The Howard Years - Episode 1

First episode of The Howard Years just showed on ABC1. Fran Kelly has done an excellent job on it. Some fabulous archive footage. What I found most interesting was how all the Ministers of the time, including Howard himself, were giving their versions of the events of the time and pretty much jockeying to paint a favourable image of their own actions of the day for the sake of history.

Peter Costello comes across as a pretty decent sort of guy. Though quiet in a way and I get the feeling he had a meek personality compared to the gang he was with and so they were able to push him around how they wanted - into the background to a degree. Not so good when one is Treasurer. But a competent and in his own way fairly moral chap.

Peter Reith comes across as a complete idiot or buffoon who hadn't a clue of what he was doing. Watching him I suspect this is a facade to cover what is underneath a pretty sleazy set of actions. And he knows that what he did was questionable morally. There's altogether too much flippancy in his responses.

Downer seems a brown nosing snooty twat. More of him next episode I expect.

Howard himself comes through as a petty man wanting to make up for shortcomings of the past and leave his own personal mark on the country. I get even more the feeling he was happy to abuse the office of PM to push the others around just for his own petty delight. There were times where there was some pretty well practiced lying going on. Perhaps he has lied to himself so many times about some of his actions of the past that he even believes it - but there was a shiftiness to how he was speaking at times.

The back room party men were all far too interested in the power of office and far less interested in behaving decently toward the people of the country.

And the few public servants of the time interviewed - which seem to be Howard's hand picked replacement heads of Departments - were no surprises. Yes men the lot of them it seemed. The politicisation of the Australian Public Service. The beginning of dark days for Australia with the end of frank and fearless advice to ministers.

So - all up - it was interesting and reminded me of many of the apalling events of the time. Howard's disgusting response when interviewed about Native Title stands out as the worst of the selection, but the events of Patricks and the wharves of the day are a dark time from history too.

Next week will be mandatory viewing!