Gough Whitlam died this week. In Britain he was probably known for the fact that his Labor government was outrageously dismissed by Governor-General John Kerr. Gough’s line on this is one of the most famous in Australian political history – ‘Well may we say God Save The Queen, because nothing will save the Governor-General.’ And this was true, Kerr was defined – and condemned – by this act.
Whitlam’s government lasted three short years, but just look at what it did:
Recognised China.
Introduced universal free healthcare.
Expanded higher education and made it free.
Recognised Aboriginal land rights.
Passed the Racial Discrimination Act.
Abolished conscription.
Withdrew from Vietnam.
Banned racially discriminatory sports teams (ie Rhodesia and South Africa)
Abolished the death penalty.
Abolished imperial honours, including knighthoods.
Replaced God Save the Queen with Advance Australia Fair as the Australian national anthem.
Lowered the voting age to 18.
Brought in legal aid.
Introduced no-fault divorces.
Took sewers to the suburbs – when Gough became prime minister nearly half of Australian homes were not connected to a sewerage system.
And bought Jackson Pollock’s masterpiece ‘Nine Poles’ for A$1.3m – a scandal at the time.
A massive programme, delivered by what you would politely call a chaotic government. Partly it’s a consequence of the length of time that Labor had been out of power. The split with the Democratic Labor party meant that it had been 1949 since there had been a federal Labor government. Mainly it’s the result of Gough’s approach to opposition. He used his time from 1967 to 1972 – including the general election he lost – to stake out what Labor would do in government. His speech at the launch of the 1972 election ‘It’s Time’ campaign is a classic – it is 34 closely argued pages of policy.
There’s a lesson here and it’s about how to govern. Have big ideas, have a plan and execute them. Politics is about change and Gough changed Australia for good.
In Paul Keating’s words: ‘he [Gough] changed the country’s idea of itself, he changed destiny.’
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This has been a good week for No 10.
No, I haven’t gone mad. I don’t mean David Cameron’s No 10. I’m talking about Tony Blair’s office – the class of 2001 to be precise.
First, there was the return of Pat McFadden to the front bench as shadow Europe minister. This was not just the promotion of a talented politician – which is always welcome – but it was also the appointment of someone with strong and well-known progressive views on foreign policy and immigration
The European Union and immigration are sometimes seen as difficult areas for us. They are actually huge opportunities. It was Blair who got immigration exactly right after the 2005 election when he brought in an ‘Australian-style points-based system’. This has ever since been the frame for all discussion of migration – firm but fair (but firm). And it’s the right place to be.
Immigration drives growth – and diversity drives Labour majorities. We shouldn’t be afraid of it. And in Pat we have a minister who can speak to business and to working people, a minister who will not let a Labour government give up on the freedoms that are right for British and European workers. After all, what do we end up with if we restrict freedom of movement of labour within the EU but leave capital, goods and services free to move? That’s right: a club for capitalists.
The other Blair alumnus who has shone this week is NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens. His Five Year Forward View has won deserved praise from all sides. The creation of a service that bridges health and social care is now not just on the cards but within sight. This unanimity of ambition, purpose and direction is a huge leadership task in itself. But alongside this Stevens has also told the truth to all the political parties – the NHS needs more money. Indeed, he went as far as he could toward saying it needed more money now.
The figures Stevens announced are huge. The NHS has saved some £20bn in this parliament – a third from wages, and given further reform will save another £22bn – though Stevens says the time has now come for pay increases to return. But to achieve this he needs another £8bn to maintain NHS quality. This is far more than anyone is offering – though Labour come closest with the £2.5bn pledged at conference.
In effect, Stevens has said that if the next general election is to be a bidding war about the NHS here’s a reality check. It was instructive to see all parties praise Stevens’ plan and then run a mile from the financial reality. This will not be possible forever – and it is intriguing to note that the extra money the NHS needs is almost identical to the amount of tax cuts announced at Tory conference. Perhaps we will test next year whether people want tax cuts or more spending on the NHS.
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John McTernan is former political secretary at 10 Downing Street and was director of communications for former prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard. He writes The Last Word column on Progress and tweets @johnmcternan
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