Australian history is littered with events that Australians barely remember but which had great repercussions around the world. This includes the rich labour history of Australia, including the creation of the eight hour day, the Sunshine Harvester Case, which legally introduced minimum wages, and the first elected national labour government in the world ("the dawn of government by the common man" as it has been called).

Chris Watson (or John Watson as I have also seen him referred as) was the head of the first elected national labour government in the world, way back in 1904, and "So Monstrous a Travesty" covers the Chilean-born Watson's historic role, what his Government did in their short time in power (not a great deal but not wholly their fault), their fall and the messy aftermath where Watson and other ALP leading lights like Billy Hughes leaving the ALP during WWI over the issue of conscription. Of course, it wouldn't be the Australian Labor Party without recriminations and lifelong hatred between former friends. ( )