A week ago today, I attended the memorial for Bill Leak at the Sydney Town Hall.
As I scanned the crowd, an eclectic group of people who had known Bill one way or another, I had to ask where were the Labor people? Where was Shorten, Plibersek or Dreyfus?
In the wake of the 2004 election, with the Howard government enjoying a majority in both houses, there was no opposition in the parliament. For at least two years, the worst part of Coalition MPs’ days was opening up The Australian and flipping to Bill Leak’s cartoon, to see another hilarious lampooning of their leader.
I would have thought some of the Labor people might have made an appearance simply out of gratitude for those dark days. It bothers me they stayed away and it speaks of a faddish clannishness the old Labor people would regard with contempt.
Bill Leak embraced everyone he met. Ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, it didn’t matter. He genuinely enjoyed the company of people but it was more than that. If he spied someone feeling awkward or a bit uncomfortable, Bill would bound up and make a fuss of them. He not only had the ability to make people feel special but he brought a sense of fairness and equity to any table.
It is a politician’s gift but Bill was not on the ballot. He wasn’t trying to sell anything. He simply loved people.
Full column here.
Honestly, Jack I don’t think Bill’s service missed anything by the absence of the self-righteous haters that now form the political vanguard of the left. Their po-faced piousness, despising of the free expression for which Australia was once admired – and which Bill exemplified – would have been a bum note in an otherwise excellent gathering.
Once upon a time you would find the worst examples of their brand of high-handed pomposity sitting on the front pews of churches; better-dressed than other parishioners; inclined to tut-tut louder at tales of moral turpitude; and practised at ostentatiously placing more in the collection plate than others, whilst pretending modesty.
Today those self-aggrandising displays can be seen in the conspicuous compassion, rowdy moralising and shock-horror hand-to-mouth guilt-tripping of greenies, same-sex marriage fanatics and multi-cultists of every other persuasion.
F*ck ’em. Who needs them? Fred Pawle quotes Bill, when asked if he had lost any friends from the left over the years: “Yes, I have. And I’m glad because life is a whole lot easier without the pricks.”
Nobody hate better than Labor and the Left
Haters gotta hate.
No not true JS. “Nobody hate better” than Liberal and the right – they’ve all obtained a conmans degree in making shit up to mask their natural contempts for society’s battlers.
Guys like Morrison, Corrman, Brandis, Pyne & Turncoat are despised by most Australians for good reasons.
For Australias sake wake-up to them man, Bella
Bella, one just has to read the biographies of a few Labor people to realize what goes on internally and externally with them.
We have two choices in this country – leave things as they are and end up an economic basket case or get the budget under control.
Labor folklore is that the Libs are targeting those at the bottom – I do not think that this is 100% true.
Everybody needs to take a haircut but there is so many mantras out there..
One of our core problems is the cost of housing and other real estate.
Talk to the local butcher and his two main out of control costs are rent and power.. The result is higher meat prices.
Housing is caused by too much demand.
The demand is caused by high immigration, foreign ownership and investors chasing capital returns.
Who is being targeted by Labor – the investors.
Both sides of politics are prepared to sacrifice the long term economic well being of the younger generation to suit other aims which are encased in the first two.
The young are being sucked dry by high rents.
As people realize that the economic picture being painted by all and sundry is just gloss, they are turning to other parties.
It’s just not the Libs Bella – it is most of them.
Perhaps you should have a look at the outcome of survey today of a large group of economists of which a greater proportion believe the Capital Gains Concessions doled out by your boy Teflon John is causing housing speculation. That is, pushing prices up. Removing negative gearing for all but new homes and leaving those already in the system untouched is hardly “targeting” investors. It allows all the opportunity to “invest” in New build homes. Why should taxpayers subsidise deliberately loss making investments? There is an apartment glut in Victoria and to lesser extent in NSW. Electricity prices have Doubled since the removal of the ETS. the entire energy system is being gamed by a cartel of Fossil fuel companies who are artificially keeping pries high. As usual your myopic view does not allow you to see anything other than what you want to see. Must be tiring living in your echo chamber. You are living in Oaky Oaks with Yvonne.
Nice to know that you believe the rubbish dished up by self-serving economists and published in the daily press.
If you knew anything about the truth rather than propaganda, you would realise that the capital gains regime that the current one replaced had a clause to adjust the the gains for inflation. Long term investors are actually worse off under the new scheme.
Also in your regurgitating wisdom, would you like to explain how you would get rid of the so called capital gains concessions on one asset class?
The other factor is that many ( I do not know how much) of the houses are bought in SMSF’s. They only pay 15% anyhow.
I admit to reading every book the great Bob Brown’s ever published but really couldn’t be bothered with all the other stupefyingly boring pollies efforts to sell their stories, but I take your word for it JS.
As for this deficit, can someone please tell me how this crop of perks cheaters have blown it out by 200B+ yet still lay the blame on Labor for their inability to understand basic accounting?
Labor aren’t making-up ‘folklore’ about funding cuts to the poorest here JS, the haircuts you speak of are just NOT HAPPENING to the big end of town, in fact, I hear they’ve not finished our new hairstyles yet!
All whilst the corporates are expecting 50+ B dollars for just, well, just being rich. I say cancel it cos ‘trickle down’ is the biggest load of spin yet. Prediction: profits up, jobs static, big fail for the minions.
If we’re talking investment property portfolios mate, if I EVER hear manic Morrison say ” Negative Gearing is now on the table” I swear I’d go all giddy like a schoolgirl & run naked down the main street. That’s how certain I am it’ll never happen!
They’re ALL too greedy for words.
Regards, Bella
Just touching back on fascinating tomes by politicians, I saw a few of Tony Abbott’s ‘Battlelines’ in a bargain bin at the local bookshop. Discounted to the low, low price of $2.95. Bit pricey don’t you think?
Ahh of course it is all fake news because you don’t like what it says. Get back under your house and come out in another 50 years.
Get over yourself Swantoon. If those you deride had attended you would be all over them like the disgruntled partisan you are, for being hypocrites.
A man has died and here you are with an ego driven rant scoring points and making political mileage from it.
it’s not about you.
Ah, JB. Just the mention of self-important, pious pricks and up you pop.
It’s almost like magic!
And any occasion you can find or invent to vent your bile on the “other” you are onto it.
You’re a frustrated self obsessed wannabe Swantoon and not surprisingly, projecting onto others what you don’t want to own about yourself.
There are others things to do in life than spending it looking for reasons to heap scorn on other people.
Hear Hear JB Give em heaps.
To be fair TBLS, you did quote Bill also saying that his whole outlook and his cartoons changed the day that Kevin Rudd was voted in as Labor PM. Don’t you think it would have been a bit hypocritical for anyone from the Labor Party to turn up knowing the contempt in which they were held? Hopefully my funeral will be a long way off, but I don’t care who turns up so long as it’s a good send off from people who are true friends. My family has no say in it of course, they will have to say nice things about me. Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull being there was fair enough. But having self-serving politicians turn up for anyone’s funeral is a turn off for me.
I don’t want to be on the guest list for mine, but anyone else is free to come.
Maybe theres a a medi bracelet that you can wear advising that upon your death you do not wish to be invited to your funeral?
Likewise – funerals are for the living.
Where families are concerned, the bigger the funeral the bigger the guilt feelings
No, no Penny. You read that totally wrong.
What I did was say that Bill pin-pointed his plummet from grace on the left to the date 24 November 2007; the day when Labor won office under Kevin Rudd, and the day when he switched his focus to the new government, rather than caning the old government of John Howard.
They hated being put under Bill’s blow-torch. As Fred Pawle pointed out, Bill’s approach didn’t change. It was the comrades who hated being the subject of his laser-like gaze and razor-sharp wit.
If I remember correctly, the estrangement was a little later on: Kevin Rudd’s typically opportunistic censoriousness (Rudd was a genuine wowser, however) over Bill Henson’s artworks turned him very much off.
The rest of it came later.
If he’d turned the blowtorch the other way, I expect the reaction would’ve been much the same, too.
OK. I stand corrected TBLS. That will teach me to speed read.
My work has me bogged down at the moment so will have to desist for a while I think. Back in Australia in a couple of weeks , so I will be on the same time zone as most of you. I will read this blog and comment in the morning when most of my students are in bed. Talk to you then
JTI. I know you have lost a mate. I always prefer to celebrate the passing of a life rather than mourn. We know we will all slow down to the point where we no longer move forward in life. We have run our race. We run out of gas. So I believe we should celebrate the steps taken, the paths journeyed the victorious moments and the less than successful times also. they all add up to the sum. Those that have been part of the journey are to be cherished those that have not? so what! They count not. I know it is always hard at times like these. But consider, what positive comes from thinking about who did not show up? They matter not. Some find it hard to know how to respond to others when losses occur. Some question whether they should or should not attend such events. But again what is gained by concerning one about what did not occur when what did occur is where the solace is gained.
Seems Trump may have just learnt that he is not going to be an autocrat.
Brilliance, I’ve gone from 29/30, in the Gryzly, to 30/30. Unless new people join I doubt I could sink any lower. Anywho, beating Tracy is my ambitious goal.
That first place spot eludes me Milt think it’s always because I have a crummy start and it costs me down the line. One can only do ones best.
Manly have (hopefully) got their act together.
I know that some here say that Bleak just wasn’t funny anymore, did he really need to be “funny” to get his point across?
Many of us grew up with Warner Bros cartoons and the brilliance of Chuck Jones and his termite terrace animators, Bugs, Daffy et al, those cartoons were originally made for adults and more often than not they were having a go at the political correctness of the day albeit with manners way more polite than ours.
Humour is a personal thing……….. can’t stand road runner wish that coyote would get the smug little git.
Tweety should have had its head ripped off at least once, Tracy. Bill met Chuck Jones when he was visiting Australia. I’m told Jones et al made a Pepe Le Pew toon that has x-rated frames of Pepe on the job with a skunk or cat. Warner Bros cartoons were shot at 30 frames per second so if these raunchy frames do exist we probably haven’t noticed them.
I say boy. I say boy what you talkin about?
isa chicken hawk an yousa chicken………….. ah say
ahh say ah hates footy tippin
Tracy, I agree. I know Coyote always got the Acme anvil on his head every time, but I really hated Road Runner. I did see a spoof however that when Coyote actuality did catch the Road Runner and ate him, he retired and found God.
Sounds good, also in agreement with Jack re Tweety.
The spoof cartoon which appeared on T Shirts for a time, showed Coyote doing something quite different to the Roadrunner, (coyote style) with the caption, “Let’s hear you beep beep now you bastard.”
Self absorbed, pettiness, a closed mind, along with taking themselves and their position too seriously are probable reasons for current senior labor members not attending. Unless the “vip’s” were invitees. From memory Leak was a keen lampooner of all the political cults, not sparing Abbott, Turnbull, Shorten and so on. Some of the politicians need to look beyond themselves and their ideologies and have a gander at the bigger picture (or cartoon).
Have you done a count over the last 9 years? It is the ONLY way, whether it be journalist’s columns, Toons or whatever. Bill’s Toons were one sided against Labor/the Left…but to be fair Pope, Moir, Wilcox and the brilliant David Roe sketch heavily to the against Turnbull, Dutton, Abbott and Morrison on my count. As many have commented, you see what U wanna see in a cartoon. That said, I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised if Bleak voted Labor.
Of course I haven’t done a count, Bassman. I’ll leave that for people with nothing better to do. But why limit it to9 years? I still reckon Leak was an equal opportunity satirist. And if something came up, that was worthy of his “special treatment”, regardless of the source, I doubt let that chance go by (oh Lord).
Now to borrow from you, it is nearly time for the Bradman!
Well sed Milton well said son
Yes I am right into the Bradman again. Once again all of the weight is on the 14yr old boy’s shoulders. Our bowlers are bowling on the spot…some very bad luck but that is expected for both sides.
Anybody with a brain in their head would have become a very disgruntled Labor supporter from the moment Rudd became PM.
They were just soooooooo baaaaaaddddd!
Likewise, for a Liberal supporter with the current lot.
I wonder what I have done so wrong to have to put up with Shorten as PM during my last years on the planet. The worse case scenario would be having to put up with him on a daily basis along with a slow lingering death.
Enough to drive a man to drink 🙂
Make mine a G&T with a slice of lemon, JS! 🙂
This is a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad government
Great read, Mr Insider, and in this politically correct world where our leaders etc are afraid to do anything larrikin your dear late friend Bill Leak was a breath of fresh air. FGS the world needs some laughs given the bad news we continually hear. Remiss of Labor, as you say, not making an appearance at his funeral or wake, poor form Shorten, another stuffed shirt. We need people who arnt afraid to “fart in church” as it were Mr Insider, people like Bill Leak, may he RIP.
Never saw any thylacines in the wilderness last week, Jack. People down here still talk about them though. Some are convinced they are still around. Looking down on a massive inhospitable and truly wild gorge (Fury gorge) that has apparently never been explored by man – even the Aboriginals when they were around – it’s easy to imagine they could still be around!
I never got to see the funeral – sounds like he got a great send off.
How small-minded and petty that none of the current Labor bench attended. Greens too?
Sheesh, if you cannot laugh at yourself it’s pretty sad.
I perceived that Bleak was honest, insightful, unbiased and illustrated issues exactly as they were. They may have been painful at times to some, but they drilled straight to the heart of the matter. I don’t think I ever saw one that was inaccurate. It all really depended on how one chose to interpret them.
After the warm glass of vin piss i’d be concerned about the irish stew recipe.
Years ago in a place were I worked the xmas party and the subsequent break proved too good an opportunity to pass up for some wags. Most of the oldies on here would know that the phones back then allowed you to unscrew the mouth piece . Those cavities were often filled with prawn shells that were a bit wiffy after 3 or 4 days. All in the spirit of giving I suppose.
The old prawn remnants and juice down the window rubber of the old EH, HR, HT HG, or XW, XY etc. The smell could never be removed. Summer days were especially bad. The old holden kelys used to wear down and you could just about open anything and move them around the car park to freak people out. I used to remove my rotor button to ensure no reprisal if suspected.
Mack the Dinosaur may appreciate this one. I used to take home some polymer (powder form) from the rig for special occasions like a bucks show or the like. When mixed into a bucket with water is turns into a slimy slimy mess. It took copious amounts of liquid to remove with the first several litres just making things worse. One unfortunate shall we say “dancer” became covered when the “buck” saw the slimy concoction stretching out of the bucket heading towards him, he ducked, she shimmied straight into it. Show over. One person was asked to monitor the door during the long long shower, to say he was Dismayed at the appreciation shown is an understatement. ( All parties besides the buck were unfettered at the time of course.)
piss off
Do you want some tissues?
JTI,
I suppose it would be fair to say BLeak (Snr) would attract a Bleak Toon Rating of 3+ !!
While those of the Opposition benches would attract a Bleak Toon Rating of 2- !!