Leaders on the other side who you respected

[snow24]

I thought since we've had some big debates on our respective political views in recent weeks this might be an interesting thread.

I am a social democracy man so I generally support the Labor/Labour/Democrat parties.

However, these are conservative leaders who I have admired/respected.

1. Winston Churchill
2. Richard Nixon
3. Abraham Lincoln (not sure if he'd still be a Republican today tho)
4. Jeff Kennett

i'd be interested to hear the conservative side of this.

[Dr Alf Andrews]

Bob Santamaria.

Although he never officially led a political party, he was the brains behind the staunchly anti-communist DLP in the 1950s and 1960s.

A devout Catholic, a brilliant intellectual, and a man who did a lot to help keep Menzies in office for such a long time.

I admire him for his integrity, even though he was on the wrong side. If only he'd been one of us. Imagine Doc Evatt and Bob Santamaria on the same side, with young Whitlam in the wings. It would be like having Buckley and Voss on the same team, with Judd on the rookie list.

[Dr Alf Andrews]

Another conservative I admire ... now ... is Malcolm Fraser. I admire him more for his humanitarian work since leaving politics than for anything he did while prime minister.

Although I must say, the Liberal government that Fraser led from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s was a more humane, fair-minded government than the out-and-out scum that are running the country now. They were probably more "left" than the Hawke government for most of its tenure and certainly more "left" than the Keating government, by a mile.

And speaking of Fraser ... in a few days it will be 29 years since THAT day.

Well may we say "God Save the Queen ... "

[David]

I don't think Fraser is a conservative now, but he was back in the 80s I think. Of the labor guys I respect, I guess Beazley and Crean were alright. And of course Tony Blair. However I can never respect radicals like Michael Moore and Bob Brown, partly cos they don't respect anybody else.

[London Dave]

I always found Santamaria good value, well thought out and argued opinions that occasionally I didn't agree with, but respected the intellectual rigour behind his opinions. Heard him speak quite a few times and was always impressed.

[foxy]

snow24 - the republican party in the days of lincoln was very, very young. pretty much a new phenomenon. therefore, when lincoln became prez, it hadn't really attained its 20th-century reputation as a deeply conservative party.

lincoln himself was a bit of a centrist - he hated slavery (a rather radical attitude in his day), but he was also an extreeeeme political pragamtist - he was reluctant to go thru with emancipation because he knew it would divide north & south even more.

intrigued as to why you admire nixon tho?

[Joel]

DFC, one person I refuse to admire is Crean. A fool if I ever saw one. Why do you think Labor tried to hide him during the recent campaign?

[snow24]

I admire Nixon for copping the 1960 result on the chin, his resiliance for coming back in 1968 (although Bobby Kennedy would have beaten him if he hadn't have been killed) and I admired his foresight in Asia and stuff.

Crean is a good bloke. He's just a useless media performer and not really suited to treasury. I think he's in the right shadow portfolio now, Shadow Minister for Trade.

[HAL]

Aren't all bloke Crean?

[David]

Lincoln would have been a pretty conservative christian, hence his views on slavery. I'm not sure whether it was the "left-wing" or the "conservatives" of the day who supported or opposed black slavery, it would have been just people who didn't want to lose the convenience of free labor against those who saw the injustice involved.

[snow24]

Bloody oath those were the days. The current state of the ALP is depressing. The Liberals have a queue for the leadership in Costello, Turnbull and Nelson.

The funny thing is all those three have been either Labor party members or very closely aligned with the Labor party in the past. Where has it all gone wrong!?

[Dr Alf Andrews]

[Daks]

I like Howard. I'd like him on my toast for breakfast tomorrow morning.

[David]

Actually I have to agree with Dr. Alf for once... Tony Abott would probably be my choice out of him and Costello - Turnbull isn't much good though

[Dr Alf Andrews]