Australia’s refugee problem has attracted global attention. This from the New York Times.
Mr Howard goes to Washington
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Having been abandoned by the Australian electorate, his own constituents and, finally, by his own party, John Howard has had to retreat to the United States to find a sanctuary from where he can defend his record. For his Irving Kristol Award, Mr Howard received an elegant glass salad bowl. Given the way Kristol bounced around the ideological spectrum over the decades, one would expect it to toss the salad by itself. Whatever, it should look lovely on the sideboard at Wollstonecraft, or perhaps among the lunch things on the table outside when he and Janette next holiday at Hawks Nest. But one suspects that the American Enterprise Institute – think of the Institute of Public Affairs, though bigger and minus the milk of human kindness that flows like a river through the IPA – has been duped in thinking Howard merited an award for “exceptional intellectual or practical contributions to improved government policy, social welfare, or political understanding.” Even in the rambling lecture Howard gave to his hosts – amongst whom numbered a rogues’ gallery of neo-con duds like convicted perjurer Scooter Libby, disgraced World Banker Paul Wolfowitz and failed UN ambassador John Bolton – he couldn’t avoid dealing with a number of areas where his record isn’t quite what the rugged individualists at the AEI would like to believe. Howard professed to be “disappointed that Australia’s battle group will be withdrawing from southern Iraq in June…” This presumably will come as a surprise to Andrew Robb, who supported the withdrawal when it was announced in February and said that Howard himself had been planning it for 2008 and had told his American friends about it. He also spoke about cutting taxes and running surpluses. Doubtless he was hoping his hosts weren’t aware that his was the biggest taxing, biggest spending government in Australian history, which died vomiting cash to every interest group it thought could be bribed for support. His comments about avoiding regulation were probably best not considered in the light of his efforts in broadcasting, pharmacy, newsagents or anywhere else where competition threatened his Government’s mates. And global warming is apparently “a new battleground” with “bullying and moralising.” It’s only a few months since Howard assured us during his election debate with Rudd that he accepted the human role in climate change and that he was bent on doing something about it. Defeat doesn’t appear to have agreed with Howard. Perhaps, deep in the bowels of Parliament House, there’s a Dorian Gray-style portrait of him. Now that the spell has been broken, the picture has reverted to the Howard with hair, black-rimmed specs and bad teeth, and the man himself has started decaying before our very eyes. There’s something pathetic about his preaching to his last remaining mates. It must infuriate him that Australia has so quickly moved on from him, and taken most of his former colleagues with it, leaving him to look like a relic from another age. But as Paul Keating would tell him, there’s nothing so ex as an ex-Prime Minister. |
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34 Comments
Howard has not, and never will, turn on his country or even slag it off as most of the left’s vanguard do all their lives. Remember Keating’s comment about his delight when he escapes from Oz.. Howard is a proud Australian, he does not cringe about Oz.
“a rogues galeery of neo-con duds” Are you kidding? This is the core constituency of the political party that has dominated Amercian politics for the past 40 years and probably will continue to do so. They recognise Howard as a great defender of human .
John Who?
Agree totally Bernard. The rodent is now turning on his country and the lies continue to spurt forth as he reaches new heights in stupidity and an inability to accept he has been tossed, like the tosser he is. If he loves his yank mates so much stay there
“battle group will be withdrawing”
Still waiting to learn how many “battles” our troops in Iraq were engaged in? Howard sent in the troops but made sure they were not to be engaged in any real fighting. This charade wins him a bowl, appropriately empty.
Frank, “defending them ” from whom? If you cannot distinguish between the islamists and the Coalition forces ( pretty typical of the Left !) you have a problem! And unfortunately, so do the Iraquis whom you would abandon to their fate.
What a waste of space this article is … Howard is a man who both shows respect and receives respect - a product of a society that had values … what nation in their right man tears down their ambassadors … you shame Australia with your diatribe
There’s a song line that Libs will be singing more frequently and loudly as time goes & it’s goes like this: “Johnny, we’re sorry, won’t you come on home!” It was really heartwarming to see the great man on stage again, talking sensibly as usual.
Nice. Only wouldn’t say pathetic, rather beaten. And no offence Tony P but as loyal as you are, perhaps JH ought to speak for himself to his compatriots. You know , to address his defeat. Whatever you say about Mal Fraser, that tear proved he got it.
John will you please go away and be quiet. Like the Don, you as good- it seems, You love the Don, all over the bedroom walls kinda lerv, so do like the Don, Mr Bradman, was a good man, he just went away, and bloody shut up. Take a lead. Your out walk.
wow, it never ceases to amaze the blinkered vision of the like of TP JJ & Bev. Certainly heartless ignorance seems to be the dominant factor in your lives. JWH was the epitome of these traits which are emulated verbatim by his apologists. time to wake up!
Greg & co, did you miss the three occasions when millions of Iraqis, under threat of murder, courageously waited at polling stations to exercise a democratic vote in support of creating a constitutional democracy, a western model for peace & prosperity.
Good. I’d begun to believe the same media conspiracy of silence protected The Great Betrayer’ as it protects ‘The Greenhouse Mafia’. They should all be taken to The Hague and charged with crimes against humanity, for the sake of our granchildren at least.
Comments by Venise, Frank & their lefty ilk confirms the need for rote learning of history so we can save time on public debates driven by ignorance, envy & personal malice of the left. Politics of envy & hate are common to western lefties & terrorists.
For Bev Browne: what respect did Howard show to the Iraqi people, refugees and human rights generally? This trip is a final grovel to those he perceives as his betters.
Choose one of only 3 options for assessing Howard as Australia’s PM:
a) Greatest;
b) Equal greatest with Menzies;
c) 2nd greatest behiind Menzies.
What’s the answer, Robert?
Please tell me 1 positive thing that JWH or GWB have done during their reigns of fear and paranoia? Scores killed and millions displaced in Iraq? Illegal prisons? Kangaroo courts? Rampant inflation and looming global recession?100$ per barrel oil? LOL
Legacy of Howard’s years of power will manifest this year when the Australian economy tanks; 11 years of the worst economic management ever has left Oz with an indebted governement, and record household debt.He belongs over there with his neo-con mates.
(cont) Free elections in Afghanistan & Iraq did not happen because of socialist politics. Do you have a problem with those people having elections like us? What about East Timor - surely you comrades support Howard on that, at least?
Good on you Tony Papafills, we have to give you points for persistence. When are you going to join the real world and realize that John Howard was the worst Prime Minister this country has ever seen. We are relieved to see him gone.
Lest we forget: remember the open ended middle class welfare this gormless little man spread with increasing largesse through the 30% subsidy to private health insurance and massive private school funding - WELFARE dollars!
what an ego this silly little man has, he ruled the Libs with such an iron fist they’ve imploded without him, in time he will be known as a climate criminal, I am proud Australia has dumped him and moved on
Personally I suspect that Little Johnny is angling for the Republican presidential nomination. Fair enough: we never were good enough for him.
my mind is agog Tony P, tis you dear neocon that must learn from history,perhaps if you could for one minute try & put yourself in an iraqis shoes maybe you might realise how totally full of it you truly are. please go back to the Oz or some other swamp
John James, defending the dead and wounded Iraqi people, refugees and human rights (aka “freedom”) does not make me or others “apologists for Islamists”. As for your “past 40 years” comment, who says the “domination” was beneficial to the US?
freedom, the sort of freedom that Australia and the United States have fought together so many times to defend. Frank Birchall and the other apologists for the Islamists may complain but those brave Iraquis who voted in their election mustn’t be abandoned
With today’s editorial a very accurate summation of how we’ve changed since 07. And how the ex just doesn’t get it, as exes sometimes don’t.
The economy is on borrowed time, we are 15 years behind where we need to be with global warming and no one can afford houses, because of his immigration policy, 50,000 per year in Melbourne alone. The man is a dud and we still have to listen to him!
Just how did we put up with Howard for 11 years? And Howard has demonstrated his monstrous hypocrisy yet again. I thought he said he wasn’t going to comment on politics once he left office, unlike Paul Keating. Howard is simply yesterday’s man.
I sure hope someone got photo’s of howard smiling in front of such luminaries as libby, wolfowitz and bolten. A fitting group of blowhards, all out of office and disgraced, must have much to admire from another blowhard freshly turned out of office.
John James#2, I wouldn’t rant on about America and Australia fighting shoulder to shoulder around the world.
The only time Uncle Sam won anything was the great WWII. Australians have always fought wars for our overlords. The Brits. The Yanks. The Chinese?
Nah Christian has himself in a tizz over at the OZ because he got the story of Vaile and co. muddled as he usually does.
Howard is a WARcriminal with an audience of loser war criminals. That fits.
Tony P. JWH if was so proud to be an Australian, why did he beg for the order of the garter from our foreign born head of state? As usual you understand nothing. It is Australians who cringe when they hear him quark like the little duck he is.
Christian Kerr please come back - I’m already sick of Keanes’ krap