I noticed under the Pauline Hanson thread there was some concern that there had been outside influence in Gough Whitlams sacking.
I guess we all heard the theories at the time, especially the one about Gough wanting Australian observers inside Pine Gap and "outside" didnt...but would it have occured?
What power did the "outside" have in Australian politics in those days anyway?
Are we merely obsessed with conspiracy theory and just like the ring of their tone more than any truth?

Dear Gibo,

Donald Horne, a journalist, wrote in his book, "Death of a Lucky Country," the following about the Whitlam Govt. sacking:

"The Governor-General secretly made a decision, the effect of which was to support the political plans of the Liberal and National Country Parties.

Against all contemporary practice he did not discuss that decision with the Government that was then in power. But having contemplated the decision secretly he secretly got for it the support of the Chief Justice...

The Governor-General then mounted a time-tabled operation, for which the phrase "constitutional coup d'etat" seems a useful description. It was an operation which had the general effect of leaving the Prime Minister with a false sense of security; then without discussing any alternatives, kicking him out of office, installing the Minority Leader as Prime Minister, then dissolving Parliament.

It all happened so quickly that no preventative action could be taken."

Gough Whitlam pointed out, in a speech he made, twenty years after,
(Nov. 8th 1995) that the two great insights of Donald Horne's above listed passage, are these:

1) That what was called the constitutional crisis of 1975 was essentially a political crisis fully capable of being resolved by political means.

2) The essence of the operation by which the government was dismissed "kicked out," as Donald Horne says was secrecy.

Whitlam stressed that if you understand these two points - they are the keys to understanding everything that happened.

Thanks Foxy for your imput. What you said, much I didnt know.
I havent read any of Donald Hornes material.
I dont normally get into secular works and much of the period has passed.
I find it distracts from The Word. But thats me.
Nothing has ever come out about an "outside" connection to those secret decisions, so Im generally taking it that all of the stories about "who done who in", beyond what you mentioned, are just stories.

Dear Gibo,

You're welcome.

I fully understand where you're coming from.

You'll probably live longer and happier as a result.

I doubt if anyone on here will know everything that went on behind the scenes.
However it did seem fairly straightforward to me.
The senate rejected money bills.
The house sent them back.
The senate rejected them again, and again.
Whitlam started to organise loans from Kemlani, a shady arms dealer in
order to keep the government operating.
The loans were illegal because they had not been approved by parliament or the executive council.

Whitlam was called in by the Gov General and asked if he would give in.
He refused so the Gov General dismissed his government and appointed
a caretaker government and called an election one month later.
Whitlam lost that election in a landslide.

Thats how I remember it.

Sounds like chaos Bazz.
Gough doing wrong, secrecy all over the place. Maybe shadowing others in the background.
Strange to have happened in a democratic country.
All I remember was being in a patrol vehicle when Gough got the bullet and the Radio Telephone person told the story to the troops over the air and everyone jumped on the two-way radio and shouted for joy.
I dont think Gough was as loved as we have been led to believe.