Gough Whitlam

[twinkles**stars]

Passed away aged 98

[katydidthat]

You know, I'll be quite happy to add my regrets at the passing of Malcolm Fraser.

There are some elder statesmen who have contributed much to our country, no matter what party they belonged to.

[mtnlane]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnj68nq2n4c

'Gough' by the Whitlams

[boris1gary]

Only posted the beginning and end of the article. I agree Katy although I won't be applauding Frazer while he was in govt, he has cut ties with the right now and has certainly changed for the better.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/21/whitlams-memory-was-demonised-by-conservatives...

Whitlam's memory was demonised by conservatives to excuse his dismissal

The constitutional crisis of 1975 is a reminder of the lengths to which politicians on the right will go in the pursuit of power

A few great events in the history of this country are known simply by their year: 1788 means European settlement, 1915 means Gallipoli. And 1975 is the name we give to the ruthless clawing down of Gough Whitlam.

Scarcely any constitutional lawyers left alive applaud Sir John Kerr for what he did to the Labor prime minister on 11 November that year. Not all the plotters are dead. From time to time fresh details emerge of the outrages planned behind closed doors by Kerr and his circle. But the verdict of both the law and history has been savage: there was no justification for the sacking of Whitlam.

Kerr has his defenders still among the politicians of the Coalition. Those who say 1975 is over and done with should pay attention to Tony Abbott over the next few days as he puts in a good word for Kerr. Since the prime minister’s university days, Kerr has been one of his particular heroes. Abbott has an unshakeable belief that 1975 was right.

And vouching for Kerr will remind Australians that this ugly coup isn’t behind us. One side of politics will still not disown what he did and oppose any attempt to be rid of the ancient and contested powers of the governor general which remain, in ruthless hands, ready to wreak havoc on Australian democracy.

[boris1gary]

Brilliant

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cartoon/2014/oct/21/first-dog-whitlam

First Dog on the Moon on ... the passing of Gough Whitlam

Thanks, Gough

[poddster]

42. sewered most of Sydney.

And the rest of Australia.......from great hights, missed no one.

[tezza2844]

tall_bearded01 wrote:

"RIP is not something I would use, as something like … is more fitting.   And there are many who will agree, especially those who served in the armed forces from the late 60’s to mid 70’s.

So add these to you list.

1 –Political opportunist. Because it suited his political agenda at the time, he, by both action and deliberate omission, sanctioned the vilification, marginalisation and alienation of a significant sector of the Australian community, whose only crime was to do ones duty; a rift which took three decades to heal, and in some cases has. never healed.

2- Was prepared to send Australian service personal into harm’s way without so much a 9mm pistol to defend themselves with."

I think you are a bit confused here. Whitlam was against of the White Australia Policy, was a champion of womens rights and Aborignal rights, he may have upset some of the gentry of the time because of this. He always outspoken against  conscription and our involvement in Vietnam. He final ended all our involvement in Vietnam. Menzies was the instigator of conscription and our involvement in Vietnam. He was also in Goverment fro Dec 1972 to Nov 1975, so if there was a problem in the armed services before this, I think you may mean th previous LNP Goverment

[nero_bolt]

---

@poddster wrote:

42. sewered most of Sydney.

And the rest of Australia.......from great hights, missed no one.

---

Fascinating the fawning and the romance over Gough, his legacy was horrific ..... Horrifically bad, the debt  the chaos and the total upheaval of the country and the INFLATION under Gogh was massive....

Future govts took years to pay off the debt of Gough...   Future govts took decades to fix up the Gough and his ministers screw-ups

Today on TV Hawke and tonight Keating didnt speak all that highly of Gough and admitted that they even had to rectify the Gough mistakes and scre-ups

Hawke was still trying to reign in the Gough disaster and debt when he was voted in 9 years later.

Gough did some good things, all-be it in a chaotic manner but some of the things he did were terrible for the country and business.

The RE-WRITING of history re Gough the second worst PM in Australia is staggering... and so wrong.... (Gillard took the worst PM crown)

[debra9275]

---

@am*3 wrote:
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has issued a statement saying Mr Whitlam will be remembered for "his lifetime of service to Australia in the Royal Australian Air Force, as a parliamentarian, as Prime Minister and as an ambassador".

"Gough Whitlam was a giant of his time," Mr Abbott said.

"Gough Whitlam recognised the journey that our country needed to take with indigenous Australians. The image of soil passing from Gough Whitlam's hand to Vincent Lingiari's is a reminder that all Australians share the same land and the same hopes.

"Gough Whitlam's life was inseparable from that of Margaret Whitlam. Margaret Whitlam was a leading light for women of her generation. Together they made a difference to our country."


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/the-pulse-live/former-prime-minister-gough-whitlam-dead-at-98...

---

lots of nice tributes and acccolades aired tonight. he was a very forward thinking PM & moved us in the right direction

a short tem. a long life and a lot of accomplishments 

[boris1gary]

Hawke and Keating on Gough

Mr Whitlam was credited by Mr Fraser, his former rival, with opening new doors in Australia and helping "to show the possibility of a new and perhaps better future" in the arts, foreign policy and other areas of Australian life.

He led the ALP out of the political wilderness after 23 years of conservative rule, and was "not only a hero to members of the Labor Party," Mr Fraser said.

Mr Hawke said Mr Whitlam's passing was not a time for sadness as at 98, "Gough was ready to go and his family was ready for him to go" and that the simple truth was "Australia is a better country because of the life and work of Gough Whitlam".

Mr Whitlam would be remembered for everything from civic improvements that put in place sewerage services in Australia's newer suburbs, through more equitable health and education services, to his vision as an international statesman - best exemplified by this visit to China while opposition leader.

"If you look at the two fundamental issues which determine the welfare of ordinary people, that's health and education. He was absolutely profoundly important in transforming both those aspects of the lives of ordinary Australians," he said.

Mr Hawke said his predecessor as Labor prime minister "wouldn't appreciate it if we were all here in these next few days saying he was a saint without blemish, adding that he learned the importance of "getting the party into shape" and of strength, "if you had a position, you had an obligation to put that position strongly".

Mr Keating, who served briefly as a junior minister in the final days of the Whitlam government, said the Labor leader had "changed the way Australia thought about itself and gave the country a new destiny", helping create a more inclusive and compassionate society that was more engaged in the world.

"He snapped Australia out of the Menzian torpor – the orthodoxy that had rocked the country asleep, giving it new vitality and focus. But more than that, bringing Australia to terms with its geography and place in the region," he said in a statement.

"Along his journey he also renovated the Labor Party, making it useful again as an instrument of reform to Australian society. He will missed by all who identified with his values and determination to see Australia a better place. But no one will miss him more than his family."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/gough-whitlams-legacy-malcom-fraser-paul-keati...

[kilroy_is_here]

So much copy and paste