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Still time to book for launch and pre-order copiesDear , There are just under two weeks to go until the Brisbane launch of Tony Abbott’s Australia, and places are filling-up like no other function we’ve run, so don’t delay – to book click here. (Date is November 25, 5:30 for 6:00 pm at Tattersall’s). The first print run of the book also sold out, which doesn’t surprise me, and they are on to the second run. I ordered 50 to start with, and we’ve already pre-sold all of those. Don’t worry, we are ordering more and will have them there on the day, but it would be good to get an idea of how many copies we will need. When you order a ticket for the function you can pre-order copies of the book at the same time. If you want to order more than one book, then I suggest you go to our online bookstore where we are offering volume discounts. Just click here and select the pickup option for delivery and we will have it at the function for you. While the book has earned glowing reviews, even from some surprising quarters, like Peter Fitzsimons, or less glowing, but reasonable, from Frank Bongiorno, others on the left couldn’t help themselves. If you want a taster of left-wing bile you can go to Grace Tame’s review in The Saturday Paper where amongst adolescent jibes about “budgie smugglers” she characterises it this way His latest propaganda piece idolises the British colonial regime, downplays the impact of fossil fuels, decries Australia’s tolerance of immigrants and praises our torturous refugee policy. She also amusingly accuses Mr Abbott of borrowing his ideas from “Trump”, despite the fact it is more likely Trump has borrowed ideas from Tony, given the relative lengths of their political careers. (“Trump” is actually the sound the Left makes on their ideological horns when they find themselves in heavy traffic). But Tame isn’t an historian, so you don’t have to take her seriously, but Professor Jane Lydon is the Wesfarmers Chair of Australian History at the University of Western Australia, which makes her contribution even more meretricious, demonstrating just why Abbott’s book is necessary. Lydon specialises in purporting to trace the effects of African slavery into every nook and cranny of the British Empire. Tony mentions a number of times that, as a foundational principle, slavery has never been legal in Australia. Lydon has to elide insinuation with truth in a desperate attempt to turn night into day, ultimately defaming Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Macquarie’s first wife Jane was the heiress to a large fortune including a reputed 300 slaves. On her death from tuberculosis, Macquarie freed them all, with two choosing to stay with him as manservants, one of whom ultimately came to Australia, where he married a convict. Rather than contradicting the facts, it serves to bolster them. Macquarie was also in correspondence with William Wilberforce, further underscoring his abolitionist tendencies. Lydon complains about the “balance sheet” approach to history adopted by Abbot’s book – following in the footsteps of Geoffrey Blainey. Well maybe there wouldn’t be a need for a balance sheet approach if academics like her were not engaged in undermining present day Australian culture by the exaggeration and invention of facts in the past! Look forward to seeing you Tuesday week, November 25 at Tatt’s. To book, click here. And to pre-order the book, please click here. Kind regards, GRAHAM YOUNG 
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