It’s a pity Donald Horne didn’t call The Lucky Country ‘Women, Booze and Bedspreads’ instead.  Better still, that could have been the subtitle.  Just imagine the international interest it would have attracted.

Horne’s social observations might also have gained as much attention as his political commentary. Five decades on, reflecting on both aspects of the book assists us to understand the Australia that was, the country that is, and the nation that might be.