With the US result some friends and I have been discussing who the worst PM was/is.

  • Nath@aussie.zone
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    23 hours ago

    Mr Fraser privatised Medibank (the original Medicare). Universal healthcare was the dream-child of the preceding government. The Liberal Party hated it and tried to block it. One of the first things they did was kill it. I fully recognise that my views of Mr Fraser were the product of my childhood - where my political views mostly boiled down to “Liberals are evil and Labor are the good guys” thanks to my parental influences.

    It turns out that universal healthcare is pretty popular, though. It was the main issue that kept the Libs in the wilderness for over a decade. They had to promise not to kill Medicare to ever get another shot at government.

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      22 hours ago

      Oh yeah Fraser was definitely not good for the country. But compared to every Liberal who came after him?

      • shirro@aussie.zone
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        9 hours ago

        Fraser was uncompromising on things like refugees so he gets some credit for that as Howard/Fisher did for gun control. I don’t think Howard was proud of the children overboard stuff and not sure Fraser would have done that but he governed in different times. I think there is at least one PM since who had no moral compass at all, like clinically lacking, there was just the mask but I am struggling to remember anything he did.

      • Nath@aussie.zone
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        18 hours ago

        I had several disagreements with Mr Howard, but I believe that despite those differences, he really was trying to do the right thing for the country.

        I liked Mr Turnbull. In an alternate universe where he was permitted to actually lead the nation and wasn’t held down by his party, I think he could have been one of the great PMs.

        I didn’t have a lot of time for either Mr Abbott nor Mr Morrison. Both were bad for the country. I honestly can’t recall a redeeming thing to say about either of them.

        • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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          20 minutes ago

          I think I could have agreed with you on Howard except for two things. Children overboard was not just had in itself, but it basically set Australia on its now 20 year history of politicisation of refugees’ lives. It was bad enough in its own right, but looking at the long term ramifications of his actions, I rate him as one of the worst we’ve ever had, even if he’s not quite in contention for the #1 spot.

          Turnbull I agree with you. In an alternate universe he could have been one of the best LNP leaders we’ve ever had. But the fact is that he had no spine and was more than willing to throw the country and his own personal beliefs aside for the sake of retaining power, and I cannot forgive him for that.