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I'm not sure whether you're comparing Bolte with Howard or contrasting the two of them. I know I lack comprehension, as you've repeatly told me, particularly of obscure prose; I can't grasp what the hell you're driving at in the last two paragraphs of your rejoinder comment. "Howard can implement liberal policies without negotiating, or going against principles" He can only implement policies when he can get a Senate majority - before last July the Senate had been anything but liberal or Liberal; since then marginally better, but Howard, Nelson, et al have still to negotiate pretty hard-headedly. They are getting more of what they want than before provided they are prepared to be less than "pure". As for Bolte, as much as he disliked the Country Party, which in his day was a strong ally of the ALP, forming government with that party as the "junior" partner in the McDonald government of the early fifties, he was the archetypal "Country" politician, a McEwanist of the worst sort. I vividly remember the obscene margarine wars he conducted to protect dairy farmers. I would go as far as saying that the dire situation Victoria found itself in prior to Kennett's election was largely the result of Bolte-ism, of course exacerbated by the stupidities of Cain Junior and Kirner.
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