Mungo MacCallum > Quotes

“He embraced political power not as an end in itself, but for what it could accomplish for the betterment of society;”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“Reminded that the Commonwealth was already involved in pre-school and university education, Chifley replied: “That’s different – they’re for kids before they’ve got souls and after they’ve lost them.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“But perhaps his outstanding contribution to Australian politics was that, after a lifetime of switching sides, he put in place the basic two-party structure we have today: Labor versus anti-Labor. The anti-Labor parties have had many names, but always the same policy: to keep Labor out of office.”
― Mungo MacCallum

“Yet if the Howard years changed little in the law, they had a huge effect on the culture. Most Australians certainly became wealthier, but in the process they became more materialistic and self-centred. Howard constantly held up the ideal of mateship, but in practice he was much more concerned with individuals taking responsibility for themselves than in fostering genuine co-operation within communities, let alone in a wider international context. Indeed, much of his political success derived from setting groups against each other, from bolstering fear and loathing.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“...the opportunity for overthrowing capitalism has passed – Labor governments are the hope of the world.” From that time his commitment to the ALP was unquestioned.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“There is an understandable aversion to risk, and a reluctance to plan too far ahead: the modern electorate wants instant gratification and simplistic, populist solutions.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“The family was serious about education; after dinner, Fred was known to issue volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica to his children and guests for a little light reading.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“Gorton flu” quickly became a euphemism for pissed as a parrot.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers

“Gough was a serious student but found time to gain a blue in rowing; he was later to say that the sport was an apt one for men in public life because you could face one way while going in the other.”
― Mungo MacCallum, The Good, the Bad & the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers