Former Prime Minister John Howard has signed with powerhouse public speaking agency Washington Speakers Bureau.
The agency represents a who’s who of the political, media and military establishment. Other recent high profile Washington Speakers Bureau recruits include Tony Blair, former US Senate leader Trent Lott and Arianna Huffington.
Former world leaders such as Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Jose Maria Aznar and Brian Mulroney are on their books, along with international political figures like Colin Powell, Joschka Fischer, James Baker and Chris Pattern.
Bob Dole, Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, James Carville, Barbara Walters, Bob Woodward, Donald Trump and the Duchess of York are also on the Bureau’s roster.
The Washington Speakers Bureau publicity material describes the former PM as “one of the most thought-provoking world leaders in modern history”. John Howard is the “ideal choice to bring high-level international insight to your next event,” it says.
The Bureau also provides a full – and fulsome – biography of the former Liberal leader:
As prime minister of Australia, John Howard provided a global approach to leadership, delivering his economic vision and strategies for handling world trouble spots that raised Australia’s profile on the world stage and gained the respect and gratitude of the world.
Under Howard’s leadership, Australia’s economy grew every year, including a dramatic expansion of trade with China stemming from negotiations for a free trade agreement. Howard discusses the role of world leaders in a new century, strategies for leadership while maintaining international security, as well as ideas and insight on global economics and international investment.
Howard is offering two speech topics. In Leadership in the New Century , he discusses “the role of world leaders in a new century, detailing steps for handling the growing concerns of globalization and global economics, the environment, and threats to international security”.
The Global Economic Future canvasses the future for the world economy and the ways and degrees “China, India and the Pacific Rim will participate”.
Despite all the information on the former prime minister, The Washington Speakers Bureau is coy on his fee. Their site simple says “Contact WSB”.
With the level of expertise that seems required, he will no doubt soon be joined by that other brains trust, George Bush. But better they bore the conservative circuit than impose their perverted logic on the world. Before them water, behind them wind.
Yes, I am hostile to John Howard, but I fail to see how 11 years of mumbling negativity could ever have a positive outcome. I know I should be able to laugh about the antics of the Liberal Party and their 11 years of c*ck ups. But I can’t; its too sad.
Howard’s only insight was to know how to appeal to the oldies. Then he gave them fear. As for speaking, who will understand him? He sounds like a badly constipated duck on a losing streak with a square chainsaw. Feed him to the vultures!
Under the dead hand of Howardism the meretricious and the mediocre became the norm and the arts, which are vital to a countries health, were dismissed. That a man with such a limited vision should seek to speak to aspiring leaders is a tragedy.
a cure for insomnia!