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Harry S. Truman was famous not just for dropping atom bombs on Japan in 1945. He also brought into common parlance an important principle of leadership, embodied in the sign that sat atop his desk.
"The buck stops here" it read.
When he left the White House in 1953, he explained the concept in his farewell address: "The president - whoever he is - has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job."
Of course, our system of government is different, meaning just where the buck stops is optional. Last week, it was passed around like a leaky bag of old prawn heads.
First up, the Prime Minister. Questioned about the decision to block Qatar's bid for extra flights, which practically everyone involved in aviation agrees would have brought down airfares, the PM snapped that he had nothing to do with it The decision was made by the Transport Minister, Catherine King, he said.
Next, the NSW Premier Chris Minns, After it emerged that former Labor staffer turned Transport secretary Josh Murray, who earns more than the PM, had donated to his old mate Minns' political campaign, the Premier was quick to say he had nothing to do with the hiring. Nup, that was Transport Minister Jo Haylen's decision. Not quite under the bus but perilously close. And, yes, the thought of transport ministers thrown under buses did raise a chuckle.
Now, back to that slippery buck.
A couple of weeks ago, when he intervened to shut down debate over AUKUS at the Labor national conference, the PM said. "I have come to the position, based upon advice and analysis, that nuclear powered submarines are what Australia needs in the future." The buck stopped so suddenly, the delegates with opposing views are still feeling the whiplash.
Remember the "I" in the PM's sentence. Should the AUKUS arrangement go belly-up as so many large scale defence procurements do, you'll at least know where to find that one buck which stopped. As for the 368 billion of its mates, that's a whole other question.
And good luck trying to find where the buck ever stopped with the previous federal government. It was passed around at dizzying speed, like a lonely sock in the spin cycle. Bushfires? Don't hold a hose, mate. Robodebt? I assumed the advice was correct. Secret ministries? Really? Did I do that?
Over time, history has come to judge Truman harshly. His decision to drop the atomic bomb, his triumphalism when news reached him aboard a ship in the Atlantic, his off-hand treatment of Robert Oppenheimer, his lack of remorse or regret have all been raked over many times. To this day, the grounds for his fateful decision remain contested. What isn't in doubt is Truman's willingness to take responsibility for it.
"Don't you ever lose any sleep over the fact that you planned and carried out that mission," he reportedly told Paul Tibbetts, the pilot of the bomber that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, years later. "It was my decision. You had no choice."
Truman held true to that sign, sent to him two months after the bombs were dropped. The buck stopped with him until his last breath.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Are our politicians too quick to pass the buck? Who should take responsibility for the Qantas-Qatar debacle? What's the worst case of buck-passing in our recent history? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Albanese government has approved its third coal mine this year, along with a coal exploration lease approval, with the go-ahead just given for an extension for the Gregory Crinum coal mine in Central Queensland's Bowen Basin.
- Beekeepers will seek millions of dollars in compensation in a potential class action against the NSW and federal governments after their hives were destroyed in a bid to stop the varroa mite. Devastated keepers say existing compensation payouts are inadequate and fail to take into consideration the impact of the forced destruction on their income and other agricultural sectors that rely on beekeeping
- The head of Snowy Hydro has apologised for large cost blowouts but has promised Australia's largest renewable energy project will still show a return on investment for taxpayers. The company revealed the cost of the troubled project had increased to $12 billion, six times more than what was originally budgeted.
THEY SAID IT: "Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility." - Sigmund Freud
YOU SAID IT: Garry wrote a beautiful tribute to his father, the "toughest bastard" he knows.
"My father died in 1996, aged 82," writes David. "I grew up in the 1950s and 60s. I don't remember receiving much advice from my dad or his talking to me very much. He wasn't a hands-on dad. His father was killed in the Battle of the Somme when he was three so he didn't have a model of how to be a father. The best and almost only advice he gave me was when I was starting work after university. He told me not to be overly loyal to an employer because they wouldn't be to me. How true that was."
Viktoria's memories of her father are grim: "I always wished I had a dad, Not the bastard father I got. Drunk and violent. In his final days of heart failure he used to grey out. One time he came back, terrified. He said, "Mother is waiting for me, and she's real mad." My only comfort: the Scottish gran I never knew was waiting for him after his death, and he was going to get his comeuppance."
"My dad was a man's man," writes Bob. "He was my father, my mentor and my friend. I thought he would live forever, and when cancer took him I was shattered. Twenty-five years later, I still miss him. I hope I have earned the same status with my daughter."
Joe writes: "My old man at 96 is also a tough old bastard, still lives at home on his own. At 15 he fled Ukraine and worked on my grandparents' farm in the Black Forest area of Germany where he married my mum (who had Parkinson's and passed nine years ago). He migrated to Australia in 1949 - a big decision to move to an unknown country and not speak the language. Now history repeats with Ukraine at war with Russia. This tough old bastard watches SBS news and admits he has tears. Spent last night in hospital due to breathing difficulties but home now. Will take more than that to be the end of him."
"Garry, I hope your tough old bastard is still sitting on the couch for a long time," writes Sue. "I had wonderful parents, and not for nearly long enough. They were both gone by the time I was in my early 30s, before I had my own children, and I miss them to this day. I still catch myself thinking that Dad would have enjoyed this, or that, and I know that at least half the mischief I have been in over the years is a direct consequence of inheriting Dad's sense of humour."