Well, the rumour-mill is off and chugging again that Alexander Downer is about to quit, and some have drawn a similar inference about Peter Costello from his antics in a Budget-day interview.
At times like this, one could almost – almost – regret that the ALP turned away from Communism. Just think, it would be off to the salt mines now for Dolly and Tip!
But seriously, what will the former triumvirate of Howard, Costello and Downer do with their long retirements?
Were I in their position, despite the ignominious nature of their departure, I would feel duty-bound to consult and assist a party that had given me so much. Let’s face it, the blogging backstabbers and chair sniffers need all the help they can get, and if there’s one thing the outgoing team know, it’s how to win elections.
Howard already seems motivated to keep his hand in with the party, offering Nelson the two-edged sword of his support. But will Costello and Downer be similarly inclined?
It doesn’t seem to be the Liberal way. Fraser turned against his old party long ago, Kennett seems to have abandoned the Victorian Liberals to their fate and the last NSW Liberal Premier Nick Greiner lately won’t lift a finger to help his former colleagues either. Too much of the individualist ethos, perhaps? It’s quite a contrast to Labor’s political culture which tends to lionise vanquished heroes and keep them close.
No, it seems more likely that Dolly and Tip will write their memoirs and go for directorships and the speaking circuit.
Still, their retirements will have other consolations. They’ll be able to dine in five-star hotels on their pensions. Fly around Australia on a whim. Still get to mingle with VIPs at receptions and functions. Then off to the Gentlemen’s Club, to recline in leather armchairs, puff cigars, sip cognac under a portrait of the Queen, and reassure each other that, even if their glory days are behind them, at least they’re not “elites”. A toast to that, eh what?
I think its always a case of Les Dolly-Folies Bergere, retired or not.
http://www.foliesbergere.com/
WESTERN STORY
L’association MUSICAL présente La fresque la plus cadencée du Far West. Une comédie musicale qui plonge ses spectateurs dans une histoire aux airs de western spaghetti [politician]
samedi 31 mai 2008 à 20h30
Doubtless we will get a ‘liberal’ dose of ‘une histoire revisioniste’ when Dolly writes his memoires.
Costello is fundamentally unemployable – we got another taste of that on the TV last night. There is simply no way you’d want him anywhere near a position where he had to deal with other people. Nasty, passive aggressive and possibly sociopathic.
Dolly, on the other hand, could become governer general of the Solomon Islands. I can just see him with a sweat, dressed in a linen suit on the balcony of a Raffles style colonial house being fanned by a darkie with a palm frond, gin and tonic in hand.
Oh, and Howard will have another tilt at leadership of the Liberal party after he gets parachuted into Higgins.
Surely you jest, David!
But your portrait of Governor Dolly in the tropics rings true. Perhaps David Flint could be his batboy? They’d be just the pair to gee up those lazy natives
And from your description of Costello’s state of mind, he sounds eminently employable as CEO of an investment bank, or possibly Telstra?
Mercurius – Allan Moss isn’t a sociopath and is quite pleasant in person (despite having a killer instinct). Costello is a mirror image of a successful investment banker: all snarl and no substance. Running Telstra, however, is probably the perfect gig for him if you wanted to destroy it.
I’m serious about Howard – he genuinely misses it, he keeps popping up on my TV giving me the willies. I’ll bet his stupid colleagues would even give him another run just to keep Turnbull out of the way.
It was nice of Costello to remind the Libs of the favour he did them when he rejected the crown.
Reckon they should be puty on Newstart instead of a parliamentary pension. Then the Rudd Government6 could cut them off and leave the bastards on the street to starve, the way H,C, and D did to many Australians.
You can bet you bottom dollar if these guys havent retired to line up with McGauran – they just havent got any offers.
Dolly’s supposed to be setting up a pr consultancy with Natasha Stott-Despoja’s hubby…
Did I hear my tummy roll or what!? That nice Leninist who lives down the road from me has summarised the Costello matter,accept he maybe attuned to Burma.Brothers are sometimes like that,in the face of danger and despair.So as much as I dont like either of them… they are brothers,stated for my comrade! As for Downer,he is getting into plastic bag Futures.Always a trendy at heart,the Downer has been making craft based plastic bag… fish net stockings,you can wear them now,all the way to Christmas.
No matter how much he misses it, there’s no way he’d agree to stand for a Victorian seat.
I would have thought that Tip’s offerings the other day would lend weight to the thought that he may just decide to change his mind about a post-parliamentary career shortly before the next election.
Kim @ 9,
That would be the one Ian Smith. As right wing as you can get and aside from I personally losing respect for Natasha after hearing that, The Advertiser gives BOTH he and Downer a regular column in each Monday’s paper to spew their anti-left/Labor bile.
Hence another reason why I hardly ever buy that paper anymore and stick to The Independent Weekly. Hendrik Gout now that’s a former Democrat with something about them.
Lord Dolly the Downer’s apoplectic visage and sense of righteous entitlement won’t have been helped during Tuesday’s PMQ. Iron Eyed Julie’s first question was being answered, and interrupted by Oppostion points of order, when the Speaker admonished “If the Member for Mayo has a Point of Order let him make it. Otherwise he will remain silent.”
Imagine the lese majesty of that affront to One Born to Rule?