The Oxford History of Australia. Vol. V: 1942-1988. The Middle Way.

'If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it.' Abraham Lincoln in the 'House Divided' speech might seem a long way in time from the question of near-contemporary history, not to mention half a world away from Australia. Yet he put his finger on the key challenge facing anyone seeking to write a general history terminating at or close to the present. To put it another way: have we actually arrived at a destination? For Geoffrey Boulton, this element of uncertainty is multiplied by the fact that contemporary Australia is a directionless nation, insecure economically and unable 'to articulate the satisfactions …