William Gethin Jones’s Reviews > Paul Keating: The Big-picture Leader > Status Update

-Competition? Several wanted to challenge but never did
-PK had lots of baggage, lots seen him as arrogant
-Election called early 96, polls neck and neck but fluctuated, PK catches up, JH seen as reliable, RW received letter (fake) this is the end, press conference but JH denies and leads the a stall and the great defeat that followed, landslide election, main problem the longevity in office

-Relationship with Indonesia, defence agreement,
-Keating and Blair, how he impacted New Labour
-His turn away from day to day politics was his end, his antipathy towards the media after 93 was the end, chance in appearance in parl also seen as his greatest powers limited

-Republic commissions started, talks to Queen, trying to lead nation to an Australian future, plan: Parliament chooses president, referendum planned before 01
-94 economic recovery, Working Nation, long term unemployed, yet rises 4 time interest rates
-Creative Nation, a historical approach, Racial Hatred Bill
-Still disliked by public seen as arrogant, big picture yet ignorant of the small factors that got Pk ther

-93 budget disaster
-Dawkins resigns replaced by Willis
-Reform of pay policy, no longer one suit fits all

-Redfern, political capital spent, trying to recon with ab grievances, settle on land titles, pastroral leases, historic yet may have cost election in 96, cajoling and shaming to pass senate and agreement with ab

-Lizard of Oz
-View of history, questioning classical view, Menzies, where does Aust lie?
-One Nation, war against Fightback!, PK in parl, attacks and famous phrases, GST a vice around JH’s neck
-ON overestimates economic comeback, deficit skyrockets, economy in bad shape, question not who broke but who will fix
-Polling improving, shaky, PK leading, attacking, galvanising his troops

-APEC
-Push to creat economic forum for Pacific leaders
-Seen as greatest foreign policy success
-Now annual, lasting legacy

-Fightback! BH ineffective in combatting, opinion poll slide, caucus turning away, New Federalism party not interested, most advise BH to resign in honer and not lose
-PK plan to quit in jan 92, canvassing media supportive, believed only one chance and missed
-Dec 19th parl recold to debate bill, PK and followers strike, ballot held, 56-51
-PK PM, no new in cab but moved around, big picture, employment and inflation

-1990 recession, interest rates too low then raised too quickly, 1990 budget too optimistic, surplus still but slashed
-Microeconomics, telecom, privatisation
-Kirribilli agreement renegaded by BH, Dec, seen as the beginning of the end
-Gulf War, gave BH more time
-May challenge from PK comes, believes BH should have stepped aside because of KA, BH wins 70-40 ish, PK on bb, resigns