The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - 532 - Gough Whitlam and 1975 - live w/Gen Fricker

Episode Date: May 10, 2022

Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds examine Gough Whitlam and 1975   Sources Tour Dates Redbubble Merch

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capital of Australia. The motherfucking big time. We've done shows in other cities. No thank you. We don't know why you're the capital but you are the god damn cow. Look at how nervous Dave is. Look how fired up this guy is. Look at that. Wooo. Energy. You're listening to the dollop. This is an American History podcast where each week I, Dave Anthony, read a story from American history and sometimes Australian. It's a blue shirt guy. Thank you. Whose name is Gareth Reynolds? And I have no, shut up, and I have no idea what the topic is going to be about. Yes. What a time. And tonight, sir, sir, sir,

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Lord of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Edward Goff Whitlam. You've got an audience of Pinko Lefty scum tonight. A full-on dirty, commie audience. Was born in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, on the stolen land of the Warringerie people. His mother was Martha and his father was Fred. Nice. Any funny things to say about that? Yeah. No. Edward's maternal grandfather was also named Edward. Nice. So at a young age, he started going by his middle name, Goff. Is that a common Australian name? It is? Yes. Some say yes. What's that? Older generation. Of the 1916 generation. Are you bullshitting? Okay. You reckon this 20-year-old in the

front row knows bullshitting about this? Listen, I'll buy anything. You can tell me anything. Goff was very slow to speak, but when he finally did start speaking, he came out big. He told his dad a joke and Goff said quote, or his dad told the joke, and Goff said quote, that was a good one, father. That's the first thing he said. Came out just full sentences. His dad's like, look, if you're going to talk, enjoy the bit. That was a pretty good joke. He's like, very drill, papa. I'm creased. In 1918, Fred was promoted to Deputy Crown Solicitor and transferred to Sydney, and the family settled in the North Shore, and Goff started school at

Chatsworth Church of England Girls' School. No judgment, but... Very progressive, really. Yeah, is that... Yeah, it's very progressive. Were they so progressive? They were like, we can't ask any questions, so here you are. It actually wasn't uncommon for boys to start their primary education at a girls' school back then. Sounds to me like it was a school. I think the problem is in the specificity. It's a girls' school with boys. Right. Again, I'm just going to push back a little bit. I call that a school. Well, technically it is a girls' school. Right. I don't want to fight. We're early. Like, let's make this a good situation, but again,

you know, that's a... Wow, fuck you. His school reports noted his very lucid mind and, quote, a curious weakness in mathematics. Hmm. That's, I mean, something my mother never read. You were the king of math. Yeah, for sure. In 1927, Fred was named Assistant Crown Solicitor, and they moved to the new national capital in Canberra. This is where you guys are right now. He initially attended Canberra Grammar School. Golf was a good student. He studied English and Classics and History in Latin. At the grammar school? Yep. Was it a grammar school for girls? No, this is

just... This is one with boys and girls, but not called the girl's school. Well, it sounds like they taught more than grammar, though. He's got a point. If I may. Golf was a very good student. As I said, he completed his leaving certificate at 16, but then his father decided he was too young to start college, so he made him go back to Canberra Grammar. From what? The beginning? Come on, you're doing kindergarten again. What? Yeah, let's Billy Madison this shit. Come on. So at 18, golf landed a scholarship to St. Paul's College at the University of Sydney. He got into theater, doing some plays, a little short

role in a film, and then Pearl Harbor happened. And then Pearl Harbor happened? Yeah, that's a thing. You know what that is, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because he went to school. Yeah. That's right. That's right. Yep. Learned about that. So golf... Recall the 9-11. Go ahead. So, golf volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force. Okay. Just before entering, he married Margaret Dovey. So while in the RAF, golf became very interested in politics, and he joins the Labour Party in 1945. He unsuccessfully ran for local council twice in New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and then in 1951, Burt Lazzarini. So he was the Labour member for

Werawa, and he announced he was standing down. Okay. That means he's not doing it anymore. I understand. Not that he just was like, I'm not gonna stand up anymore. He's not... Right. He's not renouncing walking. That's right. Right. He's retiring. So golf won pre-selection for the seat. Lazzarini died before completing his term, so golf was elected to the House of Representatives. So he didn't really even need to step down. No, he was... Yeah. I mean, he was... The Lord was stepping him down. Yeah. The Lord was like, you're stepping down from me. He's like, I'm quitting my job. God's like, you're quitting everything. You're not gonna be a human. That's over. He was crushed under

the weight of his own eyebrows. Yeah. They had an open eyebrow casket. So now golf's in the House of Representatives. Now, conservatives are running the show, and they have been for a long time, so... Nice. Labour Party's in opposition. In 1951, the ANZIS Treaty was signed, which is a pact between the US, Australia, and New Zealand to end communist sympathy in Asia. Okay. I'll know that worked out wonderfully. Yeah. And sympathy. We're done. That's it. We're not understanding anymore. Fuck you. So it basically means that if there's an armed attack on any, or there's danger to any, they have to back each other up, and they exchange information.

Okay. So despite being a socialist who called everyone comrade, golf was considered to be a centrist in the 1960s of the Labour Party. Wow. What were the leftists like? That's right, my friend. Just a guy covered in red. Yeah. Doing that floor dance. With the man the vault. Golf was known as a progressive pragmatist and described as having a beautiful arrogance. That's interesting. By himself? I feel like that's one thing. Yeah. You've got quite an ego. It's a beautiful arrogance. Write that down. That's what I have. So over the years he worked his way up the ranks, and he earned leadership positions, and in 1961 he

became a deputy leader, and then in 1967 he became Labour leader, and the official leader of the opposition. He believed, to gain more seats, the Labour Party needed to widen their appeal to include middle-class suburbanites. So they expanded their policies to include programs that weren't just union or worker-specific, like expanding school and university funding, child care, universal health care, increasing pensions, and oddly people love this stuff, because it's good. So the Labour Party makes considerable gains. Interesting how that works. Yeah, and that weird? Yeah. Yeah. As the 1970s came along, the Vietnam

War was becoming increasingly unpopular. Oh, sorry. You said unpopular? Unpopular. Hmm, strange. What? Oh dear. So, if you're listening to the podcast, I have pulled up a newspaper, the news, and the headline is student to burn dog as protest, and it's a picture of a student with his dog. And the dog doesn't look happy about it. Yeah, yeah, but look, we have to make sacrifices. Okay, so. How can you make that announcement? Well, how does someone like, that sucks, that's gonna happen. I would like murder that guy. I'd like him on fire. So, he wasn't actually gonna burn the dog. Well, too bad, I already burned

the man. Game over. He was just doing it to get attention, to draw attention to the fact that, you know, more is bad, and, you know, but it was like, it's like an Abbey Hoffman type. It's a stunt. Theatrical stunt type thing. Sure. But people wanted to fucking kill him, like he got death threats, and like, yeah, yeah. I'm on that guy's side. The dog's side? No. No, no, I want the dog dead. It's classic, Dave. So, the thing is, we don't know. If he had burned that dog, maybe Vietnam would have stopped. Actually, it does look like a Russian retriever. Just saying. Kami. You know what the saddest part was? That dog was saying, no war. Yeah. And you

can't see that in the print. No. We can't. No. Fucking journalist. So, Labour Party factions are fighting over what position to take on the war. Some weren't sure how loyal Australia should be to the US. Wrong. Trust us. We got this. America's a good drunk driver now. Get in the goddamn car. We got this. You guys can totally get, like, all of our movies and stuff. Shut up. No, you can't. We won't give them to you. TV shows. You gotta trust us. We need back. Shut the fuck up, Dave. You can not back us and get all that stuff anymore. No, no. We're not giving you, you know, that's, you're not gonna get it. So, hang in there. We got this. Things are

going really well. Trust us, okay? We got this shit. Run. But the public's turning against the war and Labour Party's anti-war faction is getting louder. So, Goff promises to bring Australian troops home. In 1972, Goff campaigned for Prime Minister and his election slogan, two words. It's time. So, they win. Labour Party had not been in power for 23 years. On the day's new cabinet were being sworn in, December 18th, 1972, Henry Kissinger ordered the Christmas bombings across Vietnam. It was a nine-day campaign dropping 20,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam, killing over 1,000 people and targeting hospitals and other civilian spots. They didn't call

it the Christmas bombing, did they? Like, that wasn't from the White House. No, I think it was called the Christmas bombing, wasn't it? They could not have been, like, the Merry Christmas bombing. I think it's just, I would, I think it's more of the Happy Holidays bombing. I just think you want to open it up to every... Well, they, they flew in slays. They enlisted Santa. It's dope. If they'll make him dress like Santa... Oh, I could keep going. It's dark, though. So, Goff's newly appointed trade minister was Jim Cairns, but he's a, he's a very well-known anti-war activist, and he condemns the bombings and says the Nixon White House was run by, quote, maniacs acting with the mentality of thuggery. Excuse me, sir.

That is our greatest president. Bite your tongue. Trust him. And he said they had gauged, in quote, the most brutal and indiscriminate slaughter of women and children in living memory. And he was like, just wait. That's nothing. I haven't even gone into Cambodia yet. Yeah. So, Goff, he's also furious with the bombings, but as the new prime minister, he feels like he should be restrained in public. So, instead of just attacking Nixon and Kissinger in the press, he writes a letter to the president. Dear cunt. Yeah. Now, the language is very diplomatic, but at the end he called for the U.S. and the North Vietnamese to return to the negotiating table and find a peace, peaceful solution. Sure. Which we already know Kissinger

is undermined. Right. So, Nixon and Kissinger, they get the letter and they are fucking furious. Guy doesn't get it. He doesn't understand that we have a long-term strategy. Some people don't understand you need to kill everybody in the country to win the battle. What are we in there for? Shut up. That's right. Sorry, I asked, Mr. President. You know. You get it, no. So, based on his reaction, they thought Whitlam had put the USA on the same level as communist North Vietnam. And Kissinger calls the Australian embassy and just fucking starts yelling at them. And then he wrote and instructed the U.S. embassy here, quote, to convey that we are not particularly amused being put by an ally on the same level as

our enemy and to have an appeal equally addressed to us and North Vietnam. Oh, sorry, he said that to the Australian embassy. And he said it was not the way to start a relationship with the U.S. until the ambassador, quote, so I don't think we're going to reply to this message. This is to the American embassy. I don't think we're going to reply to this message. I just talked to the president about it. But he added, this is not an official communication. Such an act taken publicly would really not have very good consequences. So he's basically saying they're just going to ghost Australia. Nice. Now, who is Americans ambassador in Australia at the time? Well, his name is X CIA protege and key aid to Henry

Kissinger. Jesus. In 1961, he was a senior U.S. diplomat in South Korea when a coup toppled the democratically elected government. He was in Greece for the coup by a right wing junta. I thought you're going to say the musical. It seemed impossible. He was the ambassador to Indonesia when an anti-communist coup installed President Saharto, which led to genocide. From 6973, he was secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. So when he arrived in Australia, he had a reputation as a coup master and was appointed because of U.S. concern over the election of Goff Whitlam. So he was, this castle was put in just because of the election of Goff. Yeah, because Goffs were like dirty commie. Right. He's like, we can

kill Australia. No. Shut the fuck up. You got to love us. We are incorrigible. We're just everywhere. So a few days after, after Nixon and Kissinger had gotten that letter from Whitlam, they talked on the phone. And of course it's recorded because Nixon's fucking crazy. Because Nixon was out of his mic. Nixon was an idiot. He was the Quincy Jones of the White House. He was like, let's do it from the top. One more. We've got to kill him. Nixon calls Whitlam a peacenik. A what? A peacenik. Okay. Who is taking Australia quote down a very, very dangerous path. The idea, it's like, that should be validating to any country if Nixon's like, you're kind of doing bad. It's like, great. Okay. We're on the

right track. This is very validating. Kissinger says that they should freeze out Whitlam for a few months. Quote, he'll get the message. After all, they need us a hell of a lot more than we need them. Just flashing back to some boyfriends I've had. Yeah. You know, we are like the world's worst boyfriend country. Yeah, we really are. We just don't do anything. We're like, fuck me. Jesus, this guy. What are you mad about? Hit your dad. And so that's what they did. They never reply to the letter. So for months, there's no contact between the Australian ambassador and the State Department. And Kissinger read all the cables between the Australian embassy and Canberra. And Nixon refused to invite Whitlam to the White House.

And US officials hinted that the ANZS treaty could be torn up. According to a diplomat, Nixon quote, elevated Australia to number two place on his shit list. Again, so validating. The fact that he had an actual shit list is so amazing. He had a shit list of countries and of people. Yeah, we're gonna kill John Lennon. People like exactly Richard, you get it. You know how being the president works. Call of Mexico, you're moving up to two. Yeah. And by the way, if if Australia is not like responding in any way that if in that situation that drives you crazier, you're just going like, did they notice we didn't respond? Turn off the lights. That's right. Fly a plane and sky write your number two on the shit

list. The fuck is with these people? I don't know. There it is out of their minds. So weird of them. Nixon refused to send Australia a Christmas card that year. It's not the worst Christmas activity from the White House. You know what? No. No, they don't get one this year. That'll show them. We got that adorable picture of Hank and I laying under the tree. Yes, that would leave a big spot on the shelf where we would know to be. Happy holidays from the war criminals. So as prime minister, goff refused. I'm just going to picture him in those shoes for the rest of the show, by the way. Yeah, he doesn't have there's no issues on there in his jellies. So as prime minister, goff is pursuing the social programs

that he campaigned on, right? Universal health care, abolishing university fees, Aboriginal land rights legislation. So wait, he, sorry, he campaigned on this stuff and then he's, what did you say? Yeah, he's pursuing, he's trying to then enact them. Yeah. I'm not sure I understand, but I'll see where this is going. He's, okay, go ahead, keep going. I just seems kind of silly. So he's also trying to get ownership of Australia's natural resources. But the Labour Party has the majority in the House of Representatives, they do not have the majority in the Senate. So goff wants Australia to become an independent state, no longer subservient to the Queen and the old country, or to be America's lapdog. He wanted to abolish

royal patronage and appeals to the privy council, which kept the legislature tied to Britain. Okay. Which, again, I mean, come on, you're attached to two winners. Well, what are you doing? Don't know you to shake it off. You got a good thing going. Get the Queen and Nixon? Good Lord. It's an embarrassment of riches. Yeah. So he also moved Australia towards the non-aligned movement, which is a way of trying to avoid taking sides in the Cold War. Okay. Eventually, you guys figured it out, obviously. He supported zones of peace and opposed nuclear weapons testing. So I hate being Nixon's defense. Mmm, finally. But it does sound like it was a bit of a peacenik. I don't know. Was he a peacenik, Dave? Was he what? A peacenik?

Yeah. It sounds like he's a peacenik. Yeah. I think he nailed him on that. Look, bad guy, Nixon, ride on that one. Yeah. Yeah. Give that one to Nixon. An American commentator observed that Australia as a nation, quote, reversed its posture in international affairs so totally without going through a domestic revolution. Yeah. I mean, yeah, they just voted in a new guy. Yeah. They just like, yeah, they voted for someone and then the person was doing it. And they're like, how the fuck did that happen? What's going on over there? There's no effigies or Molotov cocktails? So the communist prime minister of Yugoslavia was planning. Yes. It is my time to enter the tale. I've been quiet long enough. I was born sad. So he's planning to come in Australia. Now

there have been terrorist activity, including bombings from right-wing coercion. So there's concerns about his safety when he's in Australia. So the attorney general asked Australian Security Services, known as the ASIO, about any plots against the Yugoslav PM. Asio. What? Asio. Asio? Yeah. We're going to call it ASIO? I mean, we do. I don't know why, it's just that's what we do. It's fine. Yeah. We call the CIA Kia. Except in Italy that it's Chaya. So sorry, just to be clear, which attorney general is calling on his behalf, the Yugoslavian attorney general? No, that's the Yugoslavian prime minister. Correct. But who is, what attorney general is worried about his safety? Australia's attorney general. Okay, got you. So Whitlum's attorney general. Okay,

good. Who do you have, who's your list of guys that we need to be worried about in Australia? Right. And he plots against him. Right. But what the fuck, there's a baby here? That better had just been born. Otherwise, that is a crazy decision. That literally better be popping out right now. Otherwise, what the fuck is going on? Who's like, I'm going to bring a baby to a dollop show. It's going to end up looking like that. Shut the fuck up. The sitter canceled. So, ACO, is that what we're calling it? ACO. Yeah. It's what we call it. Yeah. Okay, so ACO. So they don't give the AG much information. Or should I say they give him different information. He asks for the files of the six most dangerous people in

Australia who could be a threat to the Yugoslavian PM. And ACO sends files of communist party union members who are peace activists. Known for their dangerous ways. Of course, they're going to kill the commie. Right, yeah. So the attorney general concludes that ACO are either hiding information or they're completely incompetent. Couldn't it be both? Are you telling me that a group that handles international and domestic security might be fucking dumb? Are you? No way. That can't be. So he knows they're biased, obviously, because they gave him a list of communists, right? And ignored the threats from the right, which is who he's worried about. So he believes that it's a government agency and they have to be accountable to their minister, right? So he decides to raid ACO.

Razio. Crazy. So the police storm and raid their camera and Melbourne offices. This is the only time in history this has ever happened. It seems very strange. It's a little over the top. Who are they? They're us. What? Our enemies. But also wouldn't ACO know they were coming? Yeah, of course they didn't. So they don't find anything conclusive when they look through everything. But now ACO are fucking furious. Why? And they're not the only ones. The White House now thinks the Austrian Attorney General is a communist sympathizer and that they can't trust Australian. Him with secrets. Right. Okay. So. Which is good. I mean, they're already on the shit list, though. It's like going

on an ex's Facebook. It's like, look, you're saying you don't give a fuck. And they're like, what are they doing? Well, they're really fucking up over there. You don't care. So now the answers treaty, like I said, is an intelligent sharing relationship with ACO and the CIA. Also, ACO holds Australian and American secrets. And now the CIA thinks the Attorney General's raid is a really serious violation. Wait, America has nothing to hide. Very open about what we do, especially Nixon. And so they're like Whitlam's government can't be trusted. In an interview years later with journalist Ray Martin, then boss of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton, known as the ghost. So this man's why didn't he go by his middle name? James Jesus, known as the

ghost. He's known as the ghost. If he's he's almost the Holy Trinity. So this is what he said. He said the raid caused a crisis quote. Relationships are delicate. It is a tender plant that needs nourishment. It needs mutual confidentiality. When we saw this Whitlam government come into power, and this Attorney General blowing in barging in, we were deeply concerned as to the sanctity of information. So the CIA really lost that plant analogy pretty quickly. He said it's like a plant, right? Yeah, he did. It's like a plant. It needs to be nurtured. And also it needs to understand that we're in fucking charge. And if it fucking tells anyone what we said, we're gonna kill the fucking plant. We will kill this plant. Fuck this plant. And then he stepped on an eggplant. That's

what you get. Like if he was talking about an eggplant. This plant here. My favorite plant, the egg. So in 1966, as part of the ANZUS Treaty, Australia allowed the United States to build a surveillance satellite base known as Pine Gap. As what? Pine Gap. Okay. There's a television show about it. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it. Can I only imagine how horrifying it is? You can't watch something. We saved the world from here. They call it Australia's Area 51. Is that? A lot of UFO sightings. Oh, really? Okay. So it's right in the middle of Australia. It's like right in the middle. And its activities kept quiet. Sure. So they just were like, just make it like eight balloons. Yeah. No one can know. That's right. And I don't know if you're trying to tell

me. I'm really trying to force an alien thread into this. I know it's not probably what you're intended, but I assume this ends in aliens. I just want to plant like the egg. I want to plant it now. Actually, it looks like a bunch of planted eggs. Yeah. We're ready for the alien twist whenever, doctor. Please continue. The deal was that any information the US gathered from their operations at Pine Gap, they would share with Australia's secret services. But it's so secret that not even the Prime Minister knows what's going on there. That is so fucking crazy. It's called democracy dumbass. It's also so similar to our situation where it's just like, the President can't know. He's not in charge. We are whoopsie. Yeah. So the site has a 10 year lease, which is

amazing to me. Like the landlords like, no, I don't know. I mean, I'm looking to get someone for 10 years. I got a bunch of people who want to rent this space out. If you're not going to sign on for 10 plus security first and last. There's there's a kid's balloon event thing that wants to do a thing. Utilities included. I'll walk. You know what? I get a good feeling from you guys. Let me do the credit check and then we'll see where we're at. So it had to be renegotiated before 1976. So Goff wants to know what the fuck is going on there. Why? Because he's in charge of everything. He wants to know if it's a CIA base. If so, why should Australia allow it to continue? And he publicly is wondering this and whether it's undermining Australia's sovereignty. It is. Which now further

increases tensions between the CIA and Whitlam's government. Right. I mean, essentially, they now view this as like a fucking commie takeover. Yeah, it's 100%. Well, but it's also like another one of our like, we're on the like quiet coup train right now. We're just dipping our toe in the swimming pool. So the US is like, you know, I don't trust them. Put a bunch of balloons we can live in over there. A bunch of info balloons over there. So do you remember a fella named Christopher the Falcon Boyce from such podcast as the dollop number 392 and the movie the Falcon and the snowman? Oh, fuck. Skies. What a legend. He said that he turned against the United States. Because while he was working for a defense contractor, he knew the Americans were not passing information to Australia

that they were getting a pine gap. Okay. He also overheard CIA agents talking shit about Whitlam's government. They were doing the accents. Let's be honest. Yeah, for sure. They talk like this. God boy, boy. That's yes. Yeah. No, no, no. Yeah, standing a standing ovation. Wow. So, so now we know there was and is a US spying operation at Pine Gap because a fella named Edward Snowden described it as the operation that allows the US to spy on everywhere. So this is a fucking huge CIA operation, right? And they want to continue and they want to be kept secret. So now back to politics not having control of the Senate is causing golf a lot of problems. They keep blocking this legislation. So he called for what is called a double dissolution election, which means an

election of all seats. Usually they do half the seats, but they just like clean house and all seats. What? You can just do that? Yeah, I don't this. It's crazy. That's awesome. That's an awesome rule. That's like, that's like, you're all in. You're like, I'm all in. Let's see. Let's fucking do this. What do you got? Fuck it. Yeah. Our system's much better. Yeah, ours is no term limits. You can. Yeah, we got we got it nailed. What you guys need is the body of old people who'd stay there till they died duopoly. It's really so he wins. So they kept the lower house. They gained five Senate seats. So the Senate is now 50 50. Okay, don't have majority, but it's a lot better than it was. So Whitlam now needs to appoint his new governor general. Governor general is the

Queen's representative in Australia. The Queen's rep. That's so awkward. It's like the babysitter. But the prime minister appoints the governor general. Okay, that seems like another strange twist. They're supposed to act on advice of the prime minister. And usually who doesn't want to be part of them like doesn't wants the Queen out basically. Yeah, he wants to not be okay. So does he pay? So usually, the governor general is not at all involved in politics. It's like a ceremonial role that gives royal assent to legislation. He cuts ribbons. He lives in a large house like the Queen like it's just like ceremony. Another fake job. So Goss first choice is a guy named Ken Meyer and he doesn't want it. He passes. So then he offers it to a former high court judge

named Sir John Kerr. You don't like the penguin? It's your deal. You haven't even heard about him yet. So nobody likes the penguin. So in his early life, John Kerr had been a union guy and some believed a Marxist. He had involved in strikes. He had been involved in the general strike of 1917. But then after World War Two, it became very anti-communist and became part of a group called the Australian Association of Cultural Freedom. Described by Jonathan Quittney of the Wall Street Journal as being quote an elite invitation only group exposed in Congress as being founded, funded, and generally run by the CIA. It's just everything. In my mind, it's the cult from eyes wide shut. And they're all just naked except for masks. I think that's

very different than what's going on. We can agree to disagree. I also can't like it's a CIA. It could be. Oh, yeah, they're definitely doing some weird shit. Yeah. Except if it's the CIA, then nobody comes and they end up fucking curtains like it doesn't. Well, then they're coming. Trust me. So he's intimately working with the CIA. You mean he's banging them? I told you. You were right. You doubt it. You didn't know about this. Yeah. Yeah. That was good. And Christopher, the Falcon voice heard CIA agents calling Kerr our man Kerr. That's a bit of a tell. So he is a pure CIA guy. Well, then seems to have thought because of his past as a party late late party Labor Party member Kerr was okay. Like he did not investigate Kerr. So what? That's a real misstep.

He also doesn't think it's a very big deal. He's like, what's it's just I mean, I mean, I guess, yeah, it's like a ceremonial role. The guy's just supposed to be like this. I know. But still, you don't go like, look, the penguin, how bad can he be? The penguin. We don't have a thing, right? He's a little umbrella thing. He's always got nerve gas, whatever. He's a cutie. You can go like that. Keep it arms length. All right, stinker. Nice try a little rascal. Now, aside from being a crazy conservative, Kerr is also known as a drunk in the circles he traveled in like the Supreme Court. I mean, that's why you vet someone a little bit. Oh, he works for the CIA and is an alcoholic. Yeah, come on. The worst that can happen. What can go wrong? Yeah, it's a good way

to get the secrets out though. So between discussions to appoint him and when he was actually announced as the governor general, the queen nights in. Okay. So Kerr is basically the queen's bitch. Like he's just all up in queerness. You work for me. You're mine. Yes. You little penguin man. Yes, that's right. You little penguin. We've got chocolates named after you. I'm going to live another 100 years from the day this is taken. I can't die. Well, maybe I've been dead for years. Maybe both. You really should be able to kill them and then become the king or queen. Dave's been pushing this all the time, but why aren't those the rules? That's what it used to be. I know. Why can't we still do it? But Dave, I don't remember when

you pushed this recently, but you sure pushed it hard. You're going to be on a list. It's the rules. You kill the king. You have to be the king. That's what it's always been. It definitely, like if that were the deal, that would, I would be way more in favor of a royal family. Like, because then you just bet. Wait, who is it? Be like this dude. It's just this fucking crazy. This is American dude. He's a podcast, I guess. What's he want to do? He's nuts. I don't know. I haven't, from what I hear, he's crazy. So in his time as governor general and in the entire time he was governor general, Kerr wrote 212 letters to the queen. Oh, get over it, dude. Relax. She doesn't like you like that. Yeah, enough. Let her answer a text before you fucking

slam it again. You up? You okay? Maybe tomorrow. Did you sleep okay? Just text me back so I know you're all right. Hey. Sorry to blow you up. Did you see this article? Did you change your number? Okay, I get it. I'll leave you alone. Hello. Now, the normal governor general writes to the queen quarterly just to report on Australia. Right. But this guy is just like. One a day. I mean, I read one and it was just like, my wife's sick and it's two pages of just how things are going with his wife. Have you tried this, Jen? Oh my God. I will say right. He's in Canberra in the 70s. That's fair. What else is he going to imagine working for him? Get me there. I want to write another letter to the queen like, oh, for fuck's sake. Seriously? Yeah. Just trying to force

a nickname. You're cool if I call you Queenie, right? Queenie Lizzo. It'll be big in a few years. Don't worry. Kerr once wrote four letters in one day. These are letters. It's not email. Yeah, but he's one batch. He's shit-faced. He probably didn't remember writing the first one. So he's just stacking letters. Well, now it's time for my lunch letter. I discovered Jen had a piss right back. His longest letter was 11 pages with 43 pages of attachments. Sorry, Dave. That's a 54 page letter. His postman must have been like the Hulk. What? And she's just not writing back. Well, her secretary is reading all of it mostly. This guy's out of his mind. Or she's probably reading some. We don't really know exactly. This one has hair clippings in it. This one's just one shoe. What's

with this guy? It's like a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. Yeah. Edit. So Kerr's an avowed monarchist. He loves the monarchy. He often bragged about... It doesn't show. He would brag about his access to the queen. He wrote in his diary about his close relationship with Prince Charles, who he probably talked to once or twice in his life. So he's lying to his diary. Yeah, right. He's got a livery. So this guy just out of his goddamn mind and just kind of, it's focused on the royal family. Yeah. It's pretty phenomenal. Prince Charles is one of my best friends. Dear diary. And the letters show that he hated Whitlam. So Kerr is embarrassed and humiliated that he has to do his job, which is to report to the queen about what the prime minister tells him to do. And his first

letter to the queen on August 15, 1974, he talked shit about Whitlam and distanced himself from the government's progressive agenda. The government who appointed him, who he's supposed to be taking advice from. But that is a, I mean, that again, that it's like, you know, that's a, that's a sell, like that's on, I mean, a little bit on golf for... You're all good, man, whatever. Yeah, yeah. I mean, he, yeah, he blew it by appointing this guy clearly. So, but again, it's a ceremonial position. Right. I know. Yeah, right. Okay. So now scandals are starting to become a problem in golf's government. Jim Karen, the anti-war guy, he's now the treasurer, and he hired a woman to be his chief of staff. So there's a lot of backlash, a lot of attacks on her, obviously some sexism, some

racism. In Australia. Yeah. Obviously. Obviously, there's some sexism, there's some racism. I mean, that's obvious. We call it Bloody Monday, mate. I think this is the only country that has beach Nazis. So there were also photos of her in swimsuits and papers and questions about her heritage. So they're really doing a number on her. But one of the other problems is that these two were 100% definitely fucking. So probably not a great idea to hire her. At what? Probably not a great idea to hire her. Right. Right. Yeah, probably. So it's just scandals like this. And Whitlam would later describe some of his ministers as quote, hopeless. So the government planned to nationalize mining and resources or at least bring them into the hands of Australian companies, which is what

they tried to do in Chile. And that didn't. So it's a shit show. It's not going well. The resources minister gets alone to do it. And through a series of really bad moves, the government becomes entwined with a dodgy financial broker and con man named Vin Diesel. Come on. What? I'm not saying you hire or fire based on appearance, but come on. If that guy's dirty, you're like, they'll know. Oh my God. Yeah, don't worry. We'll figure it out. Don't worry. They're not going to know if they keep asking questions, then we make them and not be able to ask anymore. Okay. By the way, you know, you can put bronzer on every part of your head. Hair, eyeballs, mouth. Oh, my lips. You're going to really bronze your lips if you try. Okay. This is me wildly editorializing,

but I don't trust anyone who has to have those things, those bands around their glasses. Someone tries to take them. It ain't happening. I didn't notice that. Yeah. So his name is Tirat Khemlani, and he pitched himself as a middleman who could get Australia a 4 billion loan from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. He gets you a 4 billion dollar loan by tonight. No problemo. You want five, you got it. So that is just a shit show. The resources manager has to resign. Now, the new leader of the opposition, Malcolm Frazier, he uses the scandals and all the problems to block the supply in the Senate. So that means the Senate wouldn't approve any money for the government. They literally can't fund anything they want to do. Right. So Whitlam is stuck. So

he starts discussing with Kerr, possibly calling a half Senate election. Okay. And then that could tip the balance in the favor, and they could finally be able to truly change Australia for the better. So on November 11, 1975, Whitlam made an appointment to see Kerr. Now at this point, Kerr is totally paranoid. Whitlam said Kerr had been. It's just a ceremonial role. Like this dude is just like. Well, he's drunk. Yeah, I know, but it's like he's just like he's supposed to write a letter four times a year. He's just like, they're coming after me. Tell them I'm not here. They can't know. Well, he had been hospital. Whitlam says Kerr had been hospitalized twice in 1975 to dry out. So he's convinced Goff is going to sack him. Sure. But remember, he he is a CIA guy. Yeah, he's

the Queen's man. Mm hmm. He's got a lot of good stuff going for him. Well, he's a piss pig. Mm hmm. It's a better nickname. He tells the Queen and Prince Charles that he thinks he's going to get fired. The Queen's secretary said that she quote would take most unkindly to Kerr's sacking and that she would try to delay Whitlam if she could. So the Prime Minister does call elections. But they have to be signed off by the Queen's rep. Oh, for fuck's sake. So dumb. So Whitlam goes to Kerr's office to hand him a letter calling an election for Kerr to sign. But Kerr refused to take it. Instead, he hands a letter to Whitlam stating the Prime Minister and his government had been dismissed. I'm sorry. And he's like, What are you drunk? I'm sorry. No, I know you're drunk. What are

you, high? What are you doing? You smell dismissed with seven Zeds. You're fine. It's not okay. And he's like, Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yeah, what read read this letter here. Do your majesty. Sometimes I sleep in a tub and dream of not that one. This one. Sorry. This one. This one is the one I need you to read. This one says I've seen Prince Charles in my dream. Give it back. Give it back. And the flower petals that were inside of it. Here's the letter I demand that you read. Foolish Prime Minister. Read it loud as you have the previous letters. I'm waiting for you to read it loud. That one's just hair, isn't it? Can you come back in a little bit when I have a lot. I write her a letter every meal. Some get sent, some don't. I'll just tell you what the letter said. Is that

sound better if I. So the Prime Minister and his government have been dismissed by the Governor General. Liberal leader Malcolm Frazier, aka the twat, twat, was to become Prime Minister of a caretaker government until an election could be held. I mean it's amazing these little loopholes that live within the system that are just like whenever they're ready they're just like fuck that. Did I mention that there's a coup guy here in the American Embassy who's known as the coup king? Yeah, I did mention that. Yeah, the coup guy, yeah. I'm in the eggplant. Coo-coo-coo-choo, coo-coo-coo-choo. So on the day Whitlam is sacked it suggested that Goff was going to reveal the identity of a CIA agent under the protection of parliamentary privilege which the CIA would

really not have been into. And the CIA has a history of removing left-wingers when governments start trying to remove American influence from the country. Chili, who knows? There's no direct evidence but there's patterns. It's a vibe. Yeah, it's a vibe thing. The House representatives moved a vote of no confidence against Frazier and passed a motion declaring that the governor general's actions should be overturned. Okay. So the speaker of the House. And he was like, what actions? Oh yeah. That was crazy. So the speaker of the House goes to Kerr to deliver the motion, right? That was just passed. But Kerr does not let him in. So it's like a subpoena where it's like if you don't give it to him it didn't happen. So he's just like behind the

curtains just like. Well he keeps him outside of his office waiting for an hour. I mean it's the fucking government he's like I got somewhere to be so I can't how long am I expected to wait here? Well the reason he did that is because he took that hour to dissolve parliament. It's like an Alka Seltzer. So by the time he opened the door to see the speaker of the House there was no longer a house for him to be speaker of. It was over. It was a coup. What? It was an actual what? The Queen's Secretary had told Kerr as far as Buckingham Palace was concerned the Governor General did have the power to dissolve parliament. So they're not just a powerless family that lives in a mansion. Well yeah I mean it's. They're dissolving the

government. It's like it's like it's the same thing that happened it's been happening in the US. It's essentially a gentleman's agreement that you'll all do government together but the right wing doesn't play by those rules and they never fucking will. So if you give them a loophole they'll take it. Pretty cool. You guys I've been thinking the moral of the story is we're all right wing now right like we're all we're all going to do that. Oh yeah yeah yeah oh yeah. I feel like the aliens are about to enter the story to be honest with you. It's like Chekhov's gun you know you mentioned at the beginning it's got to be used. That's right seeds been planted. Yeah I mean he didn't mention it obviously I did but I think when I look back I think he mentioned it too. Yeah

Kurt told Whitlam quote we will all have to live with this and Whitlam said you certainly will and then I don't even remember it. Read this letter aloud. No. And then I'll help Brooke Lewis. Whitlam his people found out his supporters they swarmed the steps of Parliament House golf emerged to cheers and anger because well they had just undermined democracy and he said some of those famous words in Australian political history quote well may we say God save the queen because nothing will save the governor general. Fucking penguin. Now it turns out Kurt first raised the possibility of using his power to dismiss the government in July 1975 in a letter to the queen five months before the dismissal and four months before the supply block of the

Senate which is what he used to justify his actions. It was a power that had never been used and was considered defunct by many legal experts. Yeah so another election was held the third in four years but this time the Liberals under Malcolm Frazier wanted a landslide. How the fuck I cannot fucking believe. Oh so right after Whitlam's government had that huge negative reaction to the bombing of Hanoi the gun named Sir Frank Packer managing director and major shareholder of the Australian consolidated press sent word to Nixon that he had Nixon's back. Packer's rep quote offered Nixon any use he may like of Packer's magazines and network. We'll give you women's weekly if you need. Kzone children's magazine it's all yours

mate. Perfect that's perfect. You know the Sudoku puzzles you buy at the petrol station yeah absolutely. They're yours. So Nixon didn't even have to ask him for help he went straight out and offered it. Packer volunteered all his media so Frank died in 1974 though and his son Kerry took over. It's crazy how bins drinking really shaped a generation. I mean it's like. So when Frazier was installed as prime minister one of his first calls was to Kerry Packer who immediately went to Canberra to give Frazier quote a great deal of moral support which continued throughout the election campaign. That's the hand stuff we mentioned at the beginning. That tracks yeah. So while to us it would seem like well they would be

upset and blah blah blah the media did a job as the media always does because the media yeah these guys are rich in their right wing yeah right. Did you feel good. I'm just letting you like get past that part. I cannot fucking believe. I mean it's just fucking crazy. For years when asked both John Kerr and Malcolm Frazier maintained that Frazier didn't know what was about to happen before the dismissal. He was not given prior warning before the prime minister to have done so would have been unconstitutional. Boy there's nothing to respect more. Years later Frazier admitted that Kerr called him to make a deal before he sacked Whitlam despite both of them insisting otherwise. What the fuck. This is still considered

the most dramatic and controversial event in Australia's political history even more so than Tony Abbott eating a raw onion. And that's where the lizard people aliens thing comes in. Finally. Kerr quickly began having problems with Frazier. In 1976 a drunk Kerr fell down at the Tamsworth show. At the what. It's like a big agricultural event. Yeah like a county fair it's like the seat of the country women's association have a scum display. Okay. And then there's like best cow. Best sheep. So he's trying to like. Right. And that was him. Well he didn't win that year unfortunately. And he fell down drunk. Yeah he was so drunk he fell down. In 1977. Dear Queen. I got a story for God he's still writing me. Enough's

enough. I fell on a piggy. And his letters to the Queen are now. I don't think Malcolm likes me like they're really. So. I will say. Falling down at the at the Tamsworth show is what a governor general should be doing. Like in this whole story. That's the. Yeah. That's what you should be. You should be probably bending down to give it a little kiss. And then and then toppling over. Right. Rather than. I mean I do believe the government right ideally the person is not hammered but yeah it's like a performative role of like yeah you show up to like fairs and you're like what a good pie. Exactly. Yeah. But instead he's like you're no longer in charge of the country. In 1977. Goff was invited to dine

with the Queen and declined because Kerr was going to be there. Goff was going to meet with the Queen. Yeah he was invited to dine with her and he said no. And the only reason was Kerr. I'd be like I get I'm not really a big fan here's honestly. I don't he doesn't know at this point that he doesn't know that came that comes later. No one knows. Okay but still the Queen was like going through an invitation list. Yes. Goff should come. Kerr sat next to each other. Should be fine. I love a bit of drama. Kerr was removed by Frazier in 1977. He whined and cried to the Queen as their relationship deteriorated in his last public outing. As Governor General he was booed and clearly drunk. I think it was

like a Melbourne race of some kind but he was like that's the picture that I showed earlier where he just looks shitfaced. Yeah right. He apparently just gives a completely shitfaced speech. It looks like harpa marks. Yeah. Is that like a Melbourne cup or something like that. No what. Is that like the Melbourne cup or something like that. Yeah he was at the Melbourne cup. I imagine he's like most girls at the Melbourne cup. Just two bottles of fizzy Chardonnay in the toilet vomiting coming out and be like where's Michael take me to McDonald's. Someone hold my wig. Don't be a slut dance with me. It's just like sorry. The idea that it ends up with him just getting like booed publicly like that is what is so

fucking obnoxious about all that shit always. It's like you know he should be like thrown off a bridge. Yeah. And like send a message of like well you know this can't you can't do this shit but instead it's you know they get to live their lives. They get to live their lives which they shouldn't be allowed to. I mean no they don't learn their lesson unless they don't live their life. Yeah. It's what's going to make you such a just king. I will say it's very Australian right. To not throw them off a bridge. Right. It's also very I mean it's very American. Very I mean we. But for us to not even really just to be like I don't like that guy. Yeah got him. He won't be leaving his home for a bit.

That's us too. I mean we're we're just like man if only that guy hit George W. Bush with that boot. It's like the dude should be hanged. Anyone from Asia or the CIA is in tonight. I distance myself from those comments. And I bring them closer. I bring them in closer for a hug. So his last public appearance while drunk Whitland described in his autobiography saying that Kerr was like Caligula quote weaving his way down from the imperial box and making his merry remarks to the owner the fascinated crowd and a million viewers who may have thought that the horse would have made a better pro council. Certainly would have written less letters to the Queen. But the problem is the Queen's probably related to a horse somewhere

in the genealogy. At least tooth wise. When his time was up as general counsel Kerr spent the remaining his remaining years in exile in England where he was welcomed as a hero by the conservative party elites and revered by a group of young liberals known as the gang which included George Brandis who would later be attorney general under Tony Abbott. Brandis considered Kerr to be the real victim of the dismissal. I'm sorry. What the fuck. You can't bloody say anything anymore. You know you can't dismiss a fucking government. Yeah. You can't get on the piece for four days straight right a bunch of saying letters to the Queen and dismiss a fucking government without cancel culture and the PC police jumping

down the white man's throat and I said it. No you're right. You're absolutely right. That's cancel culture. Yeah. It's 100 percent. Yeah. I feel dirty. Kerr died in nineteen ninety one at the age of seventy six in Sydney. Somehow Malcolm Frazier and Gough Whitlam became friends later in this part this shit I fucking hate. They campaigned together against the cruel refugee policies of John Howard along with criticizing anti terror laws that eroded civil liberties and promoting the campaign to make Australia a republic. Gough died in nine two thousand fourteen at the age of ninety eight. Malcolm Frazier died six months later with an Australian Federation election coming up. Let's remember Whitlam's other

words on parliament on November eleven nineteen seventy five. Maintain your rage and enthusiasm and vote these fucking assholes out of office. That is shocking. Could that happen again. Well they didn't you guys didn't get rid of them right. It's the same thing as you know I don't know if you were watching California but like 10 percent of our population signed up for a recall so we had a recall and then yeah we had to run the governor against just a right wing fucking lunatic. California hasn't gotten rid of that like there's shit you just need to fucking clean up and this guy it can still happen right. Yeah so they did a coup because they could and then nobody did anything.

So it will happen again unless that's gone. Do you know it's crazy right. You learn about the dismissal in high school like it's part of the Australian history. It's never been positive to me that it's been a coup. You know what I mean. It's in the history. I don't know if anyone else here has felt the same but the way it's like you study it is it's like the bloody government wasn't doing so good to the queen had to ask them like that's how it's that's literally the first time I've ever heard about Kerr or the CIA involvement at all like this is a revolution. The research was done by Aussie Charlotte George sources Goff Whitlam a moment history by Jenny Hawking a secret country the hidden Australia by John

Pilger Beckley post Harold Crikey.com. Yeah. Excuse me. Crikey.com. Don't worry about it. I assume all the podcasts that we do here are from there. The Guardian the intercept. And then Hawking Jenny Hawking the dismissal dossier Jenny Hawking the palace letters James Curran unholy fury Whitlam and Nixon at war the podcast the 11th by Alex Marr for the ABC. And yeah it's actually pronounced abc. It's got fucking time to say those letters to me. Give it up for Jen Fricker I guess tonight everybody. Thank you camera we appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of the night.