Keating on Whitlam Crisis

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the sacking of Aussie PM Gough Whitlam by Governor-General Sir John Kerr.

Crikey‘s daily e-mail alerted me to the revelation by Paul Keating (a later Aussie Treasurer and PM) that his advice to Whitlam had been to put the Governor-General under house arrest!!

Me thinks Mark Latham is not the only former Leader to be a bit reckless.

Keating seems to have over-looked that you need to charge someone with a crime to arrest them, and also the furthe rpoint that it is highly debatable that the Police can arrest the head of state. Commentators talked to by Crikey said they though the Police would refuse such an order from the PM.