Gough rebuffed
The victory of Sic Charles Court's Liberal Party in the Western Australian elections carries considerable significance of a healthy kind for the future of Australian politics. First, the newly emerged National Alliance — which contains elements of the old County Party (ally in all Liberal governments) and the Democratic Labour Party — is to be Sir Charles'sally, and this suggests that the national Liberal Party may well be able to draw on this invaluable mixed support in the next general election. Second, it is clear that the Australian Labour government of Mr Gough Whitlam has suffered yet another rebuff in its already frustrated but still existing ambition to bring the state governments under Canberra's thumb. Third, the Western Australian elections are yet another indication of the rapidly declining confidence of the nation in Mr Whitlam whose method of government has consisted principally of a combination of gesture and attitudinising. Unfortunately, the Liberal Party has not yet fully recovered from either its defeat in the last general election or the internal dissensions which racked it in recent years. Nor has the burgeoning alliance with the Democratic Labour Party yet spread to all states. However, Sir Charles Court's victory will give considerable encouragement.
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