Bob Carr

Reaction to suicide attempt:
"'Helena and I just want to send a message to John Brogden that he should look to his future,' Mr Carr told ABC Radio today.

'As far as we're concerned, this incident is behind us, it should be behind him.

'The world accepts that all of us make mistakes and he's got a big future as a politician, a member of this community and as a father of his son, Flinders.

'We wish him well and we want to encourage him to move beyond this thing.'"
Bob Carr is very straight forward and very down to earth. He is a loss to politics. I appreciate he just needed to leave because he had had enough. His was a big job. The unpleasantness with John Brogdon has highlighted a number of dysfunctional aspects of our society. Mark Latham was hounded out of the limelight in a similar relentless fashion. He became ill with it. John Brogdon apologised for his stupidly, hurtful remarks right there on the screen for all of us to see. But then people were going to drag out more and more and more. He was apparently a very promising politician. I said before I should hate to be famous because anything you say or do is grist for the media mill. Yes, the media needs to report. John Brogden has been made to sound very 60s. We are way past that. But then the papers were referring to Bob Carr's wife.How nonpolitically correct is that?? Bob Carr has said it all...Helena. Her name is Helena Carr and she did appear to be very hurt by the remark, but it was between her and Bob and John. Bob Carr has spoken simply and effectively. The incident is over. Having opened your great trap, the best you can do as a human being is make amends. Apologise. John Brogden did more than most because he did it right out in the open in front of the countryand it appeared to be straight form the heart. He might have chosen to pay a personal visit to the Carrs and say he'd apologised in private, but he did it so we could all see and hear. Was it our buiness? To the extent he'd made an uncalled for nasty, stereotype, racist remark which was so unnecessary. He is a public figure, we are supposed to be non sexist and non racist. But I don't think even a saint would get past the media these days. There's being human. There's being normal. There is a fine line. We are unforgiving. I should have thought Bob and Helena Carr were quite capable of defending themselves, like the rest of us have to when stupid ,hurtful comments are made. We all have recourse to the laws if we want them. Real life is not Big Brother.We are not supposed to be under 24 hour surveillance. What we haven't worked out is where the line is and people are being driven to despair because we are being so sanctimonious. So where is the line? No one will be a politician. No one will be in the public eye. Where are we going to put the line because this case raises that question loud and clear. Bob Carr, in his inimitable fashion has dispelled the sensation and put the humanity back into it. That has always been his talent.