Are larrikins what we really need as political leaders? Lech Blaine’s recent essay, Top Blokes, (Quarterly Essay, 83/2021) explored the persona, and Jack Waterford recently questioned whether Labor leader Albanese’s abandoning the larrikin personality had been the right move. I agree that by eschewing plain speaking and daring, Albanese has impoverished the ALP but whether larrikinism is what he or the country needs I doubt.
Here’s are my take on Top Blokes
The larrikin: a symbol of our fractured political landscape