[Skgqie1]

Interestingly, he's also generally viewed as one of the greatest prime ministers, and did insanely well by most metrics. He served both the longest period of any prime minister in Australia (18 years), and has the longest consecutive time as prime minister too (16 years iirc).

He was also a central figure for one of the two major parties (Liberal - basically our closest equivalent to the American Republican party).

It would be fascinating to hear his opinion on where the Liberal party is today. That said, I think both major parties are generally shit (Broadly speaking, one works in the best interests of corporations, and the other just doesn't do much of anything)

[ggm]

Australia being hung on the balance of 49/51 I'd say about half the voters would agree with you, but a hell of a lot wouldn't.

[smackeyacky]

By who? Good old pig iron bob, sold metal to the Japanese that came back as bullets fired during ww2, painted everyone as communists, ran a deeply corrupted domestic spy state and conscripted young men to fight that pointless war in vietnam? Continued the repression of women and homosexuals and kowtowed to the catholic and anglican churches who were buggering orphans and stolen aboriginals on an industrial scale.

That guy? Calling him great is controversial to say the least.