title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: The cultural theorist Stuart Hall said that the power of cultural discourse created and reinforced Western dominance of the non-Western world. That the European discourses describing the differences between The West and The East, applied European cultural categories, languages, and ideas to represent the non-European Other. The knowledge produced by such discourses became social praxis, which then became reality; by producing a discourse of difference, Europe maintained Western dominance over the non-European Other, using a binary social relation that created and established the Subaltern native, realised by excluding The Other from the production of discourse, between the East and the West.


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: In "Geographies of Post colonialism" (2008), Joanne Sharp developed Spivak's line of reasoning that Western intellectuals displace to the margin of intellectual discourse the non–Western forms of "knowing" by re-formulating, and thus intellectually diminishing, such forms of acquiring knowledge as myth and folklore. To be heard and to be known, the subaltern native must adopt Western ways of knowing (language, thought, reasoning); because of such Westernization, a subaltern people can never express their native ways of knowing, and, instead, must conform their native expression of knowledge to the Western, colonial ways of knowing the world. The subordinated native can be heard by the colonisers only by speaking the language of their empire; thus, intellectual and cultural filters of conformity muddle the true voice of the subaltern native. For example, in Colonial Latin America, the subordinated natives conformed to the colonial culture, and used the linguistic filters of religion and servitude when addressing their Spanish imperial rulers. To make effective appeals to the Spanish Crown, slaves and natives would address the rulers in ways that masked their own, native ways of speaking.


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: The historian Fernando Coronil said that his goal as an investigator must be "to listen to the subaltern subjects, and to interpret what I hear, and to engage them and interact with their voices. We cannot ascend to a position of dominance over the voice, subjugating its words to the meanings we desire to attribute to them. That is simply another form of discrimination. The power to narrate somebody's story is a heavy task, and we must be cautious and aware of the complications involved." Like Spivak, bell hooks questions the academic's engagement with the non–Western Other. That in order to truly communicate with the subaltern native, the academic would have to remove him or herself as "the expert" at the center of the Us-and-Them binary social relation. Traditionally, the academic wants to learn of the subaltern native's experiences of colonialism, but does not want to know the subaltern's (own) explanation of his or her experiences of colonial domination. In light of the mechanics of Western knowledge, hooks said that a true explanation can come only from the expertise of the Western academic, thus, the subaltern native surrenders knowledge of colonialism to the investigating academic. About the binary relationship of investigation, between the academic and the subaltern native, hooks said that:


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: As a means of constructing a great history of society, the story of the subaltern native is a revealing examination of the experience of colonialism from the perspective of the subaltern man and the subaltern woman, the most powerless people living within the socio-economic confines of imperialism; therefore, the academic investigator of post-colonialism must not assume cultural superiority when studying the voices of the subaltern natives.


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: Mainstream development discourse, which is based upon knowledge of colonialism and Orientalism, concentrates upon modernization theory, wherein the modernization of an underdeveloped country "should" follow the path to modernization taken (and established) by the developed countries of the West. As such, modernization is characterized by free trade, open markets, capitalist economic systems, and democratic systems of governance, as the means by which a nation should modernize their country "en route" to becoming a developed country in the Western style. Therefore, mainstream development discourse concentrates upon the application of universal social and political, economic and cultural policies that would nationally establish such modernization.


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: In "Making Development Geography" (2007), Victoria Lawson presents a critique of mainstream development discourse as mere recreation of the Subaltern, which is effected by means of the subaltern being disengaged from other social scales, such as the locale and the community; not considering regional, social class, ethnic group, sexual- and gender-class differences among the peoples and countries being modernized; the continuation of the socio-cultural treatment of the subaltern as a subject of development, as a subordinate who is ignorant of what to do and how to do it; and by excluding the voices of the subject peoples from the formulations of policy and practice used to effect the modernization.


title: Subaltern (postcolonialism)

text: As such, the subaltern are peoples who have been silenced in the administration of the colonial states they constitute, they can be heard by means of their political actions, effected in protest against the discourse of mainstream development, and, thereby, create their own, proper forms of modernization and development. Hence do subaltern social groups create social, political, and cultural movements that contest and disassemble the exclusive claims to power of the Western imperialist powers, and so establish the use and application of local knowledge to create new spaces of opposition and alternative, non-imperialist futures.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Hero of Ukraine (HOU; , "Heroi Ukrainy") is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as of 11 December 2022 the total number of awards is 687; some decrees on the assignment of the title Hero of Ukraine were not published. The title is granted to two different order recipients: the civilian Order of the State, and the military Order of the Gold Star. The first foreigner awarded the award was Belarusian Mykhailo Zhyznevskyi in June 2017.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The origin of the "Hero of Ukraine" award can be traced to the Hero of the Soviet Union (established 16 April 1934) and the Hero of Socialist Labor (27 December 1938), the highest decorations established in the Soviet Union, of which Ukraine was a constituent republic. Most of the recipients of the former title received it for heroic military action (with Soviet cosmonauts being a notable exception), while those awarded the latter were recognized for their contributions to national economy and culture. The awards could be given to the same individual more than once, and only the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet could deprive a recipient of the award once given. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, similar awards were created in the resulting independent countries, including Ukraine.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The title Hero of Ukraine was created on 23 August 1998 with Edict #944/98 by President Leonid Kuchma. Similar in structure to the titles issued by the Soviet Union, the title is awarded in two distinctions: "The Order of the Gold Star" and "The Order of the State". Unlike the Soviet awards, Ukrainian law allows a person to receive a title in each distinction only once, although the person may receive both levels in due course. This means that if a holder of the Order of the State performs a heroic action, he or she can be presented with the Order of the Gold Star. Vice versa, if labor achievements of a holder of the Order of the Gold Star are recognized to be of exceptional value to the nation, the recipient can be eligible to receive the Order of the State. Either of the distinctions can be presented posthumously, and a hero may only have his title removed by the president if they are convicted of a serious crime.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Two medals were created by Ukrainian law to differentiate between the titles. They have several common features; both medals use a ribbon long and wide and are divided equally into two bands along its length, with a blue band on the left and a yellow band on the right, matching the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Connected to the ribbon is a suspension device joined to a medallion, both of which are made out of gold. On both medals, the name of each decoration and the award number are engraved on the reverse side of the medallion.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Below the ribbon of the Order of the Gold Star, the golden suspension device contains a small engraving of the trident representing the Ukrainian Coat of Arms. The medallion is shaped like a five-pointed star wide from one point to the other, and is set within a wreath of oak leaves. Two smaller five-pointed stars are engraved within the larger star. In contrast, the medallion for the Order of the State has the trident of Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv (St. Vladimir) placed on top of a wreath of oak leaves. The size of the medallion is high and wide. There is no special design or symbol engraved on the suspension device. In addition to the formal award, recipients of either level are given a copy for use in public. Only one design of the wearer's copy exists, being modeled after the Soviet hero medal with the red ribbon replaced by a blue and yellow ribbon. The trident, which is used on the coat of arms of Ukraine, is placed in the middle of the star. This medal is made out of non-precious metals and is worn on the wearer's left-hand side above all other decorations.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Two different regulations were issued by President Kuchma: the edict of 1998 and a new edict in 2002. The edict of 2002 voided the edict of 1998 as it was issued after the law on state awards and confirmed the status of the title in 2000.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The 1998 edict contained general guidelines about the title. Some of the subjects mentioned were the criteria for receiving each level of the title, who can present the title, and how the medal should be displayed in public. The decree specified the title as being awarded to citizens of Ukraine for heroism and labor achievements. It stipulated that only the president could award the title, though certain other bodies of the Ukrainian Government could recommend people to receive it. The edict also allowed for special benefits, including increased pay, social security, and health care, which heroes could use until their death. The decree also covered the topics of duplicate medals and the display, ownership and storage of the insignia.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The new 2002 regulations differ only slightly from the original ones. The designs of the medals were not changed, the new edict introduced the measurements of the miniature medal, or the "wearer's copy". Article 4 outlines the details on the ownership of the insignia and special procedures for the medals to be displayed in museums.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The medal, which is presented with the title, is always worn on the left side of a business or suit jacket and is worn above any other medals and decorations awarded by Ukraine. If a person has been awarded both levels of the title then the Order of the Gold Star medal is placed to the right of the Order of the State medal. A copy of the medal, made out of non-precious metals, can be presented to the hero for daily wear that can be substituted with a ribbon bar, measuring x , if wearing the medal is not permitted. Another copy of the decoration, called the miniature badge, is worn above the ribbon bars on the left side of the uniform.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: In order for a person to be awarded the title, a recommendation must be made to the President by the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine), the Cabinet of Ukraine (Government of Ukraine), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Higher Economic Court, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, ministries and other central executive authorities, the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblast, Kyiv and Sevastopol city state administrations, as well as Commission on state awards and heraldry of the President of Ukraine.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The recommendations are then sent to the President for consideration, along with a package composed of the details of the nominee's deeds and the recommendations that have been filed on his or her behalf. If the President agrees with the recommendation, he will issue a decree to award the person the title, which includes receiving a medal, miniature badge and certificate at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Recipients have been awarded the title, Hero of Ukraine, for a variety of accomplishments. The first to receive the title—in 1998—was Borys Paton. He was recognised for studies in metallurgy of electrical welding and was President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine from 1962 until his death in 2020. Other science-related honors were given to Platon Kostyuk, for his work in neurophysiology, and Valerii Kazakov for his work in medicine,


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The title is often awarded to athletes and other sports-related personalities. Vitali Klitschko, a heavyweight boxing champion was given the level "Order of the Gold Star" in 2004 as was Andriy Shevchenko, 2004 European Footballer of the Year and two-time winner of the Serie A scoring title. Valeriy Lobanovskyi, the former coach of the football club FC Dynamo Kyiv, died on 13 May 2002 in hospital after he passed out during a game. He was awarded the title two days later "for his years of service to Ukraine for the development of football inside the nation and also improving national prestige."


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Olympic medalists are also prominent winners. Yana Klochkova, who won gold medals in swimming at the Athens and Sydney Olympic Games was awarded the title "in recognition of Klochkova's outstanding services to Ukraine and her efforts to build up the country's reputation in the Olympic arena."


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: People involved in the arts and literature have also received the award. Renowned Ukrainian composer, Oleksandr Bilash, was awarded in 2001 for "outstanding personal contribution to the enrichment of the spiritual treasures of the Ukrainian people and many years of fruitful creative activity". Sofia Rotaru, arguably the best-known popular singer from Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, received her award "for outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art". Writer Pavlo Zahrebelnyi was awarded in 2004 "for "self-sacrifice for Ukraine, and for many years of writing and significant personal contributions toward the enrichment of the national spiritual treasury". Writers involved in politics are not excluded either; Georgiy Gongadze a journalist who was kidnapped and murdered in 2000, was awarded in 2005.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: In January 2022, captain Dmytro Kotsyubaylo "Da Vinci" of the far-right party Right Sector was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine by the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Belarusian Mikhail Zhyzneuski became the first foreigner awarded the award in June 2017. Zhyzneuski was one of the first protesters killed during the Euromaidan protests; he was shot dead on 22 January 2014.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: For "his outstanding historical role in the establishment of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, activities aimed at reviving the spirituality of the Ukrainian people, raising the authority of Orthodoxy, establishing ideals of mercy and interfaith harmony" and because he "was, is and remains the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian church, the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian people", Patriarch Filaret received the award on 8 January 2019. On 22 January, on the Ukrainian Unity Day, President Petro Poroshenko handed the medal to Filaret.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: On 24 February 2022 during the attack on Snake Island, 13 Ukrainian State Border Guards were ordered by the Russian warship "Moskva" to surrender or the ship would open fire. The border guards refused to surrender responding with "Russian warship, go fuck yourself". The Russian warship opened fire soon after, with a bombardment that was initially believed to have killed all 13 guards; President Zelenskyy then announced that all 13 soldiers would receive the title of "Hero of Ukraine" posthumously, although the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said a few days later that it had a "strong belief" that the men had survived to receive the award.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: There have been allegations that some members of Kuchma's inner circle, mainly Viktor Medvedchuk, may have masterminded inappropriate awards of Ukrainian decorations and titles, including the Hero of Ukraine title. Police, according to the Associated Press, sent summons to Medvedchuk on 15 July 2005, inviting him for questioning about these awards. Kuchma and Medvedchuk were also questioned on Aleksandr Bartenev's Hero of Ukraine title. Bartenev, known also as "Major", an alleged gangster, is currently facing legal charges in Ukraine.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Due to these problems, President Viktor Yushchenko agreed to stop awarding state decorations starting in June 2005 until further notice. This move was announced by Ivan Vasiunyk, the First Deputy Secretary of State, and backed by Ukraine's Commission for Decorations and Heraldry. According to Vasiunyk, forty one people were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in 2004, with some of the awards being presented during the election period. Vasiunyk said that "I don't think you know a third of these names", referring to those who were presented with the hero title that year. The Commission agreed not to strip anyone of their decorations, unless Ukrainian law would permit them to do so. Despite the announcement of suspension in giving out awards, two posthumous titles were awarded in July 2005 to Oles Honchar and Vadym Hetman.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The decision by Yushchenko, in his last days in office in January 2010, to award World War II Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera with the Hero of Ukraine caused an uproar in Russia, Poland, and other countries, including Ukraine itself. It was condemned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and other Jewish groups around the world, Polish President Lech Kaczyński, the Russian Foreign Ministry, Soviet Army veteran groups, and prominent Ukrainian politicians such as Sergei Tigipko and Konstantin Zarudnev. Zarudnev, an MP representing Sevastopol, went as far as burning his Ukrainian passport in protest. At the same time the decree that had given Bandera the award was applauded by Ukrainian nationalists in western Ukraine and by a number of Ukrainian-Americans.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: On 2 April 2010, a district administrative court in Donetsk cancelled the presidential decree that had granted the Hero of Ukraine title to Bandera. Lawyer Vladimir Olentsevych argued in a lawsuit that the title of Hero of Ukraine is the highest state award granted exclusively to citizens of Ukraine. Bandera was not a Ukrainian citizen, as he was in exile after World War II, and was killed in 1959 in Germany before the 1991 Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. For the same reasons the Donetsk Administrative Court of Appeals on 21 April 2010 declared unlawful a decree of 12 October 2007 by then–Ukrainian President Yuschenko to award the Hero of Ukraine title to Roman Shukhevych, the commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: On 12 August 2010, the High Administrative Court of Ukraine dismissed suits to declare four decrees by President Viktor Yanukovych on awarding the Hero of Ukraine title to Soviet soldiers illegal and cancel them. The filer of these suits stated they were based on the same arguments used by Donetsk Administrative Court of Appeals that on 21 April satisfied an appeal that deprived Roman Shukhevych the Hero of Ukraine title, as Shukhevych was not a citizen of Ukraine.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: However, under Article 16 "Deprivation of state awards" Law of Ukraine "On State Decorations of Ukraine"


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: Deprivation of state awards may be made by the President of Ukraine only if the recipient was convicted for a serious crime on the submission of the court in cases prescribed by law.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The above procedure in both cases has not been observed, and therefore the legal consequences of decisions taken by courts, as well as the legitimacy of these decisions, is highly controversial. Moreover, adaptation of those cases will create a precedent, in accordance to which several other heroes will be stripped of their titles, among them the liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster, several veterans of World War II and others.


title: Hero of Ukraine

text: The "Bandera's case" recipients of the award also include Avgustyn Monsignor Voloshyn, Vasyl Stus, Oleksa Hirnyk, Kuzma Derevyanko, Alexei Berest, Hryhory Kytasty, Valeriy Lobanovskyi and others.


title: Saïd Taghmaoui

text: Saïd Taghmaoui (born 19 July 1973) is a French-American actor and screenwriter. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995 French film "La Haine", directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of English-language films, with roles such as Captain Said in "Three Kings" (1999), Sameer in "Wonder Woman" (2017), and The Elder in "" (2019).


title: Saïd Taghmaoui

text: Saïd Taghmaoui was born in Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, into a large family comprising eight children; he had four brothers and three sisters. His parents were Moroccan immigrants of Berber ancestry from Essaouira. Taghmaoui grew up in the Rose des Vents "quartier" of the Aulnay-sous-Bois "commune". He dropped out of school to become a boxer, rising as high as No. 2 in his weight class in France.


title: Saïd Taghmaoui

text: He later met actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz; together, they appeared in Kassovitz's film "La Haine" (1995), whose plot concerns race and violence in the ghettoized "banlieues" of Paris. The following year, Taghmaoui was nominated for a César Award (in the Most Promising Actor category) for his performance.


title: Saïd Taghmaoui

text: He has since pursued an international career, appearing in films in Germany, Italy, Morocco and the United States ("Three Kings", 1999). Taghmaoui starred in "Vantage Point" (2008) as the leader of a terrorist group plotting to kidnap the U.S. president. In Morocco, he appeared in "Djinns" (2010), a film about the Algerian War, alongside Thierry Fremont. Taghmaoui's television work includes "Lost", "House of Saddam" and "Touch". He appeared in the British film "My Brother the Devil", which was released globally in 2013.


title: Saïd Taghmaoui

text: Taghmaoui is a practicing Muslim. He moved to the United States in 1999, and in 2008, obtained American citizenship.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her seventh studio album, "Unapologetic" (2012). It was written by Sia together with its producers, Benny Blanco and Stargate. The song premiered on September 26, 2012, during the "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show" and was digitally released the following day as the lead single from "Unapologetic". "Diamonds" is a mid-tempo pop, electronic and R&B ballad that features heavy synthesizers, orchestral sounds and electronic rhythms. The song's lyrics serve as a departure from the themes of unhealthy relationships that were on Rihanna's previous singles contrasted to the song's portrayal of lovers as "diamonds in the sky".


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" topped music charts in over twenty countries, including the United States, where it became Rihanna's twelfth number-one single on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and tied her with Madonna and the Supremes for the fifth-most number-one singles in the chart's history. "Diamonds" was certified seven-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over 3.5 million digital copies in the country. It also peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and became Rihanna's seventh number one song in the country; it was certified three-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). By May 2013, it had sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: The song's music video was shot by director Anthony Mandler, a frequent collaborator of Rihanna's, and depicts her in four environments that represent the elements of earth, air, water, and fire. The video received positive reviews and was praised for its imagery. Some critics believe that the heavily tattooed man intertwined with Rihanna's arm in the video resembles Chris Brown. The singer performed "Diamonds" on television shows such as "Saturday Night Live" and "The X Factor" and included it on the 777, Diamonds, Monster Tour and the Anti World Tour set lists. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized it as one of the most performed songs of 2013 and 2014. The official remix of "Diamonds" featured rapper Kanye West and was released on November 16, 2012. The song has been covered by various recording artists, including Josef Salvat, who released his own cover of "Diamonds" as a single.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In 2012, American songwriter and record producer Benny Blanco met with Norwegian production duo Stargate at a recording studio in New York City to write new songs, including one for Rihanna. Stargate had previously produced her singles "Don't Stop the Music" (2007) and "Only Girl (In the World)" (2010). According to Blanco, he and Stargate wanted to deviate from Rihanna's usual sound and produce as though the song would be for a rapper such as Kanye West: "It's the one that we weren't thinking Rihanna ... that turned into the Rihanna record ... But that's how it always happens like with me". They produced the song's drum machine beat after the other instrumental music was recorded.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Stargate's Mikkel Eriksen told "The New York Times" that Blanco took a recorded snippet of Eriksen's singing, altered it electronically, and made it sound "dirtier". He then applied timbre and used audio software to create ghostly accompaniment lines. Eriksen described Blanco's style as "unorthodox, as he almost never plays the keyboards but throws in weird samples and alters them to the right pitch to go with the song." Australian singer-songwriter Sia later joined them and wrote the lyrics for "Diamonds" in 14 minutes.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: After the song was completed, they wanted to play it to Rihanna, but Blanco was skeptical about the reaction towards the song because of its slow sound. After Stargate played it to her, they called Blanco from London and told him that she liked the song: "She's flippin' out. She played it like seven times in a row. It's her favorite song." Phil Tan and the assistant Daniela Rivera, mixed and mastered "Diamonds". Rihanna attempted to emulate Sia's singing style, which reportedly led to Sia thinking that her own vocal recording had been released. Recalling it, in an interview with "The Huffington Post", Blanco commented, "We needed to have it recorded, the beat finished, mixed and mastered in 24 hours. She was recording in a separate part of the world, sending back the files, we're finishing the music and then we're mixing and mastering it, and then it was out in a few days. It's fucking amazing and incredible." Kuk Harrell produced Rihanna's vocals on the song and recorded them together with Marcos Tovar.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In 2021, Benny Blanco said that Rihanna was not who he had in mind for the track initially. He considered Kanye West or Lana Del Rey but Stargate was adamant it should be Rihanna. He also revealed that Eminem recorded a song on the beat.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: On September 12, 2012, Def Jam France announced via Twitter that Rihanna would release a new single the following week and that her seventh studio album will be released in November. However, the tweet was shortly deleted and replaced with another clarifying that more information will be given on September 13. In an interview with iHeartRadio at their annual music festival in September, Rihanna confirmed "Diamonds" as her new single and said that it would first be played on American radio beginning September 26. She described it as an easy-going, but optimistic song that is "happy and hippy" rather than dance-oriented and said that the song "gives me such a great feeling when I listen to it. The lyrics are very hopeful and positive, but it's about love."


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: The single's cover artwork was revealed on September 24 and depicted Rihanna rolling diamonds in a manner suggestive of joint rolling. On September 26, Rihanna posted the full lyrics of the song in a PDF on her official website Rihanna7.com. "Diamonds" premiered the same day on the "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show", and on the following day, it was released as a digital download on the 7 Digital store. In the United Kingdom, the song was released to 7 Digital on September 28. Def Jam Recordings solicited the single to mainstream and rhythmic contemporary radio formats in the United States on October 2. On November 5, it was released in Germany as a CD single, which it also contained the song's Bimbo Jones vocal remix. On December 18, eight digital remixes of the single were digitally released.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" has a length of three minutes and forty-five seconds. The lyrics are composed in two main stanzas with the repetition of the chorus sung six times in the song using variations of the main verse depicting "diamonds in the sky". Allmusic critic Andy Kellman characterized it as a mid-tempo pop ballad, while Michael Baggs of Gigwise described it as a mid-tempo electronic song. "Time Out"s James Manning described the song as a "somber" R&B ballad. It features heavy synthesizers, orchestral sounds and electronic rhythms accompanied with Rihanna's vocal performance. "Rolling Stone" magazine wrote that "the track's production mainly stays out of Rihanna's way, letting the pop star build hooks with layers of her voice." In a review of "Unapologetic", Stacy-Ann Ellis of "Vibe" noted that an improvement in the singer's singing is evinced by ballads such as "Diamonds" and "Stay". According to EMI Music Publishing's digital sheet music for the song, "Diamonds" is composed in the key of B minor and set in common time signature, and has a moderately slow groove of 92 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocals span from the low note of F to the high note of F.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In a positive review of the song, Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave it four out of five stars and praised Rihanna's direction towards a "softer and more prolific edge". Brittany Lewis of GlobalGrind called "Diamonds" a catchy song and felt that it had the potential to be another hit for Rihanna. Glenn Gamboa of "Newsday" said that, although it does not sound like an emphatic hit, the lyrical content of the song depicts a "personal shift" for Rihanna. According to James Montgomery of MTV News, "Diamonds" is more positive than previous singles such as "We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been", despite its moderate tempo. Lindsey DiMattina of Hollywood.com said that Rihanna's singing is stronger than ever. Contactmusic's reviewer described it as a "laid-back track", and suggested that the lyrical content is related to her former boyfriend Chris Brown. In a track-by-track review of "Unapologetic", Andrew Hampp of "Billboard" found the song inspiring and commented that it "finds Rihanna doing one of her throatiest, most impassioned vocals to date". Andy Kellman of Allmusic cited the song as one of the highlights on "Unapologetic", and gave it three and a half stars.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In a less enthusiastic critique, Jon Caramanica of "The New York Times" likened "Diamonds" to a "James Bond" movie theme song, but with "insipid lyrics". Jim Farber of the "New York Daily News" felt that the song is not as evocative as it attempts to be and lacks the sense of mystery and engaging production found on "We Found Love". Kevin Blair of the "Irish Independent", Independent Woman, was critical of the song and dismissed it as a "chugging, faintly misty-eyed, middle of the road pop song". Chris Richards of "The Washington Post" panned the song as a "power ballad without much power".


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Ernest Baker and Lauren Nostro of "Complex" ranked "Diamonds" atop their list of The 10 Best Guilty Pleasure Songs of 2012 and wrote that, although the song is unlike Rihanna's louder, more anthemic songs, "apparently the world loves to see a softer side of her, too." Black Entertainment Television placed the single at number six on their 50 Best Songs of 2012 list and called it one of Rihanna's most emotive performances. UK E! Online's reviewer named it the fifth best song of the year and said that Rihanna's vocal performance on the song validates the attention she had received since her breakthrough with "Umbrella". "Irish Independent"s Jim Hayes ranked it as the year's tenth-best song and described it as "a laid back slow burner that invades and refuses to leave". A reviewer from "The Huffington Post" named "Diamonds" one of The 12 Best Songs by Women in 2012.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: At the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized it as one of the most performed songs of 2013 and 2014 respectively. "Diamonds" received the "Billboard" accolade for Top R&B Song at the 2013 award ceremony held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. At the 2013 BET Awards, the song was nominated for the Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice accolade, however, it lost to "Started from the Bottom" by Drake. It also received nominations for Best International Song at the NRJ Music Awards of 2013 in France and for Hit of the Year at the 2013 Echo Awards in Germany. "Diamonds" received a nomination for Best Song at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In the US, "Diamonds" debuted at number 16 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and sold 133,000 copies in its first week. In its fourth week, it climbed to number eight on the chart and became Rihanna's twenty-third top-ten single. For the week ending December 1, 2012, the song became Rihanna's twelfth number-one on the chart, which ended the nine-week reign of Maroon 5's "One More Night". With the feat, Rihanna tied Madonna and the Supremes as the artists with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. Rihanna also passed Mariah Carey as the female artist to mark 12 number-one songs the fastest on the chart by achieving the feat in six years and seven months, which bested Carey's stretch of seven years, one month, and two weeks. "Diamonds" charted for three consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, while her album "Unapologetic" topped the "Billboard" 200. As a result, Rihanna became only the second artist of 2012 to top both the "Billboard" singles and albums charts simultaneously; the first to do so was English singer Adele.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: On the Radio Songs chart, "Diamonds" debuted at number 28. In its fourth week, it climbed to number ten, becoming Rihanna's 19th top ten, breaking a tie with Lil Wayne for the second-best sum in the list's 22-year history; only Mariah Carey (23) has more. For the issue dated December 15, the song topped the chart, becoming Rihanna's tenth number one and placing second for female artists with the most chart toppers, only behind Mariah Carey (11). On the Mainstream Top 40 chart, "Diamonds" debuted at number 29, extending Rihanna's lead as the artist with the most appearances on the chart. On October 11, 2012, "Billboard" unveiled new methodology for the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, newly factoring digital download sales and streaming data into the 50-position rankings, along with existing radio airplay data monitored by Nielsen BDS. Due to this, "Diamonds" saw a huge leap from number 66 to number one, marking Rihanna's second single as a lead artist to top the chart; it topped the chart for fourteen consecutive weeks. "Diamonds" topped the Dance Club Songs chart, becoming Rihanna's nineteenth number one, tying her with Janet Jackson for the second-most number ones in the chart's 36-year history. Only Madonna has more (49). "Diamonds" was seven-times sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: In Canada, the song debuted at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100 for the issue dated October 13, 2012. The song peaked at number one on the issue dated November 24, 2012, becoming Rihanna's sixth single to reach number one on the chart. It remained atop of it for four consecutive weeks. It was certified gold by Music Canada denoting sales of over 40,000 copies.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" made its first chart appearance in Ireland on September 27, 2012, where it debuted at number 17. It reached its peak of number two on October 25, 2012. The single debuted at number one on both the United Kingdom's pop and R&B singles charts on October 7, 2012, with over 105,000 copies sold. This gave Rihanna her seventh number-one single in the country. After nine weeks on the pop chart, "Diamonds" rose from number ten to three, following Rihanna's performance of the song on "The X Factor" the previous week. From its debut, the song remained atop the R&B chart for three consecutive weeks before being deposed of the top spot by Labrinth and Emeli Sandé's "Beneath Your Beautiful". , "Diamonds" has sold over one million copies in the UK, and became Rihanna's fourth single to achieve that feat. With that, she became only the second artist to have four million-selling singles in the UK, only behind the Beatles, who have six. The single is the 30th best-selling song of all time by a female artist in the country.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" debuted at number one in France, becoming Rihanna's fourth number-one single in the country and remaining at the top spot for three consecutive weeks. "Diamonds" also peaked at number one in Germany for ten consecutive weeks, becoming Rihanna's fifth number-one single in the country and surpassing "Umbrella" (2007) as her longest-running German number-one single. The song was placed at number seven on the German 2012 Year-End singles chart and was certified platinum, denoting sales of 300,000 copies in the country. "Diamonds" remained number one in Norway for eleven consecutive weeks, the Czech Republic for eight, Denmark for six, Switzerland for five, Austria for four, Finland for three weeks and Scotland one.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number five on October 8, 2012. After eight weeks in the top ten, the song peaked at number two. The single has received a double-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, denoting sales of 30,000 copies. "Diamonds" debuted at number eight on the Australian Singles Chart on October 14, 2012. The song reached a peak of number six on November 4, 2012. The song has been certified six-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting sales of 420,000 copies. By May 2013, it had sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Rihanna began to film the music video for "Diamonds" on October 21, 2012, at the Mojave Desert in Lancaster, California. It was directed by her regular collaborator Anthony Mandler, who previously directed her videos for "Russian Roulette" (2009) and "Man Down" (2011). Photographs of the production leaked to the press the same day and showed Rihanna in a white and black dress in front of a fire. Ethan Sacks of the "New York Daily News" remarked that she "looked like a gem on the set of her video shoot." Rihanna said that she wanted the video's abstract scenes to capture the appropriate emotion for the audience. Mandler sought to create a "wider landscape" by suggesting and transfiguring ideas for viewers through the video: "[T]hey needed to feel like dream vignettes, like, when you wake up from a dream, you realize what you were dreaming about is not really what it was about, it was about something else." He also tried to relate the video's concept to Rihanna's personal life: "What's truth or fiction? You know 'Is she drowning, or is she in complete ecstasy? Are those hands coming apart, or are they finding each other?' ... we tried to bring up these deeper questions that relate to the song and her life and finding beauty in chaos and finding beauty in pain and finding pain in beauty." On November 7, a behind-the-scenes video was posted on MTV's official website. It featured Rihanna in a "leopard-print" robe as she emerged from a trailer and headed to the shooting set. The scenes were intercut with police officers who chase armed fighters. Rihanna stands in a deserted landscape in the video's other scenes. The music video for "Diamonds" premiered November 8 on MTV. The video was also made available for streaming at Rihanna.MTV.com. It was digitally released on November 14 via the iTunes Store.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: The music video opens with a view of Rihanna lying in open waters, as other scenes of diamonds being rolled in a manner suggestive of making a joint are intercut – a scene reminiscent of the single's artwork. As the video progresses Rihanna is shown running on a highway. In a black-and-white scene, Rihanna licks the joint and begins smoking it. The image fades to black as the song begins. Rihanna performs in the same black-and-white setting while in a black corset. Images of Rihanna on a bed in a room while singing are shown, with objects breaking, curtains falling and roses burning in reverse effect. Rihanna is shown again on the highway, running away from what appears to be the headlights of a chasing car. She then stops as she looks up to the night sky at an aurora view. Throughout the video, Rihanna's hand is shown intertwined with that of a heavily tattooed man, whose face is not shown in the video. As the second verse starts, Rihanna is shown in a desert where horses run freely. Scenes of a street battle are later shown, depicting burning cars and broken glass around the environment. As the video continues, the singer and her lover's hands are shown slowly slipping apart, with only their fingertips touching towards the conclusion of the video. The video ends with Rihanna once again floating alone in the open waters.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: James Montgomery of MTV News called it visually striking and observed a great deal of "evocative imagery (glamorous black-and-white close-ups, thick plumes of translucent smoke, oversaturated hill-scapes, artfully silhouetted stallions)". He said that, like the song, the video is by turns garish and very intimate. The website's Jocelyn Vena thought that it had dreamlike and surrealistic images of Rihanna, who moves through set-ups that are occasionally exceptional. E! Online's Bruna Nessif said that the video shows an abundance of elaborate imagery, narratives, and especially a "mysterious and sexy" Rihanna. Additionally, she found it obvious that the body of a heavily tattooed man's arm, which Rihanna clings to desperately, is a reference to Chris Brown. "NME" magazine observed Rihanna being shown in four environments that represent the four elements of the earth, air, water and fire. Billy Johnson Jr. of Yahoo! Canada felt the video had failed to capture the song's vivid celebration of a love affair and stated, "It seems as though [Rihanna is] in chaos, reflecting on happier times." Marc Hogan of "Spin" concluded that the video was a "confirmation of Rihanna's awkward segue into adult-contemporary-dom." The video for "Diamonds" was Vevo's fourth most-viewed visual of 2013. As of September 2022, the music video has received over 2 billion views on YouTube.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Rihanna first performed "Diamonds" on November 7, 2012, at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, where she wore black lingerie with black thigh high stockings and ankle boots; the show was aired by CBS on December 4. On November 10, Rihanna performed the song on "Saturday Night Live". "New York" magazine's Joe Reid said that her performance was the highlight of the show's episode and favored the digitized background in particular, which he described as "overt weirdness" that was ultimately "pretty endearing". Tess Lynch of Grantland was impressed by Rihanna's "exceptional singing" and wrote that the background imagery was a "powerful" and "crazy spectacle that astonished viewers". Lynch agreed with episode host Anne Hathaway, who had said that Rihanna was "a goddess." "Diamonds" was included on the set list for Rihanna's 2012 promotional tour, the 777 Tour.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: On November 25, the singer performed the song on series nine of "The X Factor" in the UK. The performance featured the singer dressed in a black gown on a square platform. As the chorus began, water effects poured down around her on the outside of the stage. By the final chorus, the water centered into the platform and wet the singer. Hayes of "Irish Independent" praised the performance and stated that it "put everything – and everybody – else to shame." On December 8, Rihanna performed the song on "Wetten, dass..?" in Germany. She also performed "Diamonds" on "La Chanson de l'année" in France, on December 10, 2012, which was broadcast on December 29, 2012. The single was included as the closing song on the set list of Rihanna's fifth worldwide tour titled the Diamonds World Tour (2013).


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Rihanna performed "Diamonds" at the 2013 American Music Awards on November 24, 2013, during the acceptance of the Icon Award. The performance featured the singer wearing a long black dress plunged down to her navel and diamond adornments in her hair. She was joined by an orchestra that included a conductor which accompanied her as a rock band produced the beat. Kory Grow of "Rolling Stone" magazine labeled the performance as "stunning". Additionally, out of a total sixteen performances at the ceremony, he placed Rihanna's rendition of "Diamonds" at number one writing, "she gave a performance that showed she could live up to the honor". "Los Angeles Times" Mikael Wood stated that during the performance Rihanna dominated the stage pointing that she looked like a young version of Grace Jones. The single was included on the set list of Rihanna's joint 2014 tour with rapper Eminem, the Monster Tour. Rihanna performed "Diamonds" on November 11, 2014, during the Concert for Valor held in Washington, D.C. Rihanna performed the single during her concerts part of the Anti World Tour in 2016.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: On BBC Radio 1's live lounge, Jessie Ware performed a slightly jazzy version of the song, which "Spin" magazine's Marc Hogan said was musically reminiscent of the xx and vocally similar to D'Angelo. Sia Furler, who co-wrote "Diamonds", performed it with a keyboard accompaniment at the Norwegian-American Achievement Ceremony on November 18. On November 15, American singer-songwriter Zola Jesus recorded a cover version of "Diamonds". "Diamonds" was used in the promotional video of Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Coaches Ricky Martin, Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden and Seal during the second season of Australian "The Voice". On April 7, 2015, the song was covered by Team Adam (consisted of Brian Johnson, Deanna Johnson, Joshua Davis, Nathan Hermida and Tonya Boyd-Cannon) from the eighth season for the American version of "The Voice". On May 14, 2015, coaches Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. covered the song in a mash-up with Bruno Mars' 2013 single, "Locked Out of Heaven" during the final show of the fourteenth season of "American Idol". English singer Calum Scott performed "Diamonds" during the final on series nine of "Britain's Got Talent". English singer Gabrielle included a cover of "Diamonds" on her 2021 album "Do It Again" following a live performance of the song during an episode of "The Masked Singer" upon which she was a contestant as Harlequin.


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: "Diamonds" was remixed by rapper Flo Rida, whose version was premiered on November 12 by American magazine "Rap-Up". He had previously performed on unofficial remixes of Rihanna's "We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been". The official remix of "Diamonds", which featured rapper Kanye West, was released on November 16 as a digital download via SoundCloud and iTunes. West's verse starts at the beginning of the remix, as he raps lines such as "We the cause of all the commotion / Your mouth runnin' by where is you goin?". He also quotes the theme song from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", while proclaiming to be "on his Brad Pitt". MTV News' James Montgomery wrote that "there's certainly no shortage of Kanye's patented swagger, and the new remix also adds some clubby wallop to the laid-back track." Henna Kathiya of MTV Rapfix remarked that West adds "some classic Ye flavor" to the original song. On December 4, a new remix leaked online. It featured Eve, who rapped lines such as, "You glisten so beautiful, priceless/ Listen to me, I need you to know/ How you can change my whole world."


title: Diamonds (Rihanna song)

text: Australian artist Josef Salvat covered "Diamonds" in his EP "In Your Prime" (2014). The track became popular after Sony used it in its ad "Ice Bubbles" for its new 4K Ultra HD television screen. The Sony ad was filmed in Mount Whisler, Nunavut, Canada using Salvat's version of "Diamonds". Josef Salvat's version has reached number 2 on French SNEP Official Singles Charts also making it to number 11 on the German Singles Chart and number 18 on the Belgian Ultratop charts.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Liberal–National Coalition, commonly known simply as "the Coalition" or informally as the LNP, is an alliance of centre-right political parties that forms one of the two major groupings in Australian federal politics. The two partners in the Coalition are the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia (the latter previously known as the Country Party and the National Country Party). Its main opponent is the Australian Labor Party (ALP); the two forces are often regarded as operating in a two-party system. The Coalition was last in government from the 2013 federal election, before being unsuccessful at re-election in the 2022 Australian federal election. The group is led by Peter Dutton, who succeeded Scott Morrison after the 2022 Australian federal election.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The two parties in the Coalition have different voter bases, with the Liberals – the larger party – drawing most of their vote from urban areas and the Nationals operating almost exclusively in rural and regional areas. They occupy a broadly similar place on the right of the political spectrum. The partnership between the two current parties dates back to 1946, shortly after the Liberal Party was formed, and has continued almost uninterrupted since then. The Country Party also maintained similar alliances with the Liberal Party's predecessors, the United Australia Party and Nationalist Party, and similar parties at state level. The first such federal arrangement was formed in 1923, as a solution to the hung parliament that resulted from the 1922 federal election.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Liberals and Nationals maintain separate organisational wings and separate parliamentary parties, but co-operate in various ways determined by a mixture of formal agreements and informal conventions. There is a single Coalition frontbench, both in government and in opposition, with each party receiving a proportionate number of positions. By convention, the leader of the Liberal Party serves as the overall leader, serving as prime minister when the Coalition is in government and leader of the opposition when the Coalition is in opposition. The leader of the National Party becomes the deputy prime minister during periods of conservative government. The two parties co-operate on their federal election campaigns, run joint Senate tickets in most states, and generally avoid running candidates against each other in the House of Representatives.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: A merger of the Liberals and Nationals has been suggested on a number of occasions, but has never become a serious proposition. The relationship between the two parties varies at state and territory level. The situation in New South Wales and Victoria broadly mirrors that at federal level, while in Western Australia the parties are much more independent of each other. In the Northern Territory the territorial parties merged in 1974 to form the Country Liberal Party (CLP), and in 2008 the Queensland state-level parties merged, forming the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). LNP and CLP members elected to federal parliament do not form separate parliamentary parties, joining either the Liberals or Nationals. In South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, the Nationals have no sitting MPs and little or no organisational presence.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The origins of the Coalition date back to the 1922 federal election, when the Nationalist Party, the main middle-class non-Labor party of the time, lost the absolute majority it had held since its formation in 1917. The Nationalists could only stay in office with the support of the two-year-old Country Party. It soon became apparent that a confidence and supply agreement would not be enough to keep the Nationalists in office.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: However, Country Party leader Earle Page had never trusted the Nationalist Prime Minister, Billy Hughes. Indeed, the Country Party had been formed in part due to discontent with Hughes' rural policy. Page not only let it be known that he would not serve under Hughes, but demanded Hughes' resignation before he would even consider coalition talks. Hughes resigned, and Page then entered negotiations with the new Nationalist leader, Stanley Bruce. The Country Party's terms were unusually stiff for a prospective junior partner in a Westminster system (and especially so for a relatively new party) – five seats in an 11-member cabinet, as well as the Treasurer's post and second rank in the ministry for Page. Nonetheless, Bruce agreed rather than force a new election. Since then, the leader of the Country Party, which evolved into the National Party, has ranked second in nearly all non-Labor governments, a status formalised in 1967 when the post of Deputy Prime Minister was formally created to denote Country leader John McEwen's status as the number-two man in the government.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Nationalist–Country Coalition was reelected twice, and continued in office until its defeat in 1929.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Country Party and the Nationalists' successor party, the United Australia Party, fought the 1931 federal election with a joint Senate ticket, though they ran separate House tickets. The UAP came up only four seats short of a majority in its own right. The Emergency Committee of South Australia, which stood for the UAP and Country Party in South Australia, joined the UAP party room, giving the UAP enough support to rule alone. However, the parties once again joined in a full Coalition government following the 1934 federal election.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: After the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons in April 1939, Page was appointed as his successor on an interim basis, pending the new election of a new UAP leader. Despite Page's misgivings, the UAP elected Robert Menzies – who was known to dislike the Country Party. Page subsequently made a vitriolic speech in parliament attacking Menzies's character, and withdrew his party from the coalition – the most recent occasion on which the coalition has been broken while in government. However, a number of Page's colleagues disagreed with his stance, and he resigned as leader in September 1939. He was replaced by Archie Cameron, and after months of negotiations the coalition was revived in March 1940, with five Country MPs joining the second Menzies Ministry.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: After losing eight seats at the 1940 federal election, the Coalition was plunged into minority government for the first time in its history. Archie Cameron was an immediate victim of the election result, being replaced by Arthur Fadden and later defecting to the UAP. Menzies increasingly struggled to balance his management of Australia's war effort with domestic concerns, and his party began to rebel against him. However, the UAP was bereft of leadership despite having been in power for a decade. With this in mind, in August 1941 the Coalition collectively decided that Fadden and Menzies should swap positions, with Menzies becoming Minister for Defence Co-ordination and Fadden becoming prime minister. It was the first and only occasion on which the Coalition was led by the leader of the junior party. However, the Fadden Government only lasted a few months before losing a confidence motion and being replaced by the Labor Party in the form of the Curtin Government.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: After the demise of the Fadden Government, the Coalition voted to continue on under his leadership in opposition. Menzies had opposed this, and resigned as UAP leader, to be replaced by the ageing Billy Hughes. Up until the 1943 election, the Coalition effectively operated as a single unit, with separate party meetings being extremely rare. However, the landslide defeat it suffered – under Fadden as opposition leader – led to an immediate change in strategy. The UAP voted to break off its ties with the Country Party in opposition, and re-elected Menzies as its leader. This is the most recent occasion on which the senior partner in the Coalition has opted to withdraw.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The UAP was folded into the Liberal Party in 1945, with Menzies as leader. In the lead-up to the 1946 federal election, Menzies renewed the Coalition with the Country Party, which was still led by Fadden. They won the 1949 federal election as a Coalition, and stayed in office for a record 23 years. Since 1946, the Coalition has remained intact with two exceptions, both in opposition. The parties decided not to form a coalition opposition following their defeat in 1972, but went into the 1974 federal election as a Coalition. The Coalition remained together upon entering opposition in 1983 federal election. The Coalition suffered another break, related to the "Joh for Canberra" campaign, from April to August 1987, the rift healing after the 1987 federal election.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The solidity of the Coalition is so strong that when the Liberals won parliamentary majorities in their own right in the 1975, 1977 and 1996 federal elections, the Coalition was retained.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In the 2007 federal election, the Coalition lost to the Labor Party and went into opposition. The Coalition regained office in the 2013 federal election as a majority government. In October 2018, the Coalition went into minority government for the second time in its history, when the seat of Wentworth was won by Independent Kerryn Phelps in the by-election. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of incumbent Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull, who was ousted as Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader during a spill motion earlier in August 2018. The coalition formed majority government again following the 2019 federal election. In the 2022 Australian federal election the Coalition lost to the Labor Party and returned to opposition.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In March 1973, former Prime Minister William McMahon publicly announced his support for a merger. McMahon reiterated his view after Labor won the 1974 election, and Billy Snedden, his successor as leader of the Liberal Party, also stated that he favoured a merger.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: During the 1980s, former Nationals MP Peter Nixon reviewed the party and "concluded it should seriously consider amalgamating with the Liberals". Former Nationals leader Doug Anthony wrote not long afterward, "Any objective and rational National Party member who read this report would have to accept that amalgamation was the only realistic course. Regrettably, there are still too many who don't want to read it and who don't want to face reality, that the role of a specialist party looking after the needs of rural people is in decline." Nationals leader Ian Sinclair publicly rejected calls for a merger, citing the incompatibility of the National Party's conservatism and the "small-l liberal" wing of the Liberal Party.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In July 1989, Senator Fred Chaney, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, stated his tentative support for a merger, but noted that it could not be led by politicians and should come from the grassroots.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In the wake of their 2007 federal election loss, there was again talk of a merger in 2007 and 2008, as a result of a shrinking National Party vote. It was argued that the decline in the National vote is linked to a declining rural population, and National Party policies have become increasingly similar to those of the Liberal Party. However no merger took place outside of Queensland.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: Coalition arrangements are facilitated by Australia's preferential voting systems which enable Liberals and Nationals to compete locally in "three-cornered-contests", with the Australian Labor Party (ALP), while exchanging preferences in elections. Such contests would weaken their prospects under first-past-the-post voting. From time to time, friction is caused by the fact that the Liberal and National candidates are campaigning against each other, without long-term damage to the relationship.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: Indeed, the whole point of introducing preferential voting was to allow safe spoiler-free, three-cornered contests. It was a government of the Nationalist Party, a forerunner to the modern Liberal Party which introduced the legislation, following Labor's unexpected win at the 1918 Swan by-election where the conservative vote split. Two months later, the Corangamite by-election held under preferential voting caused the initially leading ALP candidate to lose after some lower-placed candidates' preferences had been distributed.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: As a result of variations on the preferential voting system used in every state and territory, the Coalition has been able to thrive, wherever both its member parties have both been active. The preferential voting system has allowed the Liberal and National parties to compete and co-operate at the same time. By contrast, a variation of the preferential system known as optional preferential voting has proven a significant handicap to coalition co-operation in Queensland and New South Wales, because significant numbers of voters do not express all useful preferences.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: Due to a disciplined coalition between the parties and their predecessors being in existence for almost 100 years with only a few brief cessations within a parliamentary system, most commentators and the general public often refer to the Coalition as if it were a single party. Polling and electoral results contain a two-party-preferred (TPP) vote which is based on Labor and the Coalition. The Australian Electoral Commission has distinguished between "traditional" (Coalition/Labor) two-party-preferred (TPP/2PP) contests, and "non-traditional" (Independent, Greens, Liberal vs National) two-candidate-preferred (TCP/2CP) contests. At the 2010 federal election, all eight seats which resulted in a two-candidate-preferred result were re-counted to also express a statistical-only "traditional" two-party-preferred result.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: A Coalition between the Liberal (and predecessors) and National parties has existed without interruption in New South Wales since 1927. Predecessors of the NSW Liberal Party, including the UAP, Nationalist Party and the Democratic Party, maintained a coalition with the Country Party (old name of National Party).


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Liberal Party is led by Dominic Perrottet and the National Party by Paul Toole. The Coalition won the 2011 state election in a massive swing under Barry O'Farrell, the 2015 election with a reduced majority under Mike Baird, and the 2019 election under Gladys Berejiklian.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: New South Wales is the only state where the non-Labor Coalition has never broken, and yet has also never merged. This remained the case even in 2011, when the Liberals won a majority in their own right but still retained the Coalition. On 10 September 2020, the Nationals threatened to move to the crossbench over a dispute regarding koala protection laws, but the issue was resolved the next day and the Nationals remained in the Coalition.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: Due to Brisbane having a much smaller share of Queensland's population compared to the other state capitals, Queensland is the only state in which the Nationals have consistently been the stronger non-Labor party. The Nationals were the senior partner in the non-Labor Coalition from 1925 until the Coalition was broken in 1983. At an election held two months later, the Nationals under Joh Bjelke-Petersen came up one seat short of a majority, but later gained a majority when two Liberal MLAs crossed the floor to join the Nationals. The Nationals then governed in their own right until 1989. The Coalition was renewed in 1991, and won power under Rob Borbidge from 1996 to 1998.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Queensland Liberals and Nationals had contested separately for the Senate in federal elections until the 2007 election, when they ran a join Senate ticket for the first time in 30 years. In 2008, the two parties agreed to merge, forming the Liberal National Party (LNP), under the leadership of former National Lawrence Springborg. Although it is dominated by former Nationals, it has full voting rights within the Liberal Party and observer status within the National Party. Springborg stood down in 2009, and was succeeded by former Liberal John-Paul Langbroek. The LNP won an overwhelming majority government in the 2012 state election under the leadership of former Liberal Campbell Newman, who had taken over from Langbroek a year earlier. However, it lost power in 2015, and Springborg returned to the leadership, only to lose a challenge by former Liberal Tim Nicholls in May 2016. Following another loss in the 2017 election, Nicholls stood down as LNP party leader and was succeeded by Deb Frecklington, who holds the ancestrally National seat of Nanango, Bjelke-Petersen's old seat.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: At the federal level, 15 LNP MPs sit with the Liberals, including federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton; six sit with the Nationals, including federal Nationals leader David Littleproud. LNP Senator Matt Canavan sits with the Nationals, while the LNP's four other senators sit with the Liberals. The highest-profile LNP MP in recent years has been former federal Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss. The LNP has an informal agreement with its federal counterparts as to which party room in which LNP members will sit. Incumbent MPs retain their previous federal affiliations, whereas members who win seats from the ALP that previously belonged to the Coalition will sit with the previous member's party. An amicable division of seats was decided upon for new seats or seats that have never been won by the Coalition. In practice, all LNP MPs from Brisbane and most LNP MPs from the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast sit with the Liberals, while those from rural seats usually sit with the Nationals.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The state branch of the Country Party merged with the Liberal Federation, the state branch of the UAP, in 1932 to form the Liberal and Country League. It later became the state division of the Liberal Party when the latter was formed in 1945. A separate Country Party (later Nationals SA) was revived in 1963, though the main non-Labor party in South Australia continued to use the LCL name until it was also renamed to the Liberal Party in 1974. The revived SA Nationals have never been successful in South Australia, due to the state's highly centralised population (some three-quarters of the population lives in Adelaide) and the Liberals' strong support in rural areas that would tilt National in most of the rest of Australia. The party's current incarnation has only elected two representatives: Peter Blacker from 1973 to 1993, and Karlene Maywald from 1997 to 2010.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: From 2004 to 2010, Maywald was a Minister in the Rann Labor Government, before losing her seat at the 2010 South Australian state election, thereby informally creating a Labor-National coalition in South Australia. The National Party, at the time, rejected the notion that it was in a coalition with Labor at the state level. State National Party President John Venus told journalists, "We (The Nationals) are not in coalition with the Labor Party, we aren't in coalition with the Liberals, we are definitely not in coalition with anyone. We stand alone in South Australia as an independent party." Flinders University political scientist Haydon Manning disagreed, saying that it is "churlish to describe the government as anything but a coalition". The party did not run candidates at the 2010 federal election, but ran one candidate in the seat of Barker and two for the Senate at the 2013 election. The Nationals candidate for Barker and several other Coalition figures assured electors that any Nationals elected from South Australia would be part of the Coalition, after comments from the Liberal candidate to the contrary.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The National Party has never done well in Tasmania, even though its first leader, William McWilliams, was a Tasmanian. It has elected only two other lower house members. A Tasmania branch of the then-Country Party was formed in 1922 and briefly held the balance of power, but merged with the Nationalists in 1924. It was refounded in 1962, but never gained much ground. In 1969, Liberal MHA Kevin Lyons, the son of former Prime Minister Lyons, pulled together most of the Tasmanian Country Party into the Centre Party, which held the balance of power in that year's state election. It threw its support to the Liberals, and Lyons – the Centre Party's lone MHA – became Deputy Premier. The Liberal-Centre alliance fell apart in 1972, forcing an early election. In 1975, what remained of the Centre Party became the Tasmanian chapter of what was by now the National Country Party before fading away completely. A Tasmanian National Party branch was briefly revived in the 1990s before it too disappeared, leaving the Liberal Party as the sole major non-Labor party in the state. In 2018, Senator Steve Martin, formerly of the Jacqui Lambie Network, joined the Nationals, becoming the party's first federal member from Tasmania in either chamber in 90 years. However, Martin lost his bid for a new term.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: A Coalition between the Liberal and National parties exists in Victoria. The Liberal Party is led by Matthew Guy and the National Party by Peter Walsh.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Country Party was the stronger coalition partner on multiple occasions from the 1920s through to the 1950s, and Country leaders served as Premier of Victoria on five separate occasions. However, the relationship between the two parties was somewhat strained for most of the second half of the 20th century. In 1948, the coalition was broken when the Liberal leader and Premier Thomas Hollway sacked Country leader John McDonald as Deputy Premier. In March 1949, the Liberals renamed themselves the Liberal and Country Party as part of an effort to merge the two non-Labor parties in Victoria. However, McDonald saw this as an attempted Liberal takeover of the Country Party, and the Country Party turned the proposed merger down. As a result, both parties competed against each other and fought elections separately from 1952 to 1989. The presence of John McEwen, a Victorian, as number-two man in the federal government from 1958 to 1971 (including a brief stint as interim Prime Minister) did little to change this.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Liberals and Nationals reached a Coalition agreement in 1990. They fought and won the 1992 and 1996 elections as a Coalition under the leadership of Jeff Kennett. Although the Liberals won enough seats to govern alone, Kennett retained the Nationals in his government. When Peter Ryan became leader of the Nationals shortly after the Kennett government's 1999 election defeat, he terminated the Coalition agreement and led the Nationals into the 2002 and 2006 elections separately from the Liberals. However, the Coalition agreement was renewed in 2008 and the Victorian Liberal and National parties went into the 2010 election as a Coalition. The Coalition ended up winning the 2010 election with a one-seat margin under the leadership of Ted Baillieu, who resigned in 2013 and was succeeded by Denis Napthine. The Coalition lost power at the 2014 election. The Coalition arrangement was maintained while the two parties were in opposition.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: According to The Age, between November 2018 and November 2021, the Coalition's Legislative Council members voted with the Andrews Government's position 28.9% of the time; of the parties in the Legislative Council, only the Liberal Democratic Party had a lower figure (22.1%).


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Country Party was the stronger coalition partner from the 1933 state election to the 1947 state election, although the Coalition did not form government during this period. Western Australia has never had a premier from the Country/National Party.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In May 1949, the Liberal and Country League (Western Australia) was formed to attempt to merge Country Party (then called County Democratic League or CDL) and Liberal Party together. This did not eventuate and the CDL did not join the new party.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The National Party was in Coalition with the Liberal Party government from 1993 to 2001 (see Hendy Cowan), but the Coalition was subsequently broken. In 2008, the Liberals under Colin Barnett, the Nationals under Brendon Grylls, and independent John Bowler formed a minority government after the 2008 election. However, it was not characterised as a "traditional coalition", with limited cabinet collective responsibility for National cabinet members. Tony Crook was elected as the WA Nationals candidate for the seat of O'Connor at the 2010 federal election. Although some reports initially counted Crook as a National MP, and thus part of the Coalition, Crook sat as a crossbencher.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: The Liberals won enough seats for a majority in their own right in the 2013 state election, but Barnett had announced before the election that he would retain the coalition with the Nationals. However, Barnett would have likely had to keep the Nationals in his government in any event. According to the ABC's Antony Green, the rural weighting in the Legislative Council all but forces the WA Liberals to depend on National support even when the Liberals have enough support to govern alone. The Barnett government was heavily defeated at the 2017 state election, and the two parties went their separate ways with Liberal Party being the sole opposition party.


title: Coalition (Australia)

text: In the 2021 election, the Liberal Party ended up winning fewer seats than the National Party, headed by Mia Davies, with the National Party gaining opposition status and Davies becoming the first Nationals opposition leader since 1947. Following the election, the Liberal Party and Nationals Party entered into a formal alliance to form opposition, with National Party being the senior party and the Liberal Party being the junior party in the alliance. Shadow ministerial positions were also held by parliamentary members of both parties. This was similar to the agreements between both parties when they were in government following the 2008 and 2013 elections. Similar to the 2008 and 2013 agreements, the deputy leader of the senior party, Nationals deputy leader Shane Love, was the deputy opposition leader, instead of the leader of the junior party, Liberal Party leader David Honey. Under the alliance, each party maintained their independence, and could speak out on issues when there was a disagreement with their partner.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Gordon Banks (30 December 1937 – 12 February 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he made 679 appearances during a 20-year professional career, and won 73 caps for England, highlighted by starting every game of the nation's 1966 World Cup victory.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks joined Chesterfield in March 1953, and played for their youth team in the 1956 FA Youth Cup final. He made his first team debut in November 1958, and was sold to Leicester City for £7,000 in July 1959. He played in four cup finals for the club, as they were beaten in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals, before winning the League Cup in 1964 and finishing as finalists in 1965. Despite this success, and his World Cup win in 1966, Banks was dropped by Leicester and sold on to Stoke City for £50,000 in April 1967. In the 1970 World Cup, he made one of the game's great saves to prevent a Pelé goal, but was absent due to illness as England were beaten by West Germany at the quarter-final stage.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks was Stoke City's goalkeeper in the 1972 League Cup win, the club's only major honour. He was still Stoke's and England's number one when a car crash in October 1972 cost him both the sight in his right eye and, eventually, his professional career. He played two last seasons in the United States for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1977 and 1978, and despite only having vision in one eye, was NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 after posting the best defensive record in the league. He briefly entered management with Telford United, but left the game in December 1980.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972, and was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year on six occasions. The IFFHS named Banks the second-best goalkeeper of the 20th century, after Lev Yashin.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks was born in Abbeydale, Sheffield, and brought up in the working-class area of Tinsley. The family later moved to the village of Catcliffe after his father set up a (then-illegal) betting shop. This brought greater prosperity but also misery; one day Banks's disabled brother was mugged for the shop's daily takings, and died of his injuries some weeks later. Banks left school in December 1952, aged 15, and took up employment as a bagger with a local coal merchant, which helped to build up his upper body strength. He spent a season playing for amateur side Millspaugh after their regular goalkeeper failed to turn up for a match; the club's trainer spotted Banks amongst the spectators and invited him to play in goal as he was aware that Banks had previously played for Sheffield Schoolboys. His performances there earned him a game in the Yorkshire League for Rawmarsh Welfare, however a 12–2 defeat to Stocksbridge Works on his debut was followed by a 3–1 home defeat, and he was dropped by Rawmarsh and returned to Millspaugh. Still aged 15, he then switched jobs to become a hod carrier.


title: Gordon Banks

text: He was scouted by Chesterfield whilst playing for Millspaugh, and offered a six-game trial in the youth team in March 1953. He impressed enough in these games to be offered a part-time £3-a-week contract by manager Teddy Davison in July 1953. The reserve team were placed in the Central League on account of a powerful club director rather than on merit, and Banks conceded 122 goals in the 1954–55 season as the "Spireites" finished in last place with only three victories. Banks was posted to Germany with the Royal Signals on national service, and won the Rhine Cup with his regimental team. He recovered from a fractured elbow to help the Chesterfield youth team to the 1956 final of the FA Youth Cup. There they were beaten 4–3 on aggregate by Manchester United's famous "Busby Babes"—a team that included both Wilf McGuinness and Bobby Charlton.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks was given his first team debut by manager Doug Livingstone, at the expense of long-serving Ron Powell, in a Third Division game against Colchester United at Saltergate in November 1958. The game ended 2–2, and Banks kept his place against Norwich City in the following match; by the end of the 1958–59 season he had missed only three games, those owing to injury. With no goalkeeping coach to guide him, Banks had to learn from his mistakes on the pitch, and he soon developed into a modern vocal goalkeeper who ordered the players in front of him into a more effective defence. Having just 23 league and three cup appearances to his name, it came as a surprise to Banks when Matt Gillies, manager of First Division club Leicester City, bought him from Chesterfield for £7,000 in July 1959; this also meant a wage increase to £15 a week.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks faced competition from five other goalkeepers, including 30-year-old Scotland international Johnny Anderson and 25-year-old Dave MacLaren. He started the 1959–60 season as the reserve team's goalkeeper. This in effect made him the club's second choice, ahead of four of his rivals but behind first team choice MacLaren. He had played four reserve team games when MacLaren picked up an injury, and manager Matt Gillies selected Banks for his Leicester debut against Blackpool at Filbert Street on 9 September. The match finished 1–1, with Jackie Mudie's strike cancelling out Ken Leek's opener. Banks retained his place for the 2–0 loss to Newcastle United at St James' Park three days later. With McLaren fit again, Banks was sent back to the reserves but, after the first team conceded 14 goals in the next five games, he was recalled and became the first-choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the season. The defensive record did not improve at first, with Banks conceding six in a heavy defeat by Everton at Goodison Park, but he improved in each match and the Foxes settled for a comfortable 12th-place finish. In training, he worked extensively on improving his weaknesses, such as coming for crosses. He put in extra hours during training and came up with practice sessions to improve his skills – this was largely unique in an era where there were no specialized goalkeeping coaches. In the summer, both Anderson and MacLaren departed, leaving Banks as the club's undisputed number one ahead of a group of understudies.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Leicester finished sixth in 1960–61, and managed to beat champions Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Yet their greatest accomplishment was in reaching the final of the FA Cup, with Banks conceding only five goals in their nine games "en route" to the final, and keeping three clean sheets in the semi-final and two replays against Sheffield United. Their opponents in the final at Wembley were Tottenham, who had already won the First Division title by an eight-point margin. Right-back Len Chalmers picked up a severe injury early in the match, and with Ken Leek dropped for disciplinary reasons in favour of rookie Hughie McIlmoyle, City were effectively playing with ten men and offered little threat going forward. Bobby Smith and Terry Dyson gave Spurs a 2–0 win and the first "double" of the 20th century, with Banks unable to prevent either goal.


title: Gordon Banks

text: The 1961–62 season proved to be highly disappointing, as Leicester finished 14th in the league and exited the FA Cup at the hands of Stoke City. The only highlight was the club's participation in the European Cup Winners' Cup, which actually put Banks in the difficult position of choosing to play for his club against Spanish club Atlético Madrid or choosing to attend the England versus Portugal match as a non-playing squad member. He elected to attend both games, leaving London at full-time to reach Leicester 30 minutes before the kick-off against Madrid. A last-minute goal earned the Spaniards a 1–1 draw at Filbert Street. In the return leg, Banks saved an Enrique Collar penalty, but Atlético were awarded a second penalty which Collar converted, and Leicester lost the game 2–0 (losing the tie 3–1 on aggregate).


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks broke his nose at Craven Cottage on the opening day of the 1962–63 season, in a 2–1 defeat by Fulham. Leicester went to chase a possible double, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals whilst lying top of the table in April. City beat Liverpool 1–0 at Hillsborough to reach the final, with Banks keeping a clean sheet despite his goal being under a near-constant siege from the Merseyside club. The "News of the World" reported that Liverpool had had 34 attempts on goal to Leicester's one, and Banks later stated that it was his finest performance at club level. Unluckily, Banks then broke a finger in a 2–1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, and was out injured as Leicester lost their final three league games, ending the season in a disappointing fourth place. In the 1963 FA Cup Final Banks and the rest of the team underperformed, and lost the game 3–1 to Manchester United.


title: Gordon Banks

text: City ended the 1963–64 season in 11th place, having been inconsistent all season. Success instead came through the League Cup, as they beat West Ham United 6–3 over two legs in the semi-finals to reach the final against Stoke City. The opening tie at the Victoria Ground finished 1–1 in extremely muddy conditions as Banks spilled a shot from Bill Asprey, with Keith Bebbington pouncing on the rebound. Back at Filbert Street, goals from Mike Stringfellow, Dave Gibson and Howard Riley won the game for Leicester 3–2 and settled the tie at 4–3.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks started the 1964–65 season on wages of £40 a week, and the club only agreed to pay £60 a week in December. These miserly wages made it difficult for the club to spend the £80,000 it received from the sale of Frank McLintock – he had put in a transfer request over dissatisfaction with his pay and quality replacements were reluctant to join a club that paid full internationals like Banks and McLintock no more than the base rate that rival clubs paid to average players. Leicester finished 18th in the league and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool at Anfield in the sixth round. In the League Cup, City struggled to get past Peterborough United (in a replay), Grimsby Town and Crystal Palace (in a replay), before they recorded an 8–1 victory over Coventry City at Highfield Road. After easing past Plymouth Argyle in the semi-finals, Banks found himself playing in another League Cup final. However Chelsea won the final after successfully defending their 3–2 win at Stamford Bridge with a goalless draw at Filbert Street.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks missed the first nine games of the 1965–66 season after breaking his wrist when diving at the feet of Northampton Town's Joe Kiernan in a pre-season friendly. Leicester finished the season in seventh spot, and exited both cup competitions at the hands of Manchester City.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Despite being a World Cup winner in the previous summer, Banks was dropped towards the end of the 1966–67 season in favour of highly promising teenage reserve Peter Shilton. Manager Matt Gillies was blunt, telling Banks "we [Gillies and the club's directors] think your best days are behind you, and you should move on". Teammate Richie Norman told Banks that Gillies was pressured into the decision, Shilton having told the board he would leave the club unless he was given first team football. Banks was transfer listed at £50,000, the same price the club received for Derek Dougan in March 1967. However, many of the big clubs were unwilling to spend such a sum on a goalkeeper. Liverpool manager Bill Shankly showed strong interest, but could not convince the club's board of directors to agree to such a large fee for a goalkeeper. West Ham United manager Ron Greenwood was prepared to match the fee, but instead signed Kilmarnock's Bobby Ferguson for £65,000 because he had already agreed terms with Kilmarnock and did not want to go back on his word. Terms were instead agreed with Stoke City, a mid-table First Division side.


title: Gordon Banks

text: On leaving Filbert Street, Banks requested a loyalty bonus from Leicester, and was told by Matt Gillies "We've decided not to pay you a penny. There's to be no compensation payment and that's final." Banks then refused the move until Stoke boss Tony Waddington seemingly negotiated a £2,000 payment out of Leicester. It was only some years later that Banks was informed that Stoke had actually made the payment, not Leicester. Waddington valued good goalkeepers highly, and the two built up a close relationship. During this time, Banks moved to Madeley, Staffordshire. He replaced John Farmer as the club's number one, and kept goal in the last four games of the 1966–67 season, making his home debut at the Victoria Ground in a 3–1 win over his former club Leicester.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks fitted in well at Stoke, as Waddington built a team of veteran players who were judged by some to be past their best. The Potters struggled near the foot of the First Division table in the 1967–68 and 1968–69 campaigns, before rising to ninth place in the 1969–70 season. Banks remained a reliable stopper for the club, though on 1 March 1969 he was knocked unconscious at Roker Park by Sunderland's Malcolm Moore, and his replacement David Herd conceded four goals in a 4–1 defeat. Banks also played a season for the Cleveland Stokers of the American United Soccer Association in the summer of 1968: he played seven of the short-lived club's 12 games in Cleveland, Ohio.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks made what he believed to be three of the best saves of his career in a Stoke shirt. In the first instance he saved and caught a powerful and well-placed header from Manchester City's Wyn Davies from just eight yards out; in the second case he saved a Francis Lee header at Maine Road; and he made his third great save for the club by catching a volley from Tottenham Hotspur's Alan Gilzean that had been hit from just six yards out at White Hart Lane.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Stoke began to compete for honours in the 1970–71 season, though despite impressive victories against the top two clubs—Arsenal and Leeds United—City ended the season in mid-table obscurity. The club's great achievement was in reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, beating Millwall, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town and Hull City "en route". Facing Arsenal at Hillsborough in the semi-finals, they lost a two-goal lead to draw 2–2, and were then beaten 2–0 in the replay at Villa Park.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Despite another mid-table finish in 1971–72, Stoke beat Chesterfield, Tranmere Rovers, Hull City and Manchester United to reach another FA Cup semi-final. They again faced Arsenal, and once more a draw at Villa Park meant a replay at Goodison Park. The Gunners' goals in a 2–1 victory came from a disputed Frank McLintock penalty and a John Radford goal that television replays showed was clearly offside. In a May 2011 interview, Banks said that he still felt "cheated" out of a chance to play for the club in an FA Cup final. Stoke and Banks found solace in the League Cup, though it took them 11 matches to reach the final after overcoming Southport, then Oxford United in a replay, Manchester United in a second replay, Bristol Rovers, and then West Ham United in a second replay following an aggregate draw after two legs. In extra-time of the second leg with West Ham, Banks fouled Harry Redknapp, conceding a penalty, and then saved Geoff Hurst's powerful spot-kick to keep City in the competition. They then faced Chelsea in the final at Wembley. Peter Osgood beat Banks with a hooked shot just before half-time, but goals from Terry Conroy and George Eastham won Stoke the game 2–1. At the end of the season Banks was named as the FWA Footballer of the Year, becoming the first goalkeeper to receive the honour since Bert Trautmann in 1956.


title: Gordon Banks

text: On 22 October 1972, while driving home from a session of work on his injured shoulder with the Stoke physiotherapist, Banks lost control of his new Ford Consul (a re-badged Ford Granada Mk I) car, which ended up in a ditch. He had attempted to overtake a car on a sharp bend and collided with an oncoming Austin A60 van. He was taken to the North Staffordshire Hospital and during an operation received 200 stitches in his face and over 100 micro-stitches inside the socket of his right eye, and was told the chances of saving the sight in his eye were 50–50. His sight never returned, and as the loss of binocular vision severely limited his abilities as a goalkeeper, he retired from professional football the following summer.


title: Gordon Banks

text: In April 1977 he went to play as a named superstar in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The Strikers won their division in 1977, and Banks was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year after he conceded only 29 goals in 26 games—the best defensive record in the NASL. He also played one League of Ireland game for St Patrick's Athletic, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park on 2 October 1977. He returned to Fort Lauderdale and played 11 games in the 1978 season.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Ron Springett was the goalkeeper for England as Banks rose to prominence, but after the 1962 World Cup in Chile, a new coach was appointed in former England right-back Alf Ramsey. Ramsey demanded sole control of the team and began looking towards the next World Cup. Banks won his first cap on 6 April 1963 against Scotland at Wembley, after Springett was dropped following a poor performance. England lost 2–1, though Banks was blameless as Scotland's goals came firstly from an error by Jimmy Armfield and then secondly from the penalty spot. He was picked for the next match against Brazil, which ended in a credible 1–1 draw after Bryan Douglas cancelled out Pepe's opener. Banks continued to play consistently to become established as England's first-choice goalkeeper. In 1963, he was picked to play against the Rest of the World, in a celebration match to mark 100 years of The Football Association.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks also played in two of England's three games at the "Little World Cup" in Brazil in the summer of 1964, a 1–1 draw with Portugal and a 1–0 defeat to Argentina. Blackpool's Tony Waiters won five caps in the England goal in 1964, but found that his challenge to Banks's first team place came to an end after he conceded five goals to Brazil. During England's summer of 1965 tour he built up a solid understanding with his defenders—George Cohen, Jack Charlton, Bobby Moore, and Ray Wilson—as he only conceded two goals in four matches against Hungary, Yugoslavia, West Germany, and Sweden. They then played seven friendlies in 1966 in the build-up to the World Cup, though the team passed their biggest test of character in the British Home Championship, beating Scotland 4–3 in front of a crowd of over 130,000 at Hampden Park. Going into the competition, the only defeat in 21 matches since the "Little World Cup" came against Austria, in a game that Banks missed due to injury.


title: Gordon Banks

text: Banks entered the 1966 FIFA World Cup as England's first choice goalkeeper, and his understudies Ron Springett and Peter Bonetti never took to the field during the tournament. England opened the tournament with a goalless draw against Uruguay, with Banks a virtual spectator as the highly defensive Uruguayans rarely ventured out of their own half. They then defeated Mexico 2–0, with Banks again rarely troubled throughout. A 2–0 win over France then took England through the group stage without Banks conceding a goal.


title: Gordon Banks

text: England beat Argentina 1–0 in the last eight, with Geoff Hurst scoring with a header; the match was sullied by the first-half sending off of Argentinian midfielder Antonio Rattín, who refused to leave the pitch after being dismissed for dissent. In contrast to the previous games, the semi-final against Portugal proved to be a fair contest between two sides of talented players eager to attack from the start of the match. Yet there was panic in the buildup to the game as trainer Harold Shepherdson forgot to buy chewing gum, which Banks used to make his hands stickier and better able to handle the ball, and so Shepherdson had to run to a nearby newsagents to purchase gum as the teams were in the tunnel. Bobby Charlton scored two goals, but Portugal made a strong finish and won a penalty on 82 minutes after Jack Charlton handled the ball in the penalty area. Eusébio converted the penalty after sending Banks the wrong way, and the game finished 2–1 in England's favour. This was the first goal Banks had conceded for England in 721 minutes of regular play, since giving up Scotland's last goal after 81 minutes of the Home International clash in April. This remained a record for an England goalkeeper until 2021 when it was broken by Jordan Pickford.