Poor old Tonies copping a bit of a bashing today
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/abbott-walking-tricky-tightrope-on-diplomacy-20... Quote: The other is to see him as weak, unprincipled and insincere. The first interpretation has prevailed among Australia's kind-hearted commentators. But our regional neighbours are not so generous and they will incline to the second interpretation. So Abbott's diplomacy is off to a shaky start.
Quote:He praised Japan as a democracy, invited Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to address our Parliament and undertook to visit Tokyo before Beijing. Everything Abbott said about Japan is true, but that does not mean he is wise to say it.
Quote:If Abbott swings Japan's way, as he clearly wants to, China will punish him. Beijing has already fired a warning shot, objecting to the statement from a US-Japan-Australia foreign ministers' meeting last week. If Abbott goes further with Tokyo, China will step up the pressure.
The free trade agreement to which Abbott has committed himself might be a casualty. A freeze on ministerial visits could follow. If Abbott is not willing to resist such pressure, he'd better start choosing his words about Japan much more carefully. Otherwise he's heading for a humiliating backdown. In Washington, Beijing and Tokyo they'll be watching to see what kind of a statesman he proves to be. Welcome to the Asian Century, Mr Abbott, where foreign policy is getting much harder.
But of course Hugh is a shirt-lifting inner city green leftard right???
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-calls-on-pr... Quote:Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he believes Bill Shorten will be forced to back the Coalition's plan to repeal the carbon tax, saying Labor's new leader was “nothing if not a political pragmatist”.
I'm sure Bill will give you the "Kinder & Gentler Politic" that you gave Labor as opposition leader Tone.
Quote:Mr Abbott has previously indicated he would do whatever it takes to abolish the carbon tax – including calling a double dissolution election – but on Tuesday at a press conference at Canberra's Parliament House he retreated from this scenario.