Poor quality of representatives... is not a purely Australian phenomenon - it's a worldwide phenomenon. Bob Hawke More Quotes by Bob Hawke More Quotes From Bob Hawke [John Howard] led the Government. They had the numbers, and just basically automatically went along with the Americans. Bob Hawke government numbers I think there are a number of reasons, not least of which is the personality of the Queen [ Elizabeth II]. It's very easy to underrate her significance. I think she finds the Commonwealth and her position as Head of the Commonwealth infinitely more interesting than being the Queen of England, because she has no significant role in the latter. Bob Hawke queens numbers thinking George Bush Junior [George W Bush] was a religious fanatic, and Tony Blair wasn't far behind in a way. Bob Hawke juniors religious way It had things that it could do and which I thought were worthwhile: one would be South Africa, of course. And, as I said, I assumed a leadership role within the Commonwealth on that. Bob Hawke worthwhile roles would-be One of the features of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings was [that] she [ Elizabeth II] would have a meeting with each of them. You'd have an allotted time. Bob Hawke elizabeth-ii meetings government I had a very close relationship with [Brian] Mulroney. Bob Hawke close-relationship brian I told [ David Lange] he was crazy, because you can't have an alliance relationship if you refuse access to their ships. And the Americans wanted to punish him very severely and I intervened there and softened them somewhat. They wanted to really take some tough, reactive measures to New Zealand. Bob Hawke alliances ships crazy It was the South African Government that has introduced politics into sport by decreeing politically that no non-white person will represent their country. They introduced politics into sport." And Don [Bradman] was a very shrewd old bloke, and he looked at me for about thirty seconds and then he said, "Bob, I've got no answer to that." And that was it. Bob Hawke government sports country As far as we're concerned, there was no sporting organisation [that] should have anything to do with the sport in South Africa. Bob Hawke organisation should-have sports I assumed the leadership within the Commonwealth for the fight against apartheid. I was very much assisted by Brian Mulroney, the Prime Minister of Canada, [and] Rajiv Gandhi, when he became the Prime Minister of India. And there were trade sanctions. Bob Hawke canada india fighting I rang my friend Jim Wolfensohn, who was then running a private commercial bank in New York. I said, "Come up to Vancouver", and he did. I put my proposition to him. He said, "I think it could work." I said, "Will you help us?" He said, "Yes." So, I set aside senior people in our treasury and they worked with Wolfensohn and the investment sanctions were applied. And that's what brought the regime down. The last South African Finance Minister, Barend du Plessis, went on record as saying that it was the investment sanctions that put the final nail in the coffin of apartheid. Bob Hawke senior new-york running It was a remarkable relationship. Margaret [Thatcher] and I had a love/hate relationship. She was always defending the South African regime and we had some terrible fights, including an enormous one in Canada. Bob Hawke canada hate fighting I respected [Margaret Thatcher] enormously. She had great integrity in that respect. Bob Hawke integrity Geoffrey [Howe] and I were mates, and he disagreed with [ Margaret Thatcher] position. So, we cooperated surreptitiously. Bob Hawke mates position I went along with it, and wanted to appoint a significant figure in Malcolm Fraser. I didn't have high hopes that they'd be able to do anything, but something was worth a try. Bob Hawke significant able trying [ Rajiv Gandhi] was very reflective and rueful and regretful about the fact that his children's education...He wanted them to get educated outside of India, but he said to me the only place that he found where they would be safe was in Russia, and he didn't really want them to be educated there! So, I said, "Well, send them to Australia. I'll look after them." And my security bloke went absolutely bloody bananas, and I said, "We'll look after them." But, in the end, he didn't send them. Bob Hawke russia australia children I believe [ Rajiv Gandhi] had a real sense that he would be assassinated. Bob Hawke real would-be believe We had a very good relationship. Very good. I liked [Sonny Ramphal]. I thought he was a genuine man. Bob Hawke genuine good-relationship men I said to my people, "We're knocking apartheid off but we've got to be prepared to assist them." And I sent senior people over there to assist the incoming South African regime to go about the economic plan. Bob Hawke economic senior people The concept there was that the small number of developed countries within the Commonwealth should provide assistance. This was not just financial but personal, providing experts and so on, to assist less developed members of the Commonwealth to get on the growing path. And that was part of what we did with South Africa. Bob Hawke growing numbers country
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