Straight left - Hardcover

Uren, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0091829976 ISBN 13: 9780091829971

Publisher: Random House Australia, 1994

Synopsis

Tom Uren has always been a battler, and a fighter for peace, justice and freedom. From his early days, growing up in Sydney during the Depression, through the time he was a POW of the Japanese, to the years he spent in the House of Representatives—and being a Minister in both the Whitlam and Hawke governments—he has always been true to his ideals.

In Straight Left he tells the story of his life and times. It is anything but a dry political memoir: it is the story of a man with a passion for life, people and the causes he regards as vital—ranging from opposing the war in Vietnam to fighting for a proper, planned approach to urban and regional affairs. His commitment to the environment began long before it was the fashionable thing to do. To this day he is active in the fight for justice for ex-servicemen and women.

He tells of the people who sustained and encouraged him—among them is his mother, who was the first of a number of important women in his life; Weary Dunlop, under whom he served in Japanese prison camps; and political figures including Jim Cairns, Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating. He speaks movingly of his friendship with the late Lloyd Rees—an association more important than most political alliances.

From the day Tom Uren joined the Australian Labor Party he belonged to the Left and never stopped fighting for the cause. In Straight Left he tells his story of many of the political battles over the years within the Party, at both the state and federal level, on issues ranging from Timor to economic rationalism.

Straight Left is, above all, the story of a classic Australian who has never lost touch with ordinary people and has remained true to his ideals.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Australia
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0091829976
• ISBN 13: 9780091829971
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 500