vale Malcom Fraser

[Feldon]

Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser died today after a short illness.

In all honesty, I despised the man and his politics at the time of Gough Whitlam's dismissal in 1975, but in the long years since I have come to admire his tireless pursuit of humanitarian causes.

He became a great Australian statesman, more as a result of his work after leaving Canberra politics.

With Gough's passing last October a defining era in Australia has now come to an end.

RIP Mal.




(Anybody know brewery that made the oatmeal stout shown on the advertisement on the back wall behind Fraser's young treasurer, John Howard?)

 

[Bribie G]

Like you, Feldon, I hated his guts. Then in his later years he did more good work for the planet than ten ordinary men. When the former Yugoslav wars were happening, while everyone ran around like chooks with their heads cut off, Fraser flew into a war zone to negotiate face to face on behalf of some hostages.

A great man. As stated in the Guardian today he was graceful, intelligent and decent. The complete opposite of the current chimp.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Got to admire the way he walked back into the hotel he was staying in after his 'Ordeal Without Trousers' in Memphis, wonder what he told Tammie, bet it beat my lame excuse after coming home from the pub covered in paint.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

coming home from the pub covered in paint.

Do tell.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

He was a great man and his post political life was at least as good as his political life.

Our family was very close to adopting a Vietnamese refugee around the time of the Vietnam war and my understanding is that it was due to his own efforts that Australia took in a large number of refugees at that time.

 

[JDW81]

An era of Australian politics has certainly come to a close with the passing of Gough and Malcolm. Gone are the days of decent men (and women) of politics.


JD

 

[MartinOC]

A right-wing politician championing left-wing ideals. Rare indeed!

 

[manticle]

Back when believing in something was more important than image or toeing the party line.
Imagine politicians with integrity and humanity. I'd vote for him if he stood today and I've never preferenced Liberal over anyone but aafi, one nation, cdp, f&s, citizens electoral, whatever other far right buncharseholes you'd care to name. Was a kid when he was in power but something about the face of politics has changed massively since then.

 

[spog]

RIP, What he did he did,what or who he stood for and represented is now a legacy.
But being the cynical ******* that I am,we no longer have to fork out 600k a year ? for a " former Prime Minister " .

Ahh,I feel better now .........

 

[manticle]

Like a hydra, mate; for every head cut off, 10 more will grow.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Back when believing in something was more important than image or toeing the party line.
Imagine politicians with integrity and humanity. I'd vote for him if he stood today and I've never preferenced Liberal over anyone but aafi, one nation, cdp, f&s, citizens electoral, whatever other far right buncharseholes you'd care to name. Was a kid when he was in power but something about the face of politics has changed massively since then.

There is a lack of vision...of any sort.

Its all about trying to get in now, by what ever means or method. We now see " career politicians " as the norm.

 

[spog]

Like a hydra, mate; for every head cut off, 10 more will grow.

Yeah,trouble is these days the dick and head sprout at the same time and become entwined.

 

[peas_and_corn]

I wonder if Vale Ale could be sold as the go to beer for funerals. It has an appropriate name.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Do tell.

I will save that for when someone starts a 'Lame excuses' thread

 

[Weizguy]

A right-wing politician championing left-wing ideals. Rare indeed!

Whereas these days, the opposite seems to proliferate. Different times..., and education is not longer free (thank Gough).

A great man. As stated in the Guardian today he was graceful, intelligent and decent. The complete opposite of the current chimp.

Chimp, gimp, wimp. A boxhead by any other name would be as retarded.

What I say for Malcolm is that he lived as he saw fit, did his best to represent the country with decorum, erudition and forethought (a lesson to be learned by modern pollies).

Hard to believe that both Hawke and A-bot were both Rhodes scholars. What happened there?

 

[goomboogo]

Hard to believe that both Hawke and A-bot were both Rhodes scholars. What happened there?

Sometimes, who you know carries more weight than what you know.

 

[Dave70]

Back when believing in something was more important than image or toeing the party line.
Imagine politicians with integrity and humanity. I'd vote for him if he stood today and I've never preferenced Liberal over anyone but aafi, one nation, cdp, f&s, citizens electoral, whatever other far right buncharseholes you'd care to name. Was a kid when he was in power but something about the face of politics has changed massively since then.

Politics, and by extension, politicians, cant really help but reflect the society that surrounds them.
On balance, we live a fairly benign little existence in Aus compared to the rest of the planet. Whilst it would be a treat to have leaders the caliber of a Churchill or T Roosevelt, what would they do? Great leaders are also almost universally uncompromising, is that the kind of leader we really want? The ABC would go into meltdown with back to back satire and media watch programming if nothing else..
In a perverted kind of way, I believe its almost a deliverance that we continue to thrive under the stewardship of of a gaggle of flip flopping, back stabbing ex trade union socialists or neo conservative private school bullies.

 

[manticle]

I get what you mean but I don't know I agree. People in charge of things can either be good, honest managers with integrity who care about their responsibilities or they can be smug, self serving arseholes. People who lead should be good at their job.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

And that is the problem we face.

You know things are not right when politicians spend most of their working life as, well, politicians. None of this " go out into the real world " for a good while BEFORE you want to become a politician.

How the **** can some one my age have spent most ( if not all ) of their working life as a politician.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I don't know about having a leader who is uncompromising, but our leader at the moment is having to make compromises, which doesn't help our country, we are looking towards a bleak future unless the budget can be fixed which is what this coalition government was voted in to do. What would Malcom do if he was at the crease now, unfortunately all I know about him is what I wrote in an essay on the great man while at school.
Every spending cut put forward is being blocked by Labour who has no ideas or plans of their own, we are borrowing $110 million every day, and as Glen Stevens said in Brisbane yesterday,we have to tackle the problem now or it will be harder medicine to swallow down the track.