Only a few short months ago, Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns, 60, was a man to watch in Australian politics. A onetime detective and university lecturer, he was running the government in the absence overseas of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam when a cyclone devastated the city of Darwin last December (TIME, Jan. 6). Cairns supervised the massive relief effort for the stricken areas so well that he was talked about as a possible replacement for Whitlam, who at the time was experiencing one of the popularity lows that have periodically marked his career.
But no sooner had Cairns come within reach...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
