John Howard, Australia's most successful socialist

I have been observing the United States for many years. Unlike most people who pontificate about America, I have actually studied American politics and history, in my case under Professor Patrick O'Brien at the University of Western Australia. I have also visited the US. When Americans ask me about the Australian equivalent of the Republican Party I say -- this person disarmed the citizenry and wore a flak jacket when her addressed his own people; he brought in the biggest new tax in Australia's history; he bribed the middle class electorate with more welfare payments than any other administration; and he paved the way for the carbon tax.Who was this person? No prizes for guessing it was John Howard, the most successful socialist in Australia's history. So I say to my American friends 'There is no equivalent to the Republican Party in Australia, just two centre left parties which would fit quite comfortably in the Democratic Party.'

 In some ways I admire John Howard. He showed almost unbelievable self belief during  his wilderness years and he ran a government that, if socialist, was relatively clean. Peter Costello deserves more credit than he was given for keeping free spending ministers at bay and thereby keeping  the Budget in surplus. He probably wasn't as terrifyingly parsimonious at Peter Walsh and he deserved a shot at leading the party. John Howard wouldn't go when his backers urged him to go, and the Libs might have won in a close fought poll if Costello had been at the helm  but that's all history. \Liberal PMs promise so much and deliver so little