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.
I say Dismayed, I’ve noticed that in your predictable bursts of negativity you’ve managed to clutter up the blog again today with your pessimistic, defeatist forecasts and suspicions. including the “end of life as we know it”, “right wing extremists are the most dangerous thing to happen in the world,” “cons all aspire to Robber Barons” “very nasty trolling”, ” the arsehole dutton” , “warmongers get their way”. etc. etc and the list goes on.
A quiet word of advice mate; you should try to exercise your seventh cranial nerve more often. That’s the one that invigorates and stimulates the muscles that allow you to smile.
Have a quick peekaboo in the mirror during the exercise; you may not recognise yourself.
Let us know how you go mate.
Hello all
I hope you are travelling ok Jack
Bella:
took a trip out to the Bremer Canyon last weekend. Incredible place. Saw dozens of orcas and one vey large bull sperm whale. The orcas are incredible. They are matriarchal and matrilineal. They also retain and pass on all of the culture and hunting knowledge. From what i can work out the males are just kept around to provide services on demand. Milton will be off converting to a religion that let’s him come back as an orca now. The Canyon is a wild place about 50kms out into the southern ocean – running 5m swells last week. We really need to protect it though.
I can live with that SimonT! On other more important matters… no I wont go there. I’m guessing you’ve been busy roughing it around the Mediterranean?! If you have, and ventured there, how’s Greece and the islands for travellers?