Divide and Conquer: Heresthetic in the Antipodes

Abstract

On 20 December 2004, after attaining his fourth consecutive election victory in October of that year, John Howard became Australia’s second-longest-serving Prime Minister. What makes this feat particularly remarkable is that unlike the Prime Minister he displaced from second place in the longevity stakes, Bob Hawke, or the man who remains ahead of him, Robert Menzies, Howard is not a charismatic orator or an inspirational leader. His success is instead derived from his manipulation of the Australian polity by the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, use of heresthetic. This article explores heresthetic as an explanatory tool, based on the model developed by William H. Riker.Riker’s heresthetic model is based on the ‘strategy value’ of language. It has three techniques: agenda control, strategic voting and the manipulation of dimensions. Three examples will be used to highlight Howard’s mastery of these techniques: his manipulation of the Australian republican debate, culminating in the defeat of republicanism in the November 1999 referendum, and his election victories in 2001 and 2004. In each instance Howard displayed his proficiency at engineering the outcome he desired. The fact that he won so convincingly on each of these occasions serves to reinforce his heresthetic aptitude. As Riker articulates, heresthetic is for leaders ‘who would rathe R win regardless of the particular stakes’. Winning, clearly, is always John Howard’s overarching intent.