Howard and Costello...
Is it just me or is everyone reminded this week of the leadership battle between Paul Keating and Bob Hawke?
Around the mid nineties we were having these same discussions about when Keating should ascend the leadership. After everyone pretended for a while that all was well within the Labor cabinet, it quickly descended into an ugly leadership challenge…and didn’t that go well?
Keating won the battle with Hawke but lost the war with Australia…and where are they now???
The battle between John Howard and Peter Costello is pretty similar. In the dying days of Alexander Downers short reign they were both eyeing off the leadership. The way the story goes, John Howard asked Peter Costello for a free shot at the leadership, the opportunity to avoid a party room vote. In the same meeting, Mr Howard said he only wished to serve two terms as Prime Minister and would be happy to hand over the reigns to his deputy in good time…
12 years later, Peter Costello is still waiting in the wings. After years of gentle needling over the deal, he and his supporters have decided to make their move, regardless of whether it damages the government apparently.
Mr Costello is trying very hard to look like the good guy in the debate. He wants everyone to know he has never told anyone about the conversation with John Howard, that he’s only speaking about it now because others have brought it up..
He has repeatedly made the point that when Mr Howard failed to hand over the leadership, he didn’t sulk, but got on with the job of running the nations economy.
But where to now for Howard and Costello? They have backed themselves into a very tight corner. Clearly they can’t stand each other.
Bottom line though, John Howard is still the boss….and therefore, the ball is really in Peter Costello’s court…
While he says this is not a leadership challenge, if it’s not, then what is it? Peter Costello was supposed to fly to Africa today…he’s cancelled that trip…
He and Mr Howard will have to face each other in the party room today and I guess it can only go one way. Peter Costello will have to challenge for the leadership or move quietly to the back bench…
Around the mid nineties we were having these same discussions about when Keating should ascend the leadership. After everyone pretended for a while that all was well within the Labor cabinet, it quickly descended into an ugly leadership challenge…and didn’t that go well?
Keating won the battle with Hawke but lost the war with Australia…and where are they now???
The battle between John Howard and Peter Costello is pretty similar. In the dying days of Alexander Downers short reign they were both eyeing off the leadership. The way the story goes, John Howard asked Peter Costello for a free shot at the leadership, the opportunity to avoid a party room vote. In the same meeting, Mr Howard said he only wished to serve two terms as Prime Minister and would be happy to hand over the reigns to his deputy in good time…
12 years later, Peter Costello is still waiting in the wings. After years of gentle needling over the deal, he and his supporters have decided to make their move, regardless of whether it damages the government apparently.
Mr Costello is trying very hard to look like the good guy in the debate. He wants everyone to know he has never told anyone about the conversation with John Howard, that he’s only speaking about it now because others have brought it up..
He has repeatedly made the point that when Mr Howard failed to hand over the leadership, he didn’t sulk, but got on with the job of running the nations economy.
But where to now for Howard and Costello? They have backed themselves into a very tight corner. Clearly they can’t stand each other.
Bottom line though, John Howard is still the boss….and therefore, the ball is really in Peter Costello’s court…
While he says this is not a leadership challenge, if it’s not, then what is it? Peter Costello was supposed to fly to Africa today…he’s cancelled that trip…
He and Mr Howard will have to face each other in the party room today and I guess it can only go one way. Peter Costello will have to challenge for the leadership or move quietly to the back bench…
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