The witless men

by Don Whitington

When Labor men plopped into the Government benches in 1972 they were wreathed in euphoria. After twenty-three years in the political wilderness the Labor ranks were in power; at last, they had exchanged dutiful opposition for governmental responsibilities.

But the performance of Labor parliamentarians and Party members has not lived up to the expectations of either the electorate or the Media. The long apprenticeship in Opposition failed to train a loyal and careful team, and in many cases the Party structure and Party appointments have acted as additional irritants to the rasping governmental body.

Men of undoubted ability—Ministers and others—have proved ineffectual, perverse and witless as they stumble along the path of government. Some have become martyr material, some pension plodders, some churlish ciphers, while still others have proved their worth and talents.

Why did power so influence and alter the Labor personalities? Who are the bright hopes of the Labor party now? Which party offers the best men for Australia's future governments and cabinets?

This is Don Whitington's eleventh book.

198 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1975

About the author

Bertram Lindon 'Don' Whitington was an Australian political journalist. He was educated in Victoria and Tasmania, and became a journalist at the age of twenty-three, working on newspapers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra. He covered politics since the start of the Second World War. He was managing editor of Australian Press Services, which published Inside Canberra.