Daily Archives: June 3, 2017

Paul Keating, Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard have all delivered some zingers in their time.

William Charles Wentworth is famed for crossing the Blue Mountains but was also a political pioneer.

WHAT makes a leader great? And has Australia ever had a truly great political leader?

Apparently we have had 10 -- including several you have probably never heard of.

A former top political advisor has compiled a definitive list of the greatest political figures in Australian history and it is nothing if not surprising.

John Adams has warned that hyperpartisanship and relentless attempts to seize power by the political class has sent Australia into a national decline.

In an effort to stop this descent, the one-time economics and policy advisor has released his list, which he says should be taught in schools and be the subject of a national debate.

He has measured each figure against six key criteria:

1. Personal Courage

2. Acted in the public/national interest

3. Leadership

4. Foresight

5. Consistency

6. Impact

Adams, a former advisor to political supremo Arthur Sinodinos, as well as a former management consultant for a major accounting firm and public servant within the Commonwealth and NSW public services, says we need to be reminded of a better class of political leader to rescue Australia from its current perilous state.

Unfortunately, a significant majority of the current political class are obsessed with obtaining and maintaining power. As a result, they are unwilling to lead and take significant political and personal risks, but rather pursue deeply ideological agendas which do not align with the pressing public policy concerns of the Australian people, he says.

Moreover, many contemporary politicians seek to politicise every possible issue under the sun and employ hyper-partisan divide and conquer tactics, with the objective of pitting one Australian against another, in the hope that Australians become frustrated with the opposing side.

Hopefully, this top 10 list can trigger a national debate about the state of national decline Australia currently finds herself in and the rotten political class which is responsible for placing Australia in the current perilous state.

The list will no doubt be controversial there are at least two notable omissions, possibly more the fault of history than of the author. And, coming from a former Coalition warrior, many of the names on it will be a major surprise as will several whom you probably have never heard of. There is also one major name that failed to make the grade.*

See if you can pick the three unusual absences my answers are below. In the meantime, here is John Adams list of

Australias Top 10 Greatest Political Figures of all Time

Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons tops the list.Source:Supplied

1. Joseph Lyons

Former Labor Premier of Tasmania and Cabinet Minister in the Scullin Government, Lyons quit Federal Cabinet in January 1931 and later in March quit the ALP over the federal caucus decision to reappoint Ted Theodore as Treasurer. Theodore advocated significant money supply and credit expansion by the Commonwealth Bank to finance the Australian Governments significant expenditure and debts during the credit crisis of the Great Depression.

Concerned by the collapse of confidence among Australias creditors in London that Australia would struggle to meet its debt obligations and reminded by Germanys 1923 experience with hyperinflation, Lyons advocated for sound money and for significant cuts in public spending and wages across the Australian economy.

Lyons went on to unite with conservative parliamentarians to become the Leader of the United Australia Party and the Leader of the Opposition. Lyons courage and principled resolve resulted in him being elected as Australias 10th Prime Minister, winning 3 elections in total until his death in office in 1939. Lyons economic policies during the Great Depression resulted in the Australia economy enjoying a faster economic recovery relative to the US economy which was the leading economy in the world.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after Sweden dropped a warrant that drove him to take refuge in Ecuador's London embassy. Picture: AFP/Justin TallisSource:AFP

2. Julian Assange

Founder of the Wikileaks which is an international organisation with a perfect 10.5 year publishing record of the secrets of Government and major corporations. Driven by the political philosophy that citizens have a right to be informed about the true nature of government and corporate activity, Wikileaks has revealed information which has allowed citizens around the world to make superior political judgements and decisions when participating in democratic elections.

Assanges courage and body of work has made him a global hero to millions around the world. He single-handedly changed the tide of the 2016 US election by exposing corrupt behaviour at the Democratic National Committee and by exposing significant contradictions between Hillary Clintons public and private policy positions.

Still controversial, Assanges body of work has resulted in him becoming an effective political prisoner in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has remained for four years.

Opposition Leader Dr John Hewson puts on a brave face in the aftermath of the 1993 election.Source:News Corp Australia

3. John Hewson

Leader of the Opposition and of the federal Liberal Party between 1990 and 1993. John Hewson fought the 1993 election on his Fightback package, which was the boldest economic policy reform package ever to be launched by a parliamentary opposition in Australian political history. While losing the 1993 election, Hewsons courage to fight an election on significant tax and other economic reforms paved the way for the Howard Governments success in implementing tax reform after the 1998 election.

Peter Lalor, leader of the 1854 Eureka Stockade revolt.Source:News Limited

4. Peter Lalor

Leader of the Eureka Reform League and the Eureka Rebellion in 1854. The Eureka Reform League passed resolutions affirming the right of the people to full representation, manhood suffrage, the abolition of the property qualification for members, payment of members, short Parliaments, and the abolition of the Gold Commission and the diggers licenses.

Lalor was shot in the left arm during the raid on the Eureka Stockade on the morning of 3 December 1854 which required amputation. As a result of the actions Peter Lalor and the Eureka Reform League, the Electoral Act 1856 was passed by the Victorian Parliament which expanded the electoral franchise of Victorians and for the first time in the western world introduced the secret ballot as part of the electoral process which was soon adopted around the world and has become a global standard for free and fair elections.

Former NSW Independent MP John Hatton, whose work led to the police royal commission.Source:News Limited

5. John Hatton

NSW Parliament Independent member for the South Coast from 1977 to 1995. John Hatton campaigned tirelessly against police corruption and also worked courageously to expose mafia crime around Griffith. Hattons parliamentary body of work led to the formation of the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service in 1994. The Royal Commission uncovered hundreds of instances of bribery, money laundering, drug trafficking, fabrication of evidence, destruction of evidence, fraud and serious assaults in just the detective division of the Kings Cross patrol.

The Royal Commission led to widespread reform of the NSW Police Force and the establishment of the NSW Police Integrity Commission.

Former NSW Governor George Gipps defied popular opinion to punish crimes against Indigenous Australians.Source:News Corp Australia

6. George Gipps

Governor of New South Wales between 1838 and 1846. During his tenure as Governor, Gipps was the first governor in Australian history to take aggressive unpopular action to punish white perpetrators of the mass murder of Indigenous Australians and to prevent further mass murders from occurring. Governor Gipps believed that Indigenous Australians were entitled to protection under the law.

Famously, in response to the Myall Massacre in which 28 Indigenous men, women and children were murdered and burnt (in some cases alive), Governor Gipps commissioned an investigation of the massacre, ordered a retrial after the first trial found the accused not guilty and then took on the powerful and well-funded interests as well as widespread outrage within Sydney by following through on the execution of seven men who were found guilty during the second trial.

Wartime leader John Curtin portrait by Anthony Dattilo Rubbo.Source:News Limited

7. John Curtin

As Australias 14th Prime Minister between 1941 to 1945, Curtin led Australia during the countrys darkest hours in World War 2. Having been a part of the British Empire since 1788, John Curtin displayed significant courage in confronting Winston Churchill after the significant defeat in Singapore at the hands of Japan.

Fearing that Australias national survival was hanging in the balance, John Curtin switched Australias military allegiances from the United Kingdom to the United States which resulted in Australias national survival, the establishment of the ANZUS treaty and a 70+ year military, intelligence and economic partnership which is still in place today.

Paul Keating in full flight during Question Time -- named in this top 10 by a former Coalition advisor.Source:Supplied

8. Paul Keating

Commonwealth Treasurer and 24th Prime Minister from 1983 to 1996. Paul Keating should significant leadership in driving major economic reform throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including the floating of the Australian dollar, bank deregulation, trade reform, the 1985 tax summit and subsequent reform package, privatisation reform, competition reform, establishment of the superannuation system, the establishment of the Council of Australian Governments and the 1993 industrial relations reform package which introduced generational reform.

Keating also showed enormous courage and leadership during the 1986 balance of payments crisis when he warned Australia risked become a banana republic if the country did not confront its economic challenges. As a result, Paul Keating cut commonwealth spending and went on to deliver 3 budget surpluses.

As Prime Minister, Paul Keating provided visionary leadership on Australias future inevitable relationship with Asia, played a key role in the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and on Indigenous reconciliation through his famous 1992 Redfern speech.

John Howard shortly before being elected in 1996, after which he became the nations second-longest serving PM.Source:News Corp Australia

9. John Howard

Australias 25th Prime Minister led a determined reformist government achieving major reform including waterfront reform, tax reform and industrial reform (including reform of the building construction sector). Howard was instrumental in working with his Treasurer, Peter Costello in delivering 11 out of 12 surplus budgets. At the risk of triggering a regional armed conflict, Howard committed Australian troops to defend the people of East Timor through a United Nations protection force in 1999.

Howard also showed tremendous courage and leadership by introducing the unpopular Work Choices employment reform package which was instrumental in reducing the unemployment rate to 3.9% in July 2007, the lowest in over 30 years.

William Charles Wentworth is famed for crossing the Blue Mountains but was also a political pioneer.Source:News Corp Australia

10. William Charles Wentworth

Vigorously advocated through inflammatory speeches and radical articles against the prevailing winds, the reform of the political and legal structure of the penal colony of Sydney including advocating for a free press, trial by jury and self-government. Wentworths actions contributed to the passing of the New South Wales Act 1823, which instituted a nominated Legislative Council and permitted trial by jury in civil actions only when demanded by both parties.

Wentworth later played a significant role in the Australian Patriotic Association where he drafted reform legislation which was accepted by the Colonial Office in London which enlarged the size of the Legislative Council making it more representative. Wentworth went on to serve in the Legislative Council and helped establish in 1848 a system of state primary education in NSW.

*Odd ones out:

1. No woman

2. No Indigenous person

3. No Robert Menzies the nations longest serving prime minister and founder of the Liberal party

Read this article:

Julian Assange, Paul Keating named in Australia's Top 10 political ... - NEWS.com.au

John Stossel | Syndicated Columnist

Venezuela descends into chaos. Its people, once the wealthiest in Latin America, starve. Even The New York Times runs headlines like "Dying Infants and No Medicine."

My Venezuelan-born friend Kenny says his relatives are speaking differently. Cousins who once answered "Fine" or "Good" when asked, "How are you?" now say, "We're eating."

Eating is a big deal in the country that's given birth to jokes about a "Venezuelan diet." A survey by three universities found 75 percent of Venezuelans lost an average 19 pounds this year.

So are American celebrities who championed Venezuela's "people's revolution" embarrassed? Will they admit they were wrong?

"No," says linguist and political writer Noam Chomsky. "I was right."

Sigh.

Actor Sean Penn met with Hugo Chavez several times and claimed Chavez did "incredible things for the 80 percent of the people that are very poor."

Oliver Stone made a film that fawned over Chavez and Latin American socialism. Chavez joined Stone in Venice for the film's premiere.

Michael Moore praised Chavez for eliminating "75 percent of extreme poverty."

Hello?! In Venezuela, Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, created extreme poverty.

Chomsky, whose anti-capitalist teachings have inspired millions of American college students, praised Chavez's "sharp poverty reduction, probably the greatest in the Americas." Chavez returned the compliment by holding up Chomsky's book during a speech at the U.N., making it a best-seller.

Is Chomsky embarrassed by that today? "No," he wrote me. He praised Chavez "in 2006. Here's the situation as of two years later." He linked to a 2008 article by a writer of Oliver Stone's movie who said, "Venezuela has seen a remarkable reduction in poverty."

I asked him, "Should you now say to the students who've learned from you, 'Socialism, in practice, often wrecks people's lives'?" Chomsky replied, "I never described Chavez's state capitalist government as 'socialist' or even hinted at such an absurdity. It was quite remote from socialism. Private capitalism remained ... Capitalists were free to undermine the economy in all sorts of ways, like massive export of capital."

What? Capitalists "undermine the economy" by fleeing?

I showed Chomsky's email to Marian Tupy, editor of HumanProgress.org. I like his response: "If lack of private capitalism I assume he means total abolition of private enterprise and most private property is his definition of socialism, then only North Korea and Kampuchea qualify."

Tupy also asks how Chomsky thinks "capitalists sabotaged the economy by taking money out if capitalists are superfluous to a functioning economy."

Good questions. Chomsky's arguments are absurd.

As Tupy wrote elsewhere about another socialist fool, "As much as I would like to enjoy rubbing (his) nose in his own mind-bending stupidity, I cannot rejoice, for I know that Venezuela's descent into chaos hyperinflation, empty shops, out-of-control violence and the collapse of basic public services will not be the last time we hear of a collapsing socialist economy. More countries will refuse to learn from history and give socialism 'a go.' 'Useful idiots,' to use Lenin's words ... will sing socialism's praises until the last light goes out."

I fear he's right. This love for state planning is especially outrageous today because anyone who pays attention knows what does work: market capitalism.

Socialism failed in Angola, Benin, Cambodia, China, Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Laos, Mongolia, Mozambique, North Korea, Poland, Somalia, the Soviet Union, Vietnam and now Venezuela. We are yet to experience the blessed event of seeing one socialist country succeed.

Yet during the same years, capitalism brought prosperity to Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, most of Western Europe, and years ago, to a mostly poor and undeveloped country we now call America.

In 1973, when Chile abandoned its short-lived experiment with socialism and embraced capitalism, Chilean income was 36 percent that of Venezuela. Today, Chileans are 51 percent richer than Venezuelans. Chilean incomes rose by 228 percent. Venezuelans became 21 percent poorer.

Venezuela has greater oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. But because some people believe socialism is the answer to inequality, Venezuelans starve.

What should Venezuela do once the tyrant falls?

It should do what Dubai and Hong Kong did, and what America should do next with Guantanamo Bay and Puerto Rico: create "prosperity zones." I'll explain in my next column.

If you would like to write a letter to the editor in response to this column, follow this link.

John Stossel is the author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails But Individuals Succeed."

Here is the original post:

JOHN STOSSEL: Socialists blather while Venezuela starves - The Northwest Florida Daily News