Billy Snedden wins in 1974

[sherri]

Lets say either Snedden performs a bit better (not a lot, he's Snedden. after all) or Gough Whitlam fecks up worse and Snedden squeaks out a win.

What is PM Snedden like?

How is Australia with no Dismissal?

 

[GSD310]

A victory means the Libs would stop questioning or underestimating Snedden's leadership...at least in the short term.

A close victory probably means Whitlam will fancy his chances at the next election. An underwhelming PMship means Fraser would probably be getting ready to challenge with a view to leading the Libs to the next election.

I'm not sure where he stood ideologically.

 

[sherri]

It's harder rolling a PM then an Opposition Leader so i can see Billy holding on the full term, the next election due in 1977.

No Dismissal is an interesting consequence of this.

Also by 1977 the Libs/Country have been in power Federally for 26 out of 28 years. The Australian people will be less used to a Labor Federal Government then they were with an extra year of Whitlam.

Force of habit and inertia will help the Liberals in '77.

Despite the Australian left post-Thatcherism lionising Whitlam, *at the time* they were bitterly opposed to him for being middle-class, not socialist and too "right wing". It's reminiscent of the modern claims by the Trots in the universities and the Greens that the ALP is '"centre-right".