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I’ve had the pleasure of sitting next to five Australian PMs at dinner in my lifetime.... and the one I would choose to sit next to again and again and again was #BobHawke - always made the person sitting next to him was the MOST important person. Vale Hawkie. 1/2
2/3.... maybe, I might go on... first time I sat next to him was at the 25th anniversary of the saving of the Franklin. Of course Brown was there but #BobHawke stoke the show... for Hawke it was all about those around him. He made me feel like I could do anything that night.
A couple of years after I left Parliament I was in an airport lounge and heard in that classic raspy voice “Premier, Premier.... “ called across the room. It was #BobHawke... shit I thought, he’s lost it... doesn’t know I haven’t been Premier for 3 years... 4/5
I sat down ready to explain to him and he said... it’s ok, I prefer the American tradition of calling Presidents by their title for life... oh said: Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure to see you... 5/6
My Prime Minister... the greatest, in my view, that Australia has ever had... and the best dinner companion of any of them by a long shot... #BobHawke 6/7
Which brings me to Hawke’s extraordinary ‘charisma’ and his ability to steal the moment while making everyone around him feel better and bigger and more capable.... I don’t know @billshortenmp really well, we’ve met on a few occasions but never worked closely together 7/8...
But I have this story about @billshortenmp which gives me huge confidence that he will be a Hawke like PM.... 8/9....
After I had left politics - with some baggage to carry - I found myself in Parliament House, Canberra for work. Most of my former colleagues gave me a cursory glance and realising I really had not much to offer them - feather duster that I was by then - moved on..... 9/10...
But @billshortenmp, who I had met a few times only, spotted me across the Great Hall, traversed the distance deliberately and approached me... “Hello David, how are you? How are you going outside of politics? How is your young family?” Kindness, respect, authenticity. 10/11....
It was in that moment I recognised a quality that I had seen in none of the other 4 PMs I had sat next to at dinner.... genuine capacity to care about others, authentic interest in others and an ability to make those around them feel special, feel capable... 12/13
Vale #BobHawke.... but I think and hope that in the next 48 hours we may have a new PM that will blossom, with the inherent traits of kindness and care, into a great. Vale Bob. Go @billshortenmp
