Let’s talk about John Winston Howard, and his 11th hour epiphany that the “Aborigine people” really aren’t that bad after all.

On behalf of all Australians, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome John Howard to the “real world”, where we have a thing called “long memories” and where every child gets a good “edumacation”. Nice to have you here, John. Although you took your sweet time.

Howard was president of the NSW Young Liberals in the late 1950s. He entered parliament in 1974, a year before Australia got colour television. Thus, Howard told the Sydney Institute that part of the reason for the “reconciliation troubles” of the last decade is that he’s a man of his era, a product of his time. Well John, asbestos was a product of the 1950s as well, but that doesn’t mean we make any allowances for it today.

I think most of the commentariat will simply put this down to a cynical, last-ditch attempt by Howard to wrest back some votes from the doctors’ wives. I actually think there’s a little bit more too it. I think it’s also about Howard’s legacy – his place in history.

A few friendly hacks have tried to rewrite history, but it’s like trying to hold back the tide. You see, the thing is John, you’ve spent your entire career either ignoring Aboriginal people or actively vilifying them. You can’t turn around on the eve of your electoral execution and expect people to believe that you just discovered the concept of “human rights”. Let’s not forget that only a month ago, Howard was in the United Nations voting against the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Sorry John, but you do the crime, you gotta do the time. I think Pat O’Shane put it best on ABC Radio this morning when she warned listeners “Don’t suspend your disbelief, not for one second”. I sincerely doubt there’s a single Aboriginal person on this planet who would (okay, well maybe one – over to you, Noel Pearson). That’s simply because Aboriginal people understand something that Howard and his minders in the media don’t. Reconciliation has never been about one man. Howard, prime miniature or otherwise, has never been able to make or break the reconciliation process. Howard thinks it’s all about him. Sorry John, but you give yourself far too much credit. Reconciliation is about day-to-day relationships. It’s about how individuals get along – black and white. It’s not a national process, it’s a local derby. Howard may be the master micro-manager, but even he hasn’t got that much time on his hands… although with any luck, he’ll have a lot more in a few weeks. Vale The Rat.