The Sky Bar

*

Old people never vote Labor, Australia's first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard said, or probably said, depending on how much you believed the leak. They were all superficial, antagonistic, utterly incompetent. Labor was on the nose and they knew it. These things, this election form afar, the machinations of politicians in his country of origin, meant less than nothing here. Jack the high camp Washington lawyer who calls everyone dear, is off to Pattya with his boyfriend, who he calls a partner although they only spend a month or two together each year, that Jack who almost no one liked because he had an unerring ability to offend everyone, including Tommy. I've seen how Tommy lives and I don't want to be like that, he had said, referring to Tommy's tendency to wander around. I exercise, he said when he insisted on confronting him after the meeting, I've got a bone to pick with you, and so yes, I'm out about, in the confrontation they had after the meeting. It was all a misunderstanding dear, Jack said, but he doubted that was Tommy's version of events. Tommy was a former co-owner of Studio 54 in New York. He told some colourful tales of living the high life, partying in giant houses, partying with America's rich and famous. His partner of 20 years drank himself to death. Everyone's story is different, he said, after the urge to drink and smoke and obliterate himself came smashing back in. Forty seven days and he wasn't going out there again, but some days, petty frustrations, underlying tow lines, everything combined to bring the world back into focus, the appalling consequence into place, everything combined.

Perhaps it was the call from Baw number one in the morning; when he could hear the boy he had been so obsessed with in a group. Number one friend from Australia, he heard him explain to whoever he was with. The Thais, as he had said before, never came alone. That was the universal bender. That was the place he had thought he would never escape. That truly was the heart of darkness, as they staggered across devastated landscapes. Yet moments had been such fun, and so outrageous, and he had loved spilling out of clubs at dawn just as if he was twenty again, and catching the first shifts of light across the city; or the town, or the beach, wherever it was they were on that epic bender when days would disappear and he would have no memory; his only knowledge the reactions of those around him. Oh my God. And the woman who kept dragging him off to AA meetings, even though he didn't want to go. There was always some time or space to rip apart the heart. Well dear, why don't you just write what the publisher wants, Jack said to Nate, who had written the 1,000 page book he had wanted to write about Pol Pot, and had no intention of bending to the putrid desires of some idiot editor who knew nothing of what she spoke. Art was art and masterpieces were masterpieces. He said. When he spoke out about the shadows. When Aek asked him about The Wire which he was obsessively watching his way through; and he pointed out the words masterpiece, genius, powerful, in their well worn Thai English dictionary.

Jack had punctured all his illusions, as he had a tendency to do with everyone he met, an arch old queen in the old fashioned style, a style of campery, of being gay, that hadn't been around much for decades, escept amongst this little bunch of aging middle aged queens, he could see them now, having their little drinking meets in comfortable restaurants and exclusive bars, keeping track of each other's lonely lives, who was doing what, who was dying now, who had made a fool of themselves falling in and out of love. He had seen them in Sydney; used to catch one of his old bosses in one of those eternal gaggles. They were all working. They all had hearts of stone. They all lived their neat little lives in their neat little apartments. They were all falling apart in the inside, if they had the sensitivity to do so; which many of them didn't. He knew exactly what it was like to sleep with them, dreary deary, and he didn't like any of them if the truth was known. But he was drawn to Jack as if to a gargoyle, and when Shawn, the academic who was a walking encyclopaedia of contemporary culture and could quote the lyrics of rock song classics to you with ease, something suitable for every occasion, every twist of the conversation, when you're torn apart by the forces within you, come on up to the house, and the mean street jargon and the forces of change, and the whispy winds of the sighing dears, there was a right song for every turn of phrase and abnegation. So he rang him and said: I felt like a cigarette so I thought of you. The last one he had being at Coffee Circle where the tables were filled with swishy boys and Shawn smoked his menthols constantly. And Shawn said of Jack: I didn't like him at first, what he said about Robby, but he's a fascinating character, I can see that. I'm not sure if I like him, but he's fascinating. Are you sure, dear, he replied, and they both laughed.

THE BIGGER STORY:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/it-takes-two-to-tango-but-one-to-lead/story-e6frgd0x-1225901825100

FOR the first weeks of the campaign, Kevin Rudd was a shadowy and destructive figure behind Julia Gillard and the party that dumped him.

Now Rudd is out in the open and campaigning for Labor.

Unfortunately for the prime minister, Rudd's campaign is likely to be no less destructive than when he was kept in the background.

Labor now has two "leaders" campaigning against Tony Abbott, one who said the government under Rudd had lost its way and the other one saying the government wasn't perfect but had the policies about right.

Rudd began his campaign yesterday defending his record while Gillard has spent the first 2 1/2 weeks of the campaign walking away from it and "fixing" the issues of asylum-seekers, the mining tax and climate change.

What's more, Rudd made it clear yesterday that he was stepping in to save Labor from losing the election as the Coalition and Abbott slid to victory by default. Losing by default because the new Labor leadership wasn't winning after starting the campaign with a 10-point lead on a two-party preferred basis.

It is confusing and bizarre in the extreme that Rudd, who was so unpopular and seen to be leading Labor to a generational loss, has been wheeled in to save Labor.

Of course, Rudd has declared that he is doing this for the Labor cause, that he has no resentment or anger and he just wants to stop Abbott "tearing up" what his government had achieved.

"My mum taught me years and years and years ago, life's too short to carry around a great bucket-load of anger and resentment and bitterness and hatreds and all that sort of stuff," he said on Phillip Adams's ABC radio program.

"And, she's absolutely right, there is too much to be done.

"The bottom line is I can't just stand idly by at the prospect of Mr Abbott sliding into office by default," he said.

His magnanimous offering will be welcomed by many and give heart to some Labor supporters but the manner of his arriving at this position, the confusion it creates and the potential for political disaster in the last two weeks of the campaign is enormous.

His statements are also redolent of all the divisions and bitterness that have marred Labor's campaign so far and further damaged the Labor brand.

Rudd's very public presence will drain attention and focus from the real Labor leader. He will be asked to defend his policies - which she has changed - and whether he thinks the attempts to change the policy on asylum-seekers represents the "lurch to the Right" he said he wouldn't stand for.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/julia-gillard-denies-doing-a-deal-with-kevin-rudd-to-get-him-back-on-campaign-trail/story-fn5z3z83-1225901951996

JULIA Gillard has denied she’s struck a deal with Kevin Rudd in return for his help to revive Labor’s struggling campaign.

The Prime Minister said she and her predecessor have been exchanging text messages and will catch up tomorrow to thrash out Mr Rudd’s return to the campaign trail.

Mr Rudd yesterday agreed to Ms Gillard’s “request’’ to help her struggling campaign and is expected out on the hustings this weekend.

Ms Gillard denied she had offered her former boss anything in return for his help.

“There’s no deal, there’s his enthusiasm to make sure the Government is relected…so he can keep pursuing the things that he passionately believes in,’’ she told the ABC this morning.

The Prime Minister said if Labor was relected, she would honour her pledge to give Mr Rudd a frontbench spot, but had struck no deal with him about a portfolio.

“There’s no deal, there’s no arrangement, what I’ve said publicly is all that there is to know,’’ she said.

Ms Gillard said the two were yet to speak, but had been texting.

“We’ve chronic, chronic texters,’’ she said. “We’ve been communicating like that and we’re going to catch up face-to-face on Saturday.’’

It has been just weeks since Ms Gillard knifed Mr Rudd and took his job, saying the Government had lost its way under his leadership.

However she said the two had fought some “big battles together’’ and could put the recent past behind them to unite and defeat Tony Abbott.

“There are bigger things here than things about us and people and personalities,’’ she said.

Picture: Peter Newman. The Sky Bar on the top of the State Tower Block, Bangkok.