Greg Sheridan was on the radio a few minutes ago with a report on the Security Council bid. In dot points:
The seat was practically in the bag, so any hype about last-minute diplomatic efforts is pure spin. Where are Luxemborg and Finland in the world scheme of things?
It has cost a bundle of dollars in foreign aid which we cannot supervise and cannot afford.
Membership is meaningless in strategic terms, apart from access to other UN committees for the chosen few. The Sec Council is run by the permanent members. Others just make up the numbers.
Canada was the most obvious nation to get up last time around but missed out because they stuck with Israel.
According to Greg, we have sold out support for Israel in recent votes to curry favour with the usual suspects. Otherwise we would have gone the (principled) way of Canada.
I think Greg has been hanging out with too many from DFAT who, as usual, tend to believe that when someone from a third world country says that they will vote for Australia that they actually will. It’s a bit like the World Cup bid – Lowy et al thought they had it in the bag. We dodged a bullet for the World Cup and I think we will dodge a bullet again. Secret ballot – (of course the Labor Party people would like a show and tell ballot).
Well Rafe,
If there is any good news in the event Australia does ‘win’ this pricey seat at the table, it is that KRudd is no longer either PM nor Foreign Affairs Minister.
So we will be spared the national embarrassment of watching Dr Death trying to run both Australia and the world simultaneously.
Had he the first two under his belt, the Ruddster could only then aspire to add Earth Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Galactic Council – a role for which the UN apparently has an office already warmed up for him.
Which integrity was it that this government sold?
Greg conceded that we may have been conned with the promise of votes, but the point is that the game is not worth the candle. For Greg, the upside of a win is that we will not have to go through all this crap again for 25 years
Why not just draw the name out of a hat. Works for me.
At about the time the PM was addressing the UN, her Director of Communications was on twitter. His retweet (username Boing Boing) directly links to a web page with one of the most disturbing vids I’ve seen. I am struggling to understand his reason for retweeting it. Please be warned lot’s of offensive language some of it promoting violent sexual acts towards women (see “rap” 14mins in) and some nudity. Why does the “Director of Communications for Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard” believe his 8,000 followers need to see this? And does the PM associate with this vile video?
Here’s the page his retweet links to http://boingboing.net/2012/09/26/insane-clown-posse-suing-fbi-o.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
stu; loosen up; I’ve seen worse crowds on legal aid days at the local court; in fact I think there were shots in the video from some of those legal aid days.
If Abbott wins the election, then presumably it is feasible to have no person attend the meetings as a blatant statement of the utter contempt with which the conservatives view the most cherished accomplishments of the left.
The whining and wailing of lefties could be enjoyed at length with frequent taunting of Rudd as a bonus
Paul Murray was going on about this on SkyTV. he listed the big shots like Togo who are on the council at the moment.
Azerbaijan (2013) India (2012) South Africa (2012) Colombia (2012) Morocco (2013) Togo (2013) Germany (2012) Pakistan (2013) Guatemala (2013) Portugal (2012)
It’s a waste of money and achieves nothing. Like everything else Labor has done for the last five long interminable years. These temporary seats have no influence and no veto. so far it’s cost taxpayers $40million with a further $25 million to be spent.
It’s the ALP.
That’s all they know how to do.
The idea that they have any integrity is risible.
So the real header should be “Prostituting Australia’s Good Name for their own Paltry Ego-trip”
If Gillard is going to condemn the anti-religious speech, perhaps she is going to condemn the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
So the real header should be “Prostituting Australia”
There, fixed it for you.
If Australia were ever personified as Little Gracie, the Labor Party would be the dodgy uncle reeking of booze that Gracie ought not to be left alone with (cf “Do you think it’s alright?” from The Who’s Tommy. It tragically, sickeningly wasn’t).
One wonders whether she’ll start to embrace that hateful BDS nonsense in an effort to appease certain countries in a search for votes. That really might be a signal to emigrate.
One wonders whether she’ll start to embrace that hateful BDS nonsense in an effort to appease certain countries in a search for votes. That really might be a signal to emigrate.
The fact that she didn’t slam Brown’s head against a wall and tell him to fuck off the instant the Greens started doing it means that she HAS embraced it, at least by omission.
Its all about KRudd. Getting a seat on the Securty Council will let Gillard give him a UN appointment to deal with it and hey presto he’s out of her hair!
We ought to BDS the shit out of Tasmania. We cannot support their misanthropic social and economic policies.
All this Bondage Domination and Sadomasochism stuff is a concern, the Pickering Post seems to think she has form there.