Peter Webb
"PRIME Minister John Howard has named Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II as the "three towering figures" of the late 20th century."
And in response, Australians From Tim Costello to Bary Jones nominated alternative heroes! Of course, being true-blues, unlike Howard, they chose Aussies as heroes, there are plenty to choose from, even if Howard prefers foreign political wankers! B^p
Of course lumping the Pope in with Reagan and Thatcher is nonsensical. "While John Paul was scathing about the evils of communism, he was also outspoken about the evils of untrammelled 'free market' capitalism as practised by Thatcher and Reagan." B^D - The Age 5-10-2006
Fascinating, one of Howards heroes slammed the otehr two! B^D
"He railed against the materialistic obsessions of contemporary capitalism and the impoverished reductionist views of the human person"
such as that espoused by Thatcher.
"Pope John Paul stressed the importance of building socially just societies that have a special care for teh poor and marginalised and have 'the common good' at their heart. This stands in stark contrast with Thatcher and Reagan's bleak individualism, summed up in Thatcher's clbuttic dog-eat-dog credo: 'There is no such thing as society.'"
Lets compare Thatcher to the Popes words:
"20. Importance of Unions
All these rights, together with the need for the workers themselves to secure them, give rise to yet another right: the right of buttociation, that is to form buttociations for the purpose of defending the vital interests of those employed in the various professions. These buttociations are called labour or trade unions."...
" modern unions grew up from the struggle of the workers-workers in general but especially the industrial workers-to protect their just rights vis-a-vis the entrepreneurs and the owners of the means of production."
"The experience of history teaches that organizations of this type are an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies. "
"they are indeed a mouthpiece for the struggle for social justice, for the just rights of working people in accordance with their individual professions." - Howard's Hero B^D
So the man Howard claims to admire has actually condemmned what the Liberal party has become under Howard, a betrayal of small-l liberal values;
# "The only thing which counts is money" # "Menzies founded a small-l liberal party. # All of that has gone. # They are no longer small-l liberals. # They are now the right-wing side of politics". # - Dame Rachel Cleland Australian Story ABC 3-5-99 # # ---------------------- # # "Menzies always emphasised that the Liberal # Party was a liberal party. # # He specifically rejected conservatism as a force # within the Liberal Party. # # Now, reading those particular Menzies speeches # today, conservatism seems to be -- well, the whole # political spectrum has moved to the right." #
The Official Est. June 2000 aus.culture.true-blue FAQ ;
The true-blue Homestead;
The true-blue Hall Of Fame;
The Tuckerbox;
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