Colonial Ambition: Foundations of Australian DemocracyColonial Ambition tells the story of the politicians and would-be politicians of Sydney, who were driven by a determination to lift themselves and their new colony to a higher level. They wanted parliamentary liberty, though they were sharply divided over the form it might take and these divisions, centred in Sydney, were unremitting. Peter Cochrane tells of the fight for responsible government and democracy through a memorable cast of characters: W.C. Wentworth, Sir George Gipps, Robert Lowe, Lord Howick (Earl Grey), Henry Parkes, Charles Cowper, Lord John Russell and more, all of whom speak for themselves, in the robust language of the day. Written with great brio and verve, Peter Cochrane has brought to life the various players in a way that is very rare in the writing of Australian history. Colonial Ambition is testament that Australia does have a rich and exciting political history. |
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anti-transportation Assembly Australian British constitution called Canada Charles Charles Cowper Cheers clauses Colonial Office colonists colony's conservative convict Cowper crowd Crown lands Darvall Deas Thomson debate declared democracy democratic Denison despatch district Donaldson Downing Street Duncan Earl Grey elected representatives electoral emancipist empire England favour Fitzroy franchise Georgiana Gipps Gipps's Government House Governor Grey's Hawksley Henry Parkes Herald immigrants imperial James Macarthur John knew labour Lang's Legislative Council legislature liberal liberty London Lord Lowe's Macarthur Macquarie Street manhood suffrage matter meeting Melbourne ment Merivale ministry Mitchell Library never nominees numbers opinion organised Parkes's Parliament parliamentary Parramatta pastoral petition Plunkett political popular principle protest radical reform responsible government Robert Lowe Russell Sarah secretary seemed self-government social society South Wales speech spoke squatters squatting Sydney talk thought tion told took transportation Upper House Vaucluse vote wanted Wentworth Windeyer wrote
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Page 547 - Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with their importunate chink, whilst thousands of great cattle, reposed beneath the shadow of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field ; that, of course, they are many in number ; or that, after all, they are other than the little, shrivelled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome insects of the hour.