There is a lot of leftist 'Progressive' hyperbowl(sic) going on. The media is awash with it but in the cold light of reality that will follow, the man, not some sort of god, will appear.

<Gough Whitlam made a much better legend than a prime minister. No sooner had the news broken yesterday of the death of the former Labor prime minister in a Potts Point nursing home at the age of 98, than the ABC airwaves erupted in tearful hyperbole.

“This country would not be Australia without Gough Whitlam,” said one weeping caller to ABC 702.
...
Gough Whitlam led a chaotic big-spending government for less than three years between 1972 and 1975, reaching high farce in the shady Khemlani Loans Affair, and ending when he was dismissed by the governor-general and lost the ensuing election in a catastrophic landslide. That’s the truth.

But if you consumed any news yesterday you might believe that Whitlam was a visionary genius who single-handedly ended the White Australia policy and the Vietnam War, opened Australia to Asia, ended discrimination against women and Aborigines, gave university education to poor people, and was overthrown by the CIA in cahoots with Rupert Murdoch. In fact the best thing that ever happened to Whitlam was to be dismissed from office, because he became a Labor martyr, and never had to account for the devastation he wrought on his country and his party.>

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gough-whitlam-a-martyred-man-of-myths/story-e6freon6-1227097994683?nk=c8591f6afc864c5daf05c8396c7699cb

Beach, you just can't stand anyone with a "progressive" bone in their body can you. You much prefer the do nothing, staid conservatism of a Menzies or a McMahon. Post war conservative governments did more damage to Australia through lack of foresight, lack of vision and missed opportunities than any thing Whitlam and his mob could have possibly done. In three years Gough achieved more than the conservatives could achieve in thirty years.
You make reference to Murdoch and then link to one of his trashy publications, with a rubbishy story by none other than Miranda Devine. Next thing you will be quoting Andrew Bolt, Alan Jones and Piers Akerman.

It is true that the 'useful idiots' as Marxists deem them would not wake to the progressive introduction of totalitarian international socialism. Then again, it probably appeals to some.

Why should the electorate place trust in the self-titled 'Wolves in Sheep's Clothing' who deceive by not coming clean about their agenda of international socialism - which is behind all of their initiatives and rhetoric, such as their 'negging' of Australian nationalism and insistence on unlimited (population) diversification.

While on the subject of lack of principles and absent ethics, have the Greens withdrawn their poster of Whitlam and apologised as yet? To think that Labor would contemplate ever getting into bed again with the treacherous Greens and it would be cynical and incredibly gutless of Willie Shorten (aka 'Whatever she says') if he did

Yes, otb....your commentary is a great example of the midgetry I referred to earlier.

No genuine or thoughtful critique - merely a hotchpotch of spiteful and graceless blather.

Not that I was expecting anything more substantial.

Some like Miranda Devine, and possibly Beach, have no idea what kind of society Australia had become through 22 years of conservative rule, starting with Menzies in 1949 and ending with McMahon in 1972. It's a fact that many in Australian society had benefited from the post war boom of the 1950's and 60's, never knowing unemployment and having their neat little bungalow in suburbia in which to raise a family and watch TV, all good and well. On the surface Australia was the ideal society, and for the majority it was indeed such a place. Underneath however it was a divided society, with particularly the voiceless youth, alienated and given no say regarding their involvement in the conservatives policy of war and forced military service, women were very much second class citizens, in employment and in education, to name but two. The conservatives, through lack of action, had seen to it that women remained unequal on every front. Aboriginals were hardly citizens at all, and had no equality what so ever, again the conservatives had seen to that. Inequality was everywhere, but for the majority not to be seen, youth were being unheard, women were in their place, Aboriginals were on the fringes. Yes, an ideal society, for some!
Below the surface there were these great divisions in Australia. These divisions began to raise their ugly heads in the late 60's and early 70's, the voiceless people wanted to be heard. A tide of discontent developed that not even the conservative powers could stop, and Whitlam with no doubt, was the right man, in the right place, and it certainly was "Its Time". For all his failings, and Gough had some, who does not, in three short years Whitlam and his government achieved much, and symbolically that is reflected in the change, at the time, of the national anthem from 'God Save the Queen' to 'Advance Australia Fair'. People today can have their unkind opinions of Gough Whitlam, none can say he was not a caring Australian, warts and all, who achieved much for his country.

Dear Paul,

Politicians from all sides of
the political spectrum have acknowledged the legacy
of Gough Whitlam leaving no doubt whatsoever that
his vision and his policies made changes that endure
to this time.

Taken from the Web the following is just a small
list of the man's achievements:

1) He abolished the White Australia policy and passed the
Racial Discrimination Act, ushering in a new era for Australia.

2) He made The Pill affordable and accessible, by removing
the tax on contraceptives.

3) He Implemented free higher education making hundreds of
thousands of Australians the first in their family able to
go to university.

4) He legislated for no fault divorce so women could chose
to leave an unhappy marriage without being financially
burdened.

5) He helped Australia become more civilised and humanitarian
in its law making by abolishing conscription and the
death penalty.

6) He introduced Medicare to allow universal healthcare
for all Australians. Without this historic reform 1 in 5
Australians would be unable to afford access to GPs or
hospitals.

7) He championed Aboriginal Land Rights returning land to the
Gurindiji People of the Northern Territory. He was also known
for involving Australia's Aboriginal People directly in
policy making and established free Aboriginal Legal Services.

8) Gough re-opened the equal pay case, championing the
rights of women to work and be fairly compensated.

9) He was the first Western Leader to visit China and make
his nation's relationship with Asia a priority. This
decision and those which flowed from it have been
responsible for much of Australia's economic and trade
prosperity in the years since.

10) He established the National Gallery in Canberra,
doubled funding to the Arts, introduced legislation to
form the SBS and created the Australian Council for the
Arts.

Considering the few years they were
in power this is quite a legacy.

Australians want politicians who fire their
imagination and dare to be brave. They want politics that
make changes that endure, politics that transform - not
by stealth but by winning the battle of ideas.

RIP - Gough Whitlam and Thank You!