Former Prime Minister

[The Devil]

Just watching something on ACA, yeah I know I must be almost brain dead.

In the story they mention that Labor "great" and former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was doing a book launch.
If it is a book by him or about him, I hope they haven't printed more than 100 copies.

Fair dinkum, I can't understand why he is lorded over as the great Labor Messiah.

As I remember it, he won government in a landslide victory in 1972 and 3 years later he was kicked out in a bigger landslide.

In the years between we had record inflation, record unemployment and the country was just about broke. So broke that the government looked at borrowing $6 billion from an Arab nation.

I guess that after 30+ years people tend to forget the little things.

 

[BrownHash]

Who is this Gough Whitlam you talk of?

Must have been before my time.

 

[Dipcdame]

That's why he was kicked out, he had one of the best ideas to revive the economy, to be stimied at the starting post by the opposition who engineered his sacking. This was done by holding up the supply bill and putting Australia in the dire straits it was in by an uncompromising opposition who cared nothing of the welfare and well being of the people, only their own selfish means to gain power when Whitlam was still in all actuality the most popular Prime MInister, and a great statesman!

 

[The Devil]

That's why he was kicked out, he had one of the best ideas to revive the economy, to be stimied at the starting post by the opposition who engineered his sacking. This was done by holding up the supply bill and putting Australia in the dire straits it was in by an uncompromising opposition who cared nothing of the welfare and well being of the people, only their own selfish means to gain power when Whitlam was still in all actuality the most popular Prime MInister, and a great statesman!

Hang on a minute, by the time the opposition blocked the supply bill Gough had been in power for 21/2 years. The country was just about stuffed.

Had he been as you say the most popular Prime Minister why then did the public kick him out in a landslide. It is very rare for a PM to be kicked out after 1 term, must have been a reason for it.

Maybe it was the inflation figure of around 15% and unemployment at levels not seen since the depression.


Yes he was a good orator and made a couple of good speeches when he arrived back in Aust for 5 hours after Cyclone Tracy.

Actually that may have been one of his better ideas After a few hours in Aust he went back to holidaying in the Greek Islands and gave the Darwin problem to the Army to look after.

George W. should have copied that idea after Katrina.

 

[Dipcdame]

The public didn't kick him out. It was a very unpopular decision at that time with the wider community.
The inflation and problems were still that which had been inherited from the previous government, I know that is a common cop-out these days, but it was the case, economies aren't that easy to turn around nder the circumstances.

 

[Dipcdame]

Yes he was a good orator and made a couple of good speeches when he arrived back in Aust for 5 hours after Cyclone Tracy.

Actually that may have been one of his better ideas After a few hours in Aust he went back to holidaying in the Greek Islands and gave the Darwin problem to the Army to look after.

George W. should have copied that idea after Katrina.

Bit petty, picking on one incident, but I think you'll find the orations happened a little more often than that, very good ones too, he at least bothered to come back and show up AND put the army into effect (what more was he expected to do than that??)

It would have benefitted George Bush to have copied, instead of dithering, doing nothing for weeks.

 

[The Devil]

The public didn't kick him out. It was a very unpopular decision at that time with the wider community.
The inflation and problems were still that which had been inherited from the previous government, I know that is a common cop-out these days, but it was the case, economies aren't that easy to turn around nder the circumstances.

You say the public didn't kick him out......well excuse me, but I sorta remember that there was an election, and if the public didn't vote in that election who did.

Oh, I forgot to mention the credit squeeze. At the time I was working in a bank doing home loans. The branch I was at was in the fastest growing area in SEQ.

Back then interest rates weren't used to control the economy, there was a thing call Statuary Reserve Deposits.
Anyway I was doing about 12 to 15 home loans a week, this was cut to 1 PER MONTH as our branch home lending allocation was cut to $30K PER MONTH after several increases in the SRD.

Yes there was a fair bit of noise about his sacking and demonstrations by some of the left wing unions and those same people had a chance to vote some weeks later.
Everyone voted and he was kicked out in a landslide defeat.

Thinking that Geoff was good for the country is a bit like saying the Billy big ears knew what he was doing and that Big Mal didn't loose his trousers.

 

[wokka]

To say the country went broke because of Gough is a bit like saying the current mess is Rudds fault. Gough went because he was politically outflanked by the liberal big end of town.

 

[Dipcdame]

THANK YOU WOKKA!! and apologies Devil, my memory must be failing me terribly, I thought it was the Governor General who kicked the Labour government out at the behest of Malcolm Fraser. Something to do with the Khemlani affair which would have proved highly successful in dragging the country out of the former governments mess!!! I must be getting to old or something.

I'm sure, or did I dream watching Mr Whitlam on the steps of parliament house declaring "God save the queen, because nothing will save the governor general??" Gee, how my memory must be failing me.

Yes, the voters did then vote in favour of the underhandedness of the Fraser mob, because, in their own succinct way, they played on the Khemlani affair, and just what "harm" it would have done the country, when, in fact, we wouldn't be in the position we are in now had it been allowed to go through. It was the (recent) Howard-type scare tactics (remember the children overboard affair??) that got the Liberals at that time into power, not any honesty or beneficial policies they had, because they had none, they just used the Khemlani thing.

How awful my memory must be getting!!!!!! My humble apologies!!!!!

 

[jessb]

Hey, I would happily go back to the Whitlam days of free university education!!!

 

[The Devil]

THANK YOU WOKKA!! and apologies Devil, my memory must be failing me terribly, I thought it was the Governor General who kicked the Labour government out at the behest of Malcolm Fraser. Something to do with the Khemlani affair which would have proved highly successful in dragging the country out of the former governments mess!!! I must be getting to old or something.

I'm sure, or did I dream watching Mr Whitlam on the steps of parliament house declaring "God save the queen, because nothing will save the governor general??" Gee, how my memory must be failing me.

Yes, the voters did then vote in favour of the underhandedness of the Fraser mob, because, in their own succinct way, they played on the Khemlani affair, and just what "harm" it would have done the country, when, in fact, we wouldn't be in the position we are in now had it been allowed to go through. It was the (recent) Howard-type scare tactics (remember the children overboard affair??) that got the Liberals at that time into power, not any honesty or beneficial policies they had, because they had none, they just used the Khemlani thing.

How awful my memory must be getting!!!!!! My humble apologies!!!!!

You're right, it was the G.G. who terminated Geoff's office BUT then there was a general election and to say that the majority of Australians were wrong or hoodwinked by the Liberal/National is to put a very low intelligence value on the average Aussie.

The mess from the former gov, well I don't remember getting pay increases of 15 and 20%. Now I didn't mind as inflation was running at the same rate.

Nor do I remember under the previous government seeing the banner headlines in the paper when unemployment reached 100,000, the first time since the depression.

Personally, I'm sorta grateful to Geoff as it was his policies in the year before the 1972 election that kept me out of Vietnam.

It will be interesting this time around to see if history does repeat itself. I've lived under 3 Labor Prime Ministers and each time it's been the same.

Hight inflation, high unemployment, high interest rates, massive debt.
I guess time will tell.

 

[fishbot]

Personally, I'm sorta grateful to Geoff as it was his policies in the year before the 1972 election that kept me out of Vietnam.

If I were you I would be able to forgive all his mistakes for the one good act of keeping you out of a senseless war. I think that trying to invoke great change comes at great risk, but positive change is worth the risk.

In my time under conservative governments I've seen my education system weaken, my health care ignored and constant bullying of the poor and underprivileged. I guess we all have our bias.

 

[chilli]

In my time under conservative governments I've seen my education system weaken, my health care ignored and constant bullying of the poor and underprivileged. I guess we all have our bias.

education and hospitals are state jurisdictions, and they have become pathetic because of wall to wall labor state governments. underprivileged are over privileged. stop whimpering and look after yourself and don't expect to live in some socialistic society where you don't have to look after yourself. your health care is ignored by you, don't expect to bludge all your life.

sorry if i rant, bludging socialist peasant attitudes make me angry.

oh and Gough was and is a great statesman, but he's still the worst pm we have had. mind you, he will lose that title soon, kev's got his hand up.

 

[Schlumpe]

“Well may we say, God save the Queen. Because Nothing, will save the Governor General”

Also anyone seen how much the GG get in his retirement package. It’s around 250K per year for nothing. Shouldn’t the Queen be paying for this?

 

[FAY]

As I remember the GG was the most hated man in the country (John Kerr).. How dare he dismiss a government that was voted in by the people.

 

[Veredus]

oh and Gough was and is a great statesman, but he's still the worst pm we have had. mind you, he will lose that title soon, kev's got his hand up.

Yeh because Kevin Rudd personally travelled to America to sabotage the financial market, the blame for the current financial crisis lies with none other than Mr Howard's best buddy George W. Bush

 

[The Devil]

(Something to do with the Khemlani affair which would have proved highly successful in dragging the country out of the former governments mess!!!)

Surely you are joking, the loans affair was in late 1974 and into early 1975. Geoff had been in power for 2 years, and you still think he was trying to clean up the former govs "mess"

That's a bit like Kevin blaming John for the things that are happening now or in a year or 2's time.

The Labor government in late 1974 was desperate for money, they had virtually drained the "bank" dry. It was about July/August 1975 before this affair was put to rest.

Yes, the opposition voted to stop Supply in October 1975, some 12 months after the loans affair first started and the GG sacked Geoff on 11/11/75
A general election was held on 13th December. I guess that the GG showed Geoff the door and the general public kicked him through it.

Was the country in a mess pre Geoff and did he fix it, well decide yourself.
I found a publication from the ABS my daughter used in Uni. it relates to inflation.

June 1973.....8.2% Geoff had been in power 7 months.

June 1974....14.5%

June 1975....15.9%....hey the country was going great guns.

I for one hope that we never see those double digit inflation figures again.

 

[horsesrule]

Gough Whitlam is the best prime minister this country has ever had.

I suggest those who think he was no good look at his achievments. The only reason this man was kicked out of government was because the liberal party blocked supply and all his bills which was not the right thing to do.



* Immediately on becoming Prime Minister he :
* Abolished national service, conscription.
* Recalled all remaining troops from Vietnam to return to Australia.
* Introduced welfare payments to single parent families.
* Abolished the death penalty for federal crimes.
* Negotiated diplomatic relations between Australia and The People's Republic of China.
* His Government commissioned enquiries into Aboriginal Land rights.
* Equal opportunities were given to women in Federal Government Employment.
* His Government was responsible for huge Economic and Social changes.

Not to mention a new national anthem, medicare, and free education!


The only reason this man was kicked out of government was because the liberal party blocked supply, which was not the right thing to do.

 

[cris]

Typical labor vs liberal arguement, to labor ppl he was great to the rest he was the one of the worst things that has happened to the country.

 

[horsesrule]

Further to that the worst prime minister this country has ever had is John Howard.

He is the reason why the country is up **** creek now.

Lets look at what some of Howard's achievements or should i say disgraceful actions were:

Higher Uni Fees
Higher Medicare fees
Less Doctors bulk billing
Privatisation of telstra
No action on water shortage or climate change
Higher medication costs
Iraq War
Terror Laws which some argue are not constitutional
Extreme welfare cuts
WORK CHOICES WHICH HAVE COST THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND THERE JOBS

This is just a few of Howard's legacies