What year is it?

I just finished reading Labor's Forgotten People: The Triumph of Identity Politics, by Michael Thompson. According to the blurb, Thompson argues that "the influence of identity politics on modern Labor's political agenda – assisted by a political class whose sole concern is power – poses an "existential threat to Labor. the warning signs are clear. Popular disaffection with the political class is increasing, and the Party's embrace of left-wing, progressive issues is sidelining core working class aspirations and grievances that used to be the focus of Labor politics." Labor's unexpected loss of the May 2019 federal election, not even anticipated in this book, arguably supports this thesis.

This book was very dry and academic, so I found it hard to engage with. Other reviewers have pointed out the number of typographical errors in it. Here, the author writes that Whitlam suffered a "crushing defeat as Opposition Leader in 1997." This actually happened in 1977, when in that year's federal election, when the Fraser government maintained its strong majority in the House of Representatives. The Liberal Party won 67 seats to the Labor Party’s 38, with 19 seats going to the National Country Party. This was Whitlam’s last election, as he resigned from his seat in Parliament on 31 July 1978.

A quiver full of arrows

Birthday wishes are in order for Joseph Lyons, tenth Prime Minister of Australia, and to date, the only Tasmanian to have served in that office, taking power in January 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression. Because of his appearance, with large eyes and an unruly mop of hair, political cartoonists caricatured him as a koala.

According to the Museum of Australian Democracy:

Joseph Lyons was one of Australia’s longest serving and most popular prime ministers. His commitment to Australians living within our means, even during the extreme conditions of the Great Depression, led him to abandon the Labor Party for the conservative side of politics. This did not impact on his electoral success, as he won three elections in a row in the 1930s, but it did leave him open to periodic criticism.

Lyons worked as a teacher before winning the State seat of Wilmot for Labor in 1929. A pacifist, Lyons campaigned for a ‘No’ vote in the conscription referenda of 1916-17. Lyons became Premier of Tasmania in 1923 and worked closely with the conservative government in Canberra. In 1929 Lyons successfully stood for the Federal seat of Wilmot. During the Depression years Lyons advocated orthodox finance, opposing the policies of Treasurer Ted Theodore. Prime Minister Scullin took over the Treasury portfolio in 1930, leaving Lyons as acting Treasurer from August 1930 to January 1931. Lyons' cautious economic approach won him public support, but infuriated the Labor Caucus. When Theodore was reinstated as treasurer, Lyons defected. Supported by businessmen, citizens and Robert Menzies, Lyons joined with the Nationalist and the Australian Party to become leader of the new United Australia Party. In 1931, Lyons became prime minister and the Coalition maintained power in the 1934 and 1937 elections. On 7 April 1939, Lyons died unexpectedly of a heart attack while in office. 

Lyons was the first of two Prime Ministers to die in office. After his death, Lyons's widow, Enid, went on to become the first woman to sit in the House of Representatives, and a Cabinet member during the Menzies government.

http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/fast-facts.aspx

https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/Joseph%20Lyons.htm

Charge a yard glass

Paul Kelly wrote a fitting tribute to former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who yesterday was officially farewelled with a state memorial service at the Sydney Opera House.

Without a doubt, he was one of Australia's greatest Prime Ministers, and definitely one of the best Labor Prime Ministers. I was proud to have him represent us on the world stage.

He was an educated man, but unlike many current generation politicians, he was not elitist. He had the rare ability to connect with people of all backgrounds, and had a genuine affection for them. It would be great if Australia had another leader like him, but I don't like the chances of that happening.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/hawke-loved-australia-and-a-nation-reciprocated/news-story/aac2a2d233c9e188b64a7f5dc1d1905a

Do you know why I have credibility? Because I don't exude morality

As I prepare to vote in the Australian federal election this weekend, I cannot help but reflect on the careers of previous Prime Ministers that I liked and respected. Bob Hawke, who passed away last night at the age of 89, was one of them. Not only that, but almost every political commentator I have read or listened to ranks him as one of the best leaders in Australian history.

Malcolm Farr is one of the elder statesmen of the Canberra press gallery. In this tribute to Hawke, it's a pity his work is let down by shoddy proof reading. What does "layer served" mean? We also read that in 1979, Hawke was "presidency" of the ALP. There is also a sentence that ends without a full stop. 

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/hes-going-to-be-prime-minister-of-australia/news-story/b53f47bb3e45dae888c10dbd2d0f88ee

By Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au, CC BY 3.0 au, Link

Boss cocky

Edmund Barton

When you're Australian, you know things are awry when broadly speaking, you know more about Presidents of the United States than your own country's Prime Ministers. To correct this imbalance, I'm taking on a personal project of reading a biography of every Australian Prime Minister since 1901, starting with Edmund Barton (1849-1920). One of several Prime Ministerial biographies published to commemorate the centenary of Australian federation in 2001, I just finished reading Geoffrey Bolton's Edmund Barton: The One Man for the Job.

Barton was educated at the Fort Street Model School, Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney. Whilst a student at the University of Sydney, Barton was secretary of the University cricket club. Before entering the New South Wales Parliament, he worked in the legal profession, and continued to work sporadically as a barrister and solicitor during his political career. He was also a leading campaigner for Australian federation during the 1890s, rising to become Australia's first Prime Minister in January 1901.

He resigned from office in September 1903, to take up a position as a judge in the first High Court of Australia, remaining in this position until his death in 1920.

Just think, if you are secretary of your cricket club, you too could one day become Prime Minister of Australia. Then again, you might have more job security at the cricket club than as Prime Minister.

I miss John Howard, heck, I even miss Paul Keating

Scott Morrison, 30th Prime Minister of Australia

Australia has a new Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, its sixth Prime Minister in six years. After a Liberal Party room meeting, Malcolm Turnbull is no longer leader of the Liberal Party, and therefore no longer Prime Minister. Whoever wins the next federal election, due to be held by mid 2019, I hope that many years of political instability will now come to an end, and we will see a return to federal governments retaining one leader for an entire term. I also want a government that makes tough and sometimes unpopular decisions in the long term interests of Australia,

You won't have Abbott to kick around anymore

Disdain for former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott manifested itself in a line of t shirts with a vulgar anti-Abbott slogan written on them. They could be bought online, or from radical leftist street vendors in the Melbourne central business district.

As I observed in the city on the weekend, now that Abbott has been replaced by the suave, urbane and progressive Malcolm Turnbull, these shirts are no longer available. These activists have now lost their raison de'tre. It reminds me of Lex Luthor's dummy spit after Superman was killed by the Kryptonian supervillian, Doomsday.

To paraphrase, he said, "My arch enemy is dead. Now what do I do?"

Fall back on some of their other enemies, and use them to define themselves against.