Gough Whitlam Memorial Service

[Matilda]

A truly memorable service, with the tone set by the crowds as various politicians arrived: Cheers for Paul Keating (and a standing ovation inside the Town Hall), and again for Julia Gillard. Applause for Bob Hawke, and a mixed reception for Kevin Rudd. Boos for John Howard, and louder and more sustained booing for Tony Abbott, even inside the hall (not sure that it's appropriate, but I do understand the sentiment).

MC Kerry O'Brien (ex-ABC, and previously, an ex-Whitlam staffer) kicked it off by saying the Town Hall was Gough's second choice of venue for his memorial service. His first was a funeral pyre in the Senate chamber - he'd have loved to have taken the Senate with him. That signalled the mood for the service: warm, humourous, irreverent at times, grateful, and full of awe and admiration at what this man achieved in just three years.


Cate Blanchett: "I am the beneficiary of free tertiary education":

Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson: "What has this Roman done for us?":

Clearly, two issues resonated with the crowds inside and outside the Town Hall - free education and free health care. Both of which are being eroded by Tony Abbott, who sat with stony face throughout.

Gough is truly gone now - one can only hope that the current Labor leaders will reflect on what it was that made him so loved and revered, and try in some small way to emulate his deeds.

[CBHagman]

1. A cultural education for me.

I've only watched the Cate Blanchett speech thus far but it was just beautifully done and filled in a lot of the gaps in my education about the cultural history of Australia.

And it was bold speech about the common good, and precisely the thing that the U.S. Congress needs to see now, this instant, even if many of them wouldn't get it at all.

[steve2470]

2. I watched those videos, very nice tributes

I was a tad surprised at the booing inside the hall, but Australians have every right to express themselves ! We Americans could take a page out of your book there.

[Matilda]

3. It did surprise us as well;

it's not usual behaviour.

But I think it can be explained by the fact that Gough's passing highlighted the complete lack of politicians with any real vision for the country today - not only the left, but many in the centre are all too aware that there isn't another Gough around today, nor is there one on the horizon. Today's pollies think only in terms of the 30 second grab for the evening news – that's the extent of their commitment.

Emotion got the upper hand ...

[CBHagman]

4. Not to take the attention from Gough Whitlam...

...but booing at memorial services is not unheard of in the United States. When the memorial for Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) was held in 2002, just before a midterm election, at least one Republican lawmaker was booed by the crowd. The American right-wing media immediately made that the story, rather than the unbearably tragic deaths of Wellstone, his wife, his daughter, several staffers, and pilot and co-pilot in a plane crash.