DUCKPOND

Kevin Rudd gave his reply to the budget last night in parliament. What I heard on the radio this morning was at odds with what I remembered. Two things were highlighted by the reports; the plan to have apprentice training in secondary schools and the intention to fix the leaking water pipes. I heard those things but they did not catch my attention. I was struck by Rudd’s reference to the low rate of productivity in the Australian economy, the need to address climate change, and the goal to have flexibility and fairness. I also noted his emphasis on the importance of good management. As for the theatrics, I have never seen before the all the ALP members at its end rising to their feet and applauding. It reminded me of the State of the Union.

There was a reference to ” great American president who said. ‘ the time to repair the roof is when the sun shines”. It turns out that this quote was made by John F Kennedy, which in turn reminds me of his speech at the American University in Washington on 10 June 1963. Jeffrey Sachs makes references to this speech in his third BBC Reith Lecture. I am sure that the reporters of the time would have headlined the decision to ban atmospheric nuclear testing, or at least the recognition by Kennedy of the losses experienced by the Soviet Union in the Second World War, which was the part of the speech that made the greatest impression on Khruschev.

And yet, if this YouTube replay of portions of that speech is any guide, and certainly those aspects quoted by Jeffrey Sachs, what was headlines then are not history now. Now the emphasis is on Kennedy’s strategy for peace. Listen and you can hardly ignore the discordant notes with the current incumbent’s belligerency:

Speeches are the measure of statesmanship. In this case, as Jeffrey Sachs, said the speech helped bring about the peace. It is believed to have been written by Theodore Sorenson.

Postscript:

James Farrell , at Troppo, sets the ball rolling with respect to the Rudd reply to the budget, which opens the conversation with respect to content and the positioning among key voter groups. Personally, I find it hard to go past workplace fairness and climate change, although the low level of productivity is interesting.