The Great Dissenter

He's been described as a paradox - a conservative monarchist and radical left leaning activist -Justice Michael Kirby, recently retired judge in the highest court of the land.

 A biography of m'learned judge has just been published with Kirby's backing.
The Shuttle has read the book and it's a cracking read.

At the launch of the book Kirby described himself as a gay man who is still a 'second class citizen' in Australia. He's been an active supporter for gay marriage rights and often addresses young gays and lesbians speaking out on civil rights.

On the High Court he was known as the 'great dissenter' in many cases that changed law. His judgements were regarded as 'liberal while written with thoughtfulness and compassion'. It's said the PM Paul Keating appointed Kirby to the High Court to "upset the Tories"

As a young lawyer just out of Sydney University in the 1960's, Kirby was defending Aboriginal activists and student demonstrators. In one case he took on the defence of 24 students who had been arrested demonstrating for black civil rights in the USA outside the US Embassy. He got everyone off the charges and soon moved onto local civil rights cases. As President of the NSW Court of Appeal Kirby was the first judge to issue media releases and was an advocate for Human rights, animal rights, HIV-AIDS and Aboriginal land rights.



Johan van Vloten & Michael Kirby

In 1999 Kirby really shocked few when he quietly 'came out' whilst still sitting on the bench of the High Court of Australia, revealing a fact that was common knowledge.  In his Who's Who entry he listed his long term male partner as Johan van Vloten, a Dutch newsagent.

The outcry from the right wing was deafening. Calls for impeachment came from every angle claiming that Kirby, by announcing he was gay had obviously broken the law when homosexual acts where illegal while he had been sitting as a judge for two decades.  Most including numerous journalists seemed to completely overlook the fact that Kirby had simply announced that he was gay and made no mention of sexual acts.

And then came the great 'rent boy' scandal when PM John Howard's bovver boy Senator Bill Heffernan announced late one night in Parliament that a High Court judge had mis-used government hire cars to cruise an infamous under age male hustler spot in Sydney.

Kirby kept quiet during the fracas while Howard 'suggested' he step aside and that he may call for a Commonwealth Police investigation into Kirby's fitness for office. The great manipulator Howard soon had egg on his face.  When the matter was found to be a fraud Heffernan made a sincere and unequivocal apology. Howard demonstrated his innate meanness by remaining silent.

 Kirby's scalp was one the right wing had been after for ages but he says he wasn't the real victim of the crude scandal, but that the Parliamentary system had been damaged. Kirby said that the long held tradition of Standing Orders in the Westminster system was that sitting judges should be immune from attacks by parliamentarians.

 Heffernan was censured by the Senate and afterwards apologised for making the allegations. Kirby promptly responded: "I accept Senator Heffernan's apology and reach out my hand in a spirit of reconciliation. I hope my ordeal will show the wrongs that hate of homosexuals can lead to"

 Following this gracious acceptance, Who Weekly magazine named Kirby among the 25 Beautiful People of Australia. Kirby however feels aggrieved that his name and Heffernan's are forever linked on Google.

Since retiring in Kirby has travelled the world speaking at law symposiums where he has a reputation  as an eloquent and powerful orator, having given a vast number of speeches over his career on a diverse range of topics. While President of the International Commission of Jurists he encouraged that organisation to give more consideration to human sexuality as an aspect of human rights

You can buy A.J. Brown's biography Michael Kirby: Paradoxes/Principles here

 Kirby's life has been fascinating and he is a man who is regarded as one of the world's great jurists.

You can listen to or download a podcast of an interview with Michael Kirby on the ABC here.

Aussie Bitch Fest Shocks Brits!

Viewers of Britain's Dancing On Ice 2011 are up in arms over Australian choreographer Jason Gardiner's remarks to contestants. Jason is a judge on the show.They reckon he's far too bitchy and mean. Some have even started face book pages to get Gardiner sacked although few people have joined.

While Jason makes panelists like X Factor's Simon Cowell  look tame, he's standard fare for Australian TV where he honed his art.

Visitors from the UK and USA are often shocked at the sheer bitchiness that passes for normal discourse between colonials.

Where this was inherited from we aren't too sure.  It's been speculated that  it developed in the first hundred years as working class Irish, East End and other British convicts developed a sort of secret language to speak derogatorily about their British jailers without them understanding.

Gardiner trained at the Australian Ballet School and New York's Steps academy and the Actor's Centre in London. He's choreographed West End shows and worked  with Kylie Minogue, Elton John and Shirley Bassey as well as appearing on dozens of English TV shows.

He's actually a nice chap off stage without a hint of the bitch about him and his act is pretty deliberate.
Producers must absolutely love him for the ratings.

Jason follows in the footsteps of local performers like the late Bernard King-one of the nicest and kindest people to meet in person but wow-could he dish it out when on the judging panel of a talent quest. Beneath Dame Edna's mega star exterior runs one of the most vicious and bitchy dialogues ever uttered by man.

Below are 3 videos- one is Jason Gardiner ticking of competitors. It's pretty tame stuff compared to local shows.

The following is the wonderful Bernard King who could talk through mud and have an audience collapsing in tears of laughter. He demolishes a hapless contestant on the 80's Pot Luck (fast forward is recommended)

The third is really how the contestants should settle matters - take a leaf out of broadcaster Ron 'Won'Casey page when he got stuck into former pop star Normie Rowe on the Midday Show.
(note the wonderful and very British Diana 'Bubbles' Fisher wife of Sir Humphrey Fisher-in the background saying "no no no!")

Dancing On Ice 2011 Jason Gardiner offensive comments to Karen Barber

The Quiet Billionaire

He has brought the world a host of the most successful soap operas ever- Reg Grundy who at 87 is publishing his autobiography.

Grundy is the quiet achiever of Australian TV. As a boxing and sporting commentator he first tasted success when he devised the Wheel Of Fortune game show which he eventually syndicated throughout the world.

Following that came shows like Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, Young Doctors and the mega hit Neighbours which has produced some of the biggest show biz stars to come out of Australia like Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Guy Pierce, Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel MacPherson, and Holly Valance.

Grundy reveals that Kylie Minogue had approached him once she became world famous to request that old Neighbour's shows she had appeared in were not re-broadcast. Reg rebuffed her and set her straight as to who owned the copyright of the programs-namely him !.

Grundy talks in his book about how he used to fly to the USA, book into a hotel and tape record TV shows, fly back to Australia and pitch the ideas to local stations. That paid off handsomely with Grundy eventually selling out for nearly one billion dollars to Freemantle Media.

Along the way, he and wife , the former actress Joy Chambers picked up a magnificent estate in Bermuda which came with it's own lagoon. Reg chose the spot so he could fly to New York on a 7am flight, do business for the day and return on the 7pm flight for dinner.

And he indulged his boating passion with the extraordinary super yacht Boadecia. He isn't selfish with Boadecia-you can rent it for about $150,000 a week but that does come with the 27 man crew.
These days he concentrates on his other love, photography and has produced several books on wildlife.

There is another star Grundy also helped launch. His chef on the Boadecia went on to international fame-Gordon Ramsay !

Reg Grundy is available from Boomerang Books.

Kylie's London pad for sale at a bargain price !

Further to our story on the London property developers Candy & Candy (see below) and the falling value of their empire.

 

Our favourite songbird Kylie Minogue has put her London apartment up for sale at a reduced price of $6.6M (although a little budgie tells us any offer over $5M will seal a deal !). Kylie bought the apartment from the Candy's in 1998 paying $5.4M.

The Social Shuttle has been to Kylie's lovely flat twice (she's an old family friend) and although the gorgeous pad is impressive, it seemed indicative of everything that was wrong about the era of New Labour Thatcherism in England where style triumphed over substance, consumerism was on steroids and an  American style of flaunt your wealth crassness consumed the British persona when it had survived for centuries on the very opposite

Kylie says she found the place a bit austere and when her brother left some years ago, a little on the lonely side. And especially when little sister Danni moved out in 2004. She wants a cottage somewhere which is really more her style. The extended Minogue family are extremely close and she wants to be able to have room for family to stay. In fact we reckon Kylie is seriously thinking about having her own family-she adores Danni's new baby.

Property prices sky-rocketed under Blair & Co's corporatism and every man and his dog became a developer as reality shows pushed the fable that all could become rich and that the ' inevitable bubble will burst' day would never arrive, as it did in the USA under the Fannie Mac (or is it Freddie May ?) fiasco . The British population should be gearing themselves up for a correction still to come in the property market.

You can read about Kylie's beautiful place here :

Here's the gorgeous Danni talking about her new book out soon. 

Rumbled by ex-PM Paul Keating

 From a speech on the loss of privacy to be given by Paul Keating tonight at The Centre for Advanced Journalism ,University of Melbourne

"The press is overstepping in every direction the obvious bounds of propriety and of decency. Gossip is no longer the resource of the idle and of the vicious, but has become a trade, which is pursued with industry as well as effrontery. To satisfy a prurient taste, the details of sexual relations are spread broadcast in the columns of the daily papers. To occupy the indolent, column upon column is filled with idle gossip, which can only be procured by intrusion upon the domestic circle. …In this, as in other branches of commerce, the supply creates the demand. Each crop of unseemly gossip, thus harvested, becomes the seed of more, and, in direct proportion to its circulation, results in the lowering of social standards and of morality. Even gossip apparently harmless, when widely and persistently circulated, is potent for evil. It both belittles and perverts. It belittles by inverting the relative importance of things, thus dwarfing the thoughts and aspirations of a people. When personal gossip attains the dignity of print, and crowds the space available for matters of real interest to the community, what wonder that the ignorant and thoughtless mistake its relative importance.’1

Says Keating: "Some of that language is a give away - that it wasn’t written by me, or written yesterday. But the content is highly relevant to a discussion about privacy and the media, as a trip to the local newsagent, or time spent in front of the television, or online will quickly affirm."

The quote is from The Right to Privacy by Boston lawyers Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis, published in the Harvard Law Review in 1890.

You can read all of Keating's speech on privacy here.  It would be difficult to fault his thinking. One thing he does point out that has not been spotted or discussed in the media anywhere. 2 Law Commission Reports have stated that the general public should have a formal recourse to a breach of privacy.

Who is Rhys Muldoon ?

Rhys Muldoon & Peter Garrett at the Hawke book launch

Who is Rhys Muldoon ?.

The quick answer is a very successful actor. A former host of a kid's TV show Muldoon has acted in numerous critically acclaimed roles including the Oscar nominated The Saviour in 2006 and Bitter and Twisted, the hit of the 2008 Tribecca Film Festival.

But perhaps one role could have revealed a political side to Muldoon. In the Melbourne and Sydney productions of the David Hare play Stuff Happens he played the lead role of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

On Tuesday night as our exclusive picture shows, Muldoon was at the Blanche d'Alpuget's book launch of her new title Hawke The Prime Minister. He stood and chatted with Environment Minister and former Midnight Oils front man Peter Garrett MP.

Now it appears he is also a close personal friend of former PM Kevin Rudd, recently ousted by Julia Gillard who launched d'Alpuget's book. And if we believe an article in tomorrow's Australian newspaper Muldoon is so close to Rudd he may have been advising him on certain matters during his tenure as PM. He and Rudd also penned a children's book together-Great Australia Day Kerfuffle.

What does all this mean ?. Well we have no idea but it does add to the amazing publicity campaign-planned or unplanned that is certain to push Hawke The Prime Minister into the number one book spot.

As media reports continue unabated with Labor tribes lining up on either side to support former PM Paul Keating or Bob Hawke the relationship between the 2 former political allies seems busted beyond repair. Or is it ?.

Keating say he hasn't previously considered writing his own book about his term as PM from '91 to'96 and as the World's Greatest Living Treasurer ( an honour accorded by a host of financial publication editors around the world) from 1983 to 1990.

If he puts pen to paper now his book is also bound to be a bestseller. Perhaps Hawke will return the favour.

The tables turn on the Silver Bodgie

happier days-Hawke, Keating & Gough Whitlam

Days after the launch of the Blanche d'Alpuget book  (see below), Hawke The Prime Minister, his successor Paul Keating has come out sledging Bob and Blanche Hawke with a letter published in the Australian in which Keating reveals for the first time that Hawke was suffering from depression during his tenure as PM.

At the launch on Tuesday night at the Wharf Restaurant Blanche mentioned Hawkie's bout of depression, as did Hawke himself but both said it lasted a few months.

Keating claims it was for 4 years while  he Keating as Deputy Prime Minster , carried  Hawke through the most difficult decisions including his advice to Hawke to immediately approach George Bush Sr before the first Gulf War and establish Australia as the USA's first ally-which he did giving Bush Sr much needed moral support for the pending war and in return obligating this country the need to only provide 2 warships as support.

Keating demanded Hawke's resignation in 1990 after he claimed a previous agreement between the two would see Hawke  handover power and when Bob refused, Keating retreated to the back bench only to usurp him 10 months later in 1991. Keating held power for 5 years until he lost to the man he hated more than any-John Howard in 1995.

                                                 *****************************

Miranda

In a more disingenuous article, the fragrant Miranda Devine has also gotten stuck into Bob and Blanche in a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Miranda is meddling it again. She claims all of Hawke's children wore black when he and Blanche wed in 1995 . Not true. The Shuttle was there. And all the Hawke children and grandchildren were at the book launch on Monday and happy to support their step-mum Blanche.

Miranda's biggest faux pas though is her attempt to paint former wife Hazel Hawke, who remained loyal beside Bob while he was PM  and while he was conducting a secret affair with Blanche who he would eventually marry, as being 'discarded' when no longer needed. Hazel sadly is in the advanced stages of alzheimers.
She was diagnosed with the disease while Bob was still PM and both she and her husband carefully planned Hazel's gradual withdrawal from the public eye. 

Hazel Hawke

People we trust more than Devine have said Hazel was almost saint  like in her love for Hawke and said that she told most close friends that as she deteriorated mentally, she had no wish to put him through what is acknowledged as being one of the most debilitating  and soul destroying illnesses a couple can face together.

Alastair Campbell's "hate lessons" from Paul Keating

In his new book The Alastair Campbell Diaries Prelude to Power 1994-1997, released in the UK on Thursday the man regarded as the mastermind behind Tony Blair says he travelled to Australia in 1995 to get some tips from then Labor Prime Minster Paul Keating on how to handle Rupert Murdoch and how to "hate" the Conservatives.

Keating was PM from 1991 to 1996 when he was defeated by John Howard who set about on a 10 year campaign to return Australia to the 1950's before he was finally booted from his own seat in 2007 by Labor's Kevin Rudd.

Paul Keating : 'hate lessons'

Keating's defeat in '96 sent him into a huge mental decline where he disappeared from public view for a  year. Not because he lost but he hated Howard so much. Keating's quips and put-downs in Parliament  were legendary. Parliamentary Question Time has been dull from the day he left.

On John Howard :

"What we have got is a dead carcass, swinging in the breeze, but nobody will cut it down to replace him."  

"He's wound up like a thousand day clock..." 

"He has more hide than a team of elephants." 

On former Liberal leader the perma- tanned Andrew Peacock who was dating actress Shirley MacLaine:

"...what we have here is an intellectual rust bucket." 

"I suppose that the Honorable Gentleman's hair, like his intellect, will recede into the darkness." 

"It is the first time the Honorable Gentleman has got out from under the sunlamp."  

 On the Liberal Party when they were in Opposition:

"I'm not running a seminar for dullards on the other side."

"Those opposite could not operate a tart shop"

"These intellectual hobos"

Our favourite was during the 2007 General Election when the Murdoch media was getting stuck into Kevin Rudd on the campaign trail and printed a facile story about Rudd having lunch with 2 political  lobbyists  -the former premier of West Australia Brian Burke (who spent time in jail) and his partner Julian Grills .

"the Arthur Daley of WA politics"

The controversy raged for days ramped up by Murdoch's tabloids until it was defused by Keating  when he described Burke & Grills as the

" Arthur Daley and Terry of West Australia politics-no-one takes them seriously"

 He then went on to describe the flailing Howard as like a " little desiccated coconut under pressure and attacking anything he can get his hands on". 

 Howard lost the election 2 months later in a massive swing to Labor.

P.J Keating on the attack:

"a legend like a character out of central casting.."

   Bob & Blanche Hawke                                                                Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

That's how Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described former PM Bob Hawke when I asked him for a comment tonight about the great Labor Party hero at his 80th birthday party. I think it was meant as a compliment. He added " I'm pleased he got to 80 and I hope he's around for another 20 years". I expect Bob thinks likewise.

150 of the faithful had gathered at Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant at the Sydney Opera House to toast the Golden Bodgie. Hawkie looked his best, resplendent in black tie and his silver mane had never glowed so glossily..
             There were a series of endless toasts from Labor luminaries and a recorded messages from Bill Clinton and golfer Greg Norman plus a live hook-up to former British PM Tony Blair who all sung Hawke's praises. And there were 2 billionaire widows in the room-Kerry Packer's widow Ros and Jeanne, the wife of the late Dick Pratt  who both proclaimed words along the lines of "Bob was good to us when he was in power". Well yes, quite.

Advertising guru John Singleton who masterminded Hawke's 3 election wins said "Hawke would still be PM today if it hadn't been for events"-possibly a gibe at that other Labor PM Paul Keating who had unseated Hawke in a party room spill. Keating sat looking stoney faced.
          
Handel's Messiah may have been thrilling a packed Concert Hall in the main body of the Opera House but this was after all, a celebration for the party of the working man so what could be more appropriate than a stripper gram. One with a difference-a slim female in a mask of Hawke's great adversary, recently trashed PM John Howard . She girated bizarley and slowly stripped. That was enough for tSS-we left just as Bob and Blanche-B1 & B2 were about to cut Bob's birthday cake-a giant golf ball !

John Singleton's squeeze Yvette Hartman in Versace



                                                                        


                                                                         Paul Keating

If striptease is your thing, check out Johnny Howard / Gypsy Rose Lee here
( warning -may offend  )

top Aussies..

The Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine has published it's list of the Most Influential Australians of the past 50 years and feminist Germaine Greer has come out tops, chosen by a panel of 8 judges that included conservative historian Geoffrey Blainey, former Labor Party chairman and top egghead Barry Jones and publisher Louise Adler.

Greer was chosen  "for revolutionising how women thought about themselves and forcing men to rethink women, too." Coming in third is the antique clock collector and former Labor PM Paul Keating for "formenting the culture wars and refashioning the economy". 

 Scot's born chef and best-selling cook-book writer Margaret Fulton, philosopher Peter Singer and builder A.V.Jennings received kudos for changing the way people cook, think and view homes they live in.

Writer Patrick White, much beloved by intellectuals earned a guernsey and the singing budgie Kylie Minogue clocked in at number 20 for, as Blainey puts it : "showing what the girl next door could do"