Extract from The Guardian
Countries such as Australia would be “silly” not to pick up on the self-interested ideology of Donald Trump, the former Labor prime minister Paul Keating has said.
Speaking at the University of Melbourne for the launch of his biography – the first he has cooperated on in more than 20 years – Keating also said that while Australia should understand Trump, it should not blindly follow the lead of the US.
“You’ve got to know what Donald Trump’s policy is,” Keating said.
“He sees the the general international responsibility the US has taken on since 1947 as being too large a burden on the US. It’s too unfair an impost, relieving obligation on countries like Japan, Germany, and ourselves and he is therefore saying: ‘It’s our turn, it’s the US’s turn to worry about itself.
“That is a pretty appealing message for Americans – to start worrying about themselves. That the US should be thinking about itself on its own terms is a popular notion. How silly would we be not to pick up the message? That the US is refocusing on themselves, not alliances.”
Keating described Australia’s relationship with the US as “a great asset for us”.
But he said “the dullards” in charge of Australia’s foreign policy regarded the relationship with the US as having a sacramental quality.
“What it means is that we’re obliged to consult each other in the circumstances of strategic difficulties,” he said.
“You want a dexterous, mobile, clever foreign policy. Instead we have the dullards basically leading us into the American alliance as though it’s sacrament. Americans will always be important in the Pacific Ocean but if you have a treaty with the US and a long friendship, then it behoves you to think about a policy thats got flexibility.
“But we’ve got this group that says [to the US]: ‘Please don’t let our hand go, please hold on to us’.”
Keating’s comments on Friday came during a discussion with Troy Bramston, the author of his biography, Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader. Keating did not take questions from the media.
The pair discussed political events, and reflected on Keating’s rise to become Australia’s 24th prime minister.
More than two decades ago, Keating laid out his vision of Australia becoming a republic. He described the country’s continuation with a constitutional monarchy as “deeply, deeply, pathetic”.
“Becoming a republic would send the message “that we are a nation confident in ourselves and able to represent ourselves around the world as ourselves,” he said.
“It tells us who we are and what we are. We can’t make our way in the world and be taken really seriously, particularly in these great states like China and India, by saying: ‘By the way, our head of state is the Queen of Great Britain’.”
Keating told the audience that to enter and succeed in public life, leaders needed a “great deal of confidence”.
“I got that from my grandmother, who thought I was the absolute centre of the world,” he said.
“That big investment in love in you carries you along, and I had that.
It’s like the tin suit. You can move on not worrying about incoming missiles. You should have the inner confidence.”
He said it was also important to recognise when more qualified and effective people came along who could do the job better.
“You have to say to yourself: ‘Is it better that I drop back and let someone else get ahead because they have something more to offer than me?’,” he said.
Keating said he had enjoyed the leverage public life had given him along with the ability to “pull big levers”. But he said he had never cut corners during his time in positions of power, and believed that diplomacy was the most effective means of achieving success.
“You move your little finger this much, the world moves that much,” he said.
“Not many people get that chance. But if you get that chance, you’ve got to be aware of the leverage, and with the leverage comes responsibility.”
Speaking at the University of Melbourne for the launch of his biography – the first he has cooperated on in more than 20 years – Keating also said that while Australia should understand Trump, it should not blindly follow the lead of the US.
“You’ve got to know what Donald Trump’s policy is,” Keating said.
“He sees the the general international responsibility the US has taken on since 1947 as being too large a burden on the US. It’s too unfair an impost, relieving obligation on countries like Japan, Germany, and ourselves and he is therefore saying: ‘It’s our turn, it’s the US’s turn to worry about itself.
“That is a pretty appealing message for Americans – to start worrying about themselves. That the US should be thinking about itself on its own terms is a popular notion. How silly would we be not to pick up the message? That the US is refocusing on themselves, not alliances.”
Keating described Australia’s relationship with the US as “a great asset for us”.
But he said “the dullards” in charge of Australia’s foreign policy regarded the relationship with the US as having a sacramental quality.
“What it means is that we’re obliged to consult each other in the circumstances of strategic difficulties,” he said.
“You want a dexterous, mobile, clever foreign policy. Instead we have the dullards basically leading us into the American alliance as though it’s sacrament. Americans will always be important in the Pacific Ocean but if you have a treaty with the US and a long friendship, then it behoves you to think about a policy thats got flexibility.
“But we’ve got this group that says [to the US]: ‘Please don’t let our hand go, please hold on to us’.”
Keating’s comments on Friday came during a discussion with Troy Bramston, the author of his biography, Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader. Keating did not take questions from the media.
The pair discussed political events, and reflected on Keating’s rise to become Australia’s 24th prime minister.
More than two decades ago, Keating laid out his vision of Australia becoming a republic. He described the country’s continuation with a constitutional monarchy as “deeply, deeply, pathetic”.
“Becoming a republic would send the message “that we are a nation confident in ourselves and able to represent ourselves around the world as ourselves,” he said.
“It tells us who we are and what we are. We can’t make our way in the world and be taken really seriously, particularly in these great states like China and India, by saying: ‘By the way, our head of state is the Queen of Great Britain’.”
Keating told the audience that to enter and succeed in public life, leaders needed a “great deal of confidence”.
“I got that from my grandmother, who thought I was the absolute centre of the world,” he said.
“That big investment in love in you carries you along, and I had that.
It’s like the tin suit. You can move on not worrying about incoming missiles. You should have the inner confidence.”
He said it was also important to recognise when more qualified and effective people came along who could do the job better.
“You have to say to yourself: ‘Is it better that I drop back and let someone else get ahead because they have something more to offer than me?’,” he said.
Keating said he had enjoyed the leverage public life had given him along with the ability to “pull big levers”. But he said he had never cut corners during his time in positions of power, and believed that diplomacy was the most effective means of achieving success.
“You move your little finger this much, the world moves that much,” he said.
“Not many people get that chance. But if you get that chance, you’ve got to be aware of the leverage, and with the leverage comes responsibility.”
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