Alexjc Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Former Australian Liberal Party Prime Minister, (John) Malcolm Fraser, has died at the age of 84. Brought into power in 1975 in the most controversial circumstances when then Governor General, Sir John Kerr sacked Labor leader, Goff Whitlam. Fraser was installed as caretaker PM untill a general election was held and then taking over after winning the election and ruling in his own right untill 1983. He was replaced by Labor's Bob Hawke. Fraser's no nonsense style of governance was seen as a panacea to the trauma of the removal of the Whitlam administration. At the time the government books weren't healthy and with the senate in Liberal control, Fraser took the chance to pounce and force an early election. However the Governor General John Kerr, considered by many as a pompus prick, including Fraser, called Whitlam's bluff and sacked him. It was later found out that Whitlam could've told Kerr where to go but his sense of honour got the better of him. It didn't help that Malcolm Fraser was waiting in the carpark at the Governor's mansion while Whitlam was inside being removed from power. Fraser managed to pull the country together in the aftermath and even he felt that Whitlam was hard done by and later became his biggest advocate and freind...After losing power in 1983 he moved on and travelled the world as an elder statesman in liberal/conservative circles. In 1986, while travelling through the USA, in Memphis, it was alleged his drink was spiked at a hotel he was staying in. He was found wandering wearing only a towel in a very disoriented state. It was later alledged he had been stalked by disgruntled adversaries at a conference he was attending. In later years he fell out of favour with the Liberal Party, disagreeing with the direction the party was turning towards a close minded conservative negative lean. He disliked the current PM, Tony Abbott and was later seen as more left leaning and was the only former Liberal leader to attend Goff Whitlam's funeral last year as a representative and friend. In NZ, Fraser was initially seen as an adversary after the Whitlam affair but later seen as someone who could take on hard line PM Robert Muldoon's sharp tongue and untill David Lange showed up. Something that was badly needed. RIP Malcolm Fraser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR2028 Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Very sad to hear this, it always is when a good and true politician goes down. Someone who truly stood up for what they believed in and was a friend to all people until the end. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatsnotmypuppy Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Edited because you know what - no politician was ever perfect. Thus the previous list of Fraser's failings is irrelevant. RIP old fella. You'll be missed but you were no Gough Whitlam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainad Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 IMO there will always be a black mark against him because of his collusion with Kerr to get rid of the elected prime minister! I watched an excellent Australian mini-series about this some years ago. What he and Kerr did amounted to little more than a coup against the elected government of the country. It strongly resembled what often goes on in third world countries not in an advanced western one like Australia! No doubt he redeemed himself a bit during his time as prime minister and did some good things for Australia and even made his peace with Whitlam but the manner in which he came to power will always leave a sour taste to my mind. I don't know what Australians think about him but that has always been my feeling about him ever since I learned what went on back in 1975! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexjc Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 IMO there will always be a black mark against him because of his collusion with Kerr to get rid of the elected prime minister! I watched an excellent Australian mini-series about this some years ago. What he and Kerr did amounted to little more than a coup against the elected government of the country. It strongly resembled what often goes on in third world countries not in an advanced western one like Australia! No doubt he redeemed himself a bit during his time as prime minister and did some good things for Australia and even made his peace with Whitlam but the manner in which he came to power will always leave a sour taste to my mind. I don't know what Australians think about him but that has always been my feeling about him ever since I learned what went on back in 1975! Hmm...there are so many different perspectives on 1975...History Channel recently replayed the Whitlam Years and the blame sort of ends up on Goff's shoulders...His government triggered off so many dumb events that lead up to the Liberal's take over of the senate through proper democratic means. Whitlam's government simply could no longer pass importaint legislation through without their support. Effectively unable to govern, Whitlam went to the Governer General to resign his warrant and call an early election. Sir John Kerr, a Labor appointed GG, was so far up himself he pulled swifty and sacked Whitlam as PM there and then...The daft thing was that Whitlam could've said no but Whitlam's holier than thou upbringing saw his honor at stake and by then he had come to believe that he would win the confidence of the people in the lead up to the election even if Fraser was interim PM. It backfired. Rest assured that Kerr became the laughing stock of Australia untill the end of his days, a drunkard disliked idiot. Fraser went on to continue the liberalisation of the Australian economy, placed the nation on the humanitarian global stage and created the CER agreement with NZ. He also helped NZ Labor opposition leader, David Lange, with advice on how to deal with PM Rob Muldoon as the NZ Labour Party's new doctrine was modeled on Fraser's liberalization reforms even after Bob Hawke had gained power in Australia in 1983. As for your last sentence in your first paragraph...Well that's democracy in action...Australia is lucky. that it has a two tier House in Federal Parliament as well at individual State government...Even with all the kerfuffle of 1975 and as receintly as the last Labor administration's leadership battles, it's well founded democracy can simply take the hit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR2028 Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 IMO there will always be a black mark against him because of his collusion with Kerr to get rid of the elected prime minister! I watched an excellent Australian mini-series about this some years ago. What he and Kerr did amounted to little more than a coup against the elected government of the country. It strongly resembled what often goes on in third world countries not in an advanced western one like Australia! No doubt he redeemed himself a bit during his time as prime minister and did some good things for Australia and even made his peace with Whitlam but the manner in which he came to power will always leave a sour taste to my mind. I don't know what Australians think about him but that has always been my feeling about him ever since I learned what went on back in 1975! Um...Winter of Discontent? Parliamentary coups are IMO very common place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainad Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Um...Winter of Discontent? Parliamentary coups are IMO very common place. Nobody ever went behind an elected British PM's back and dismissed him without the consent of the PM himself or Parliament! Whitlam was sacked by the Governor-General without his consent or even without the consent of the Australian Parliament. It was as if the Queen of the UK had summoned a British PM and told him he was sacked on the spot! Unthinkable, unconstitutional and undemocratic without the consent of Parliament and yet it happened to Gough Whitlam in Australia in 1975 with the agreement and collusion of Malcolm Fraser. "Kerr's cur" is what Whitlam called Fraser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faster Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Nobody ever went behind an elected British PM's back and dismissed him without the consent of the PM himself or Parliament! Whitlam was sacked by the Governor-General without his consent or even without the consent of the Australian Parliament. It was as if the Queen of the UK had summoned a British PM and told him he was sacked on the spot! Unthinkable, unconstitutional and undemocratic without the consent of Parliament and yet it happened to Gough Whitlam in Australia in 1975 with the agreement and collusion of Malcolm Fraser. "Kerr's cur" is what Whitlam called Fraser! The Governor-General is a political position in our neck of the woods, unlikely the apolitical monarch. It is perfectly within the constitution of Australia for the GG to remove the Prime Minister. It is odd, but within the broad powers most of the Governor-Generals have. Much of the Westminster system is undemocratic. The people do not directly elect their head of government, nor head of state or an entire chamber of governance (for many), ultimate power still rests in the hands of an appointed figure in the realms. Not to mention the system usually results in elected representatives to be nothing more then trained seals for the party leader and the Prime Minister having far too much power. The Prime Minister has more power to direct government then almost any president. There is a substantial democracy deficit with the Westminster system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexjc Posted March 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Nobody ever went behind an elected British PM's back and dismissed him without the consent of the PM himself or Parliament! Whitlam was sacked by the Governor-General without his consent or even without the consent of the Australian Parliament. It was as if the Queen of the UK had summoned a British PM and told him he was sacked on the spot! Unthinkable, unconstitutional and undemocratic without the consent of Parliament and yet it happened to Gough Whitlam in Australia in 1975 with the agreement and collusion of Malcolm Fraser. "Kerr's cur" is what Whitlam called Fraser! Whitlam only ever said "Kerr's cur" once, and in the heat of the moment. and what happened to him was legal at that time...although terrible.Whitlam brought what happened in November 1975 on himself. People forget that Whitlam was not your true Labor type. He was an educated super intelect, not salt of the earth but did follow the post war socialist boom of a roof over your head and a fair day's work worth of wages type. His government was so enthusiastic to be in power after an entire generation as opposition, they forgot the practical side of running a country without overspending and telling even bigger countries to "go jump in a lake", like the already hostile to "Left thinking" Nixon White House. Raising dubious massive loans to fund a state controlled mineral and oil industry through shady agents caught the attention of critics and when it all fell through, they were ready to pounce, including one Rupert Murdoch, an original supporter but jilted by some government policies that he didn't agree with. Whitlam's personal vanity also didn't help...He had to be pryed out of The Lodge after Cyclone Tracy hit while he was overseas and had flown home a day after. Senior ministers pleaded for him to unpack and repack for a trip to Darwin after he refused to divert his plane to Alice Springs and catch a C130 to Darwin. He got there eventually but the moment was lost and the resentment built. This ontop of his own minister's private dalliances on offical duties had started to make there way into the Press. But what really finally undid Whitlam was is thorough enjoyment in picking on and bullying the then Liberal Opposition leader, William "Billy" Sneddon. He took great pleasure in besting "Billy Boy" in the debating chamber using his superior intelect. Senior Liberal Party heads needed to find someone who could take on Whitlam equal to equal, someone with a sharp mind and nobody's fool - In March 1975, they found that man ready and waiting to be given the chance - John Malcolm Fraser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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