It's lonely at the top in Oz
John Howard, much admired in these parts, is having to put up with not one, but two of his predecessors as head of the Australian Liberals criticising him. First up we have Malcolm Fraser, who would appear to be the equivalent of Edward Heath - an embittered failure busily resenting the greater success of one of his successors - who has been sniping at Howard for years: "So much so that in recent years he has become one of the most vocal critics of John Howard and his Government, more so than the former Labor prime ministers Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating".
Then we have John Hewson, who thinks Howard "a dull, boring man who came to lead the country by default". Taking disloyalty to new highs, he also advises the Labor (sic) party on how best to target Howard.
Whatever the failings of party leaders and Prime Ministers in my lifetime, I think Kinnock deserves credit for refusing to be drawn on Blair, as - to a degree - does Thatcher on her successors. And brickbats for Harold MacMillan.
In the words of one of our greats, 'Damn your principles! Stick to your party'.
Then we have John Hewson, who thinks Howard "a dull, boring man who came to lead the country by default". Taking disloyalty to new highs, he also advises the Labor (sic) party on how best to target Howard.
Whatever the failings of party leaders and Prime Ministers in my lifetime, I think Kinnock deserves credit for refusing to be drawn on Blair, as - to a degree - does Thatcher on her successors. And brickbats for Harold MacMillan.
In the words of one of our greats, 'Damn your principles! Stick to your party'.
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on Tuesday, January 09, 2007 at 10:36 am.
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Thats a point we find it easier to feel good about when the party is going in the direction we like.
I like the quote though . I would defebnd anyone who was my friend whether or not I agreed ...and have done
I don't think Blair is going to be very nice to Brown is he?
Damn your principles! Stick to your party'.
'Crossing the floor of the House', is quite an adventurous journey, getting rarer and rarer since Churchil's day, and even further away from fictional, Trollopian times.
But I wondered if there might be a surprising number of Trollops in the next few parliamentary years. Or even a number of surprising Trollops.
One of my new year's predictions was that a Liberal MP would join the Tories this year, and I'm already right, if Canada counts.
Neither Fraser nor Hewson cut any ice. Fraser is virtually aligned with Labor politics [which for a western district man is unbelievable] and Hewson is a discredited ex-leader whose wife ran off for certain reasons.
No one except Howard's enemies would read much into this. Interestingly, I had a phone conversation with Malcolm Fraser once, when he rang my mentor of the time.
The two great party coalitions - well three, I suppose and, most particularly, the labour coalition - are built over such enormous differences of view on what should be the limits of governance and how it should be organized and made answerable, that Westminster could look like a ladies' excuse me.
Brown isn't unacceptable just for what he is now, it's that he will move to keep power for good if he gets the Precious. Farming out the determination of fiscal policy to an appointed board, and the NHS, and a reform of state broadcasting, and arms length pensions policy determination - pick and mix your own.
If he weasels in Parliament is going to have to be very quick to defend itself against him, never mind defend the people.
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