Cyclops, our one eyed political reporter , claims a left wing guiding angel directed him to a North Queensland op shop in which he found the l981 memoirs of B. A. Santamaria, a controversial figure in Australian politics for more than 40 years . An ex libris copy, it contained the label off a tin of Norwegian sardines in the pocket which had obviously been used as a bookmark . Stuck inside was a handwritten note commenting on the book and the part played by Santamaria in organising the "Movement " , backed by the Catholic hierarchy , to fight the Communist influence in unions and branches of the Australian Labor Party , with reference to his regular television broadcast , Point of View , delivered in the l970s .
In the foreword, renowned English journalist Malcolm Muggeridge spoke fondly of Santamaria,who had come to Australia with his family from Italy , saying he first met him in Melbourne during the tumultuous events associated with the Labor split of the l950s.
Of this impressive Santamaria , Muggeridge went on to say , " Hidden within his severely realistic temperament and mastery of Machiavellian strategy and tactics, there is a seer, someone who understands , and who, whatever his circumstances,would never have satisfied himself with any purely worldly achievement , whether in politics , scholarship , money-making or whatever."
