For 11 years now, I have detested the Howard Government. It's arguable that they didn't deserve to win the election in 1996 (which was essentially a referendum on Paul Keating) and that they subsequently claimed the hard won fruits of the previous administration. The bulk of economic reform had already occurred before that election.
The Howard Government has had its moments. It has run the economy for the most part with reasonable skill, nothwithstanding those times in the electoral cycle when it handed out buckets of money. I supported the Government on its guns policy (that is, making it tougher to get and own one) and there are some things that only conservative governments can get away with, such as the work for the dole scheme, which was probably worth a try.
But that doesn't excuse the dumping on indigenous people, the dumping on and subsequent incarceration of 'illegal immigrants' , the war in Iraq (Mark 2) and the very ideologically driven stances and policies that pepper its 11 year reign.
There is a good chance that a new Labor Government will be elected Saturday week, though it is not a given, in spite of the polls. The Tories are very good at winning Federal elections, as a glance at the last 100 years of political history will attest. This time they don't deserve to.
Let's rekindle the light on the hill.
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