang on about him a lot. I think people banged on about Thatcher a lot too. If Brown hangs around you'll be bored of him pretty soon for some reason. And it'll be a new reason why, cause politics is changing all the time, all over the world. But it'll still be boring. I just thought there were some interesting parallels.
Interestingly, this Rudd chap actually seems to think he can make a difference, and be open and up-front about it. For example, he's sent all his MPs to their constituencies to see one Govt-funded school and one private school, over the next two days, so they can find ways to reform education. It's very media friendly, but it all seems very honest. I hope he means it, and I feel like he does. But I felt like that in 1997. I think everyone our sort of age just felt a bit let down, precisely cause 1997 felt like it was such an exciting new thing, after 18 years (my whole life at the time) of Conservative government. So our entire age group went through the same thing, and so probably talked about it in the same way, over and over again. There must have been something similar in Ireland. Maybe you take it, or more likely, yourselves a bit less seriously over there? Or maybe that's just a stereotype I shouldn't be encouraging?
Let's talk about Real Ale instead. I really like this little pub in the Rocks - The Lord Nelson. Turns out the Aussies make good beer, just like they make good cricket.
Hmm,
I'm reading through my comments and realizing that I've been a bit rude. I didn't intend to be dismissive of your political views or politics in the UK.
I've just got a bit of baggage from my time in the UK. Many people, whom you and I both knew, resented Blair from the moment he came into office. I gradually became aware that the dislike did not stem from his political views or his accomplishments but rather because of his moderness. They wanted a leader who was antagonistic to Europe and rude to America, who holidayed in Boggner Reages, fawned over the Queen and made bellicose speeches in parliament. At its core it was mere shallow snobbery and I was never quite sure enough of myself to call it as I saw it to their faces. And here I go three years later trying to bury my pathetic ax into someone completely different, a scholar and a gentleman. I've made a bit of an ass of myself.
That's nonsense - the first comment was a bit abbreviated, but did point out that I hadn't really said what it was I didn't like about Blair.
Personally I'm glad we had a modern leader, and Brown feels like a step back. I'm concerned that we're so closely tied to America, but the situation in Iraq notwithstanding, in general it's probably to our benefit. I think Blair did a lot for politics in the UK, but rather outstayed his welcome. I also agree that the UK, and particularly the student population of the UK, has more than its fair share of ill-informed, shallow, opinionated people. You should have told them they could shove it. If I'd been there at the time I'd have joined in.
And I do think Rudd's a step forward for Australia. I guess I hope he's not going to outstay his welcome. And it'll be interesting to see how the Liberal party respond, and how long it takes for them to get someone in who represents their views in a similarly modern way. An Australian David Cameron, I mean.
And aside from anything else, it's nice to have a proper discussion in the comments box!
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