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Article: Charles Richardson on the Liberal Party & the 'moral middle class'.(Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class: From Alfred Deakin to John Howard)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Arena Magazine
- Article date:
- February 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Judith Brett, Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class: From Alfred Deakin to John Howard, Cambridge University Press, 2003
Not surprisingly, most attention to this book has focused on Brett's treatment of the Liberal Party's recent past--especially her love/hate attitude to John Howard. The real virtue of Brett's book, however, is the way that she shows how the Liberal Party's current position is deeply rooted in its history, including its prehistory.
Although she sticks doggedly to the term "Liberal', Brett's argument really comes down to a claim that the Liberal Party and its predecessors have always been conservative parties. Howard's ...