Brown-nosing on Aussie Bases, Star Wars and Iraq Policy

The Bush-house attempts to lecture Australia on it’s foreign policy have resulted in some admirably straightforward retorts coming from a revered source of invective at the centre of Australian politics (Paul “scumbags!” Keating). Following his lead, Mal Fraser, no progressive in his day (engineering to his benefit the undemocratic deposing of the Whitlam government) has also told the administration to butt-out of Australian politics.

The Bush-house attempts to lecture Australia on it’s foreign policy have resulted in some admirably straightforward retorts coming from a revered source of invective at the centre of Australian politics (Paul “scumbags!” Keating). Following his lead, Mal Fraser, no progressive in his day (engineering to his benefit the undemocratic deposing of the Whitlam government) has also told the administration to butt-out of Australian politics.

At the same time, the brown-nosing Howard government has signed a “son of star wars” deal with the U.S. which will have the desired effect of creating another arms race with China. Boeing and McDonald Douglas must be very happy.

Included in the news report are worrying signs of the U.S. attempting to establish a permanent military base in northern Australia, obviously to provide local threat capability in it’s war on democracy terror against Indonesia and East Timor. Of course there is the usual pathetic denial by the Defence Minister, Robert Hill: “No, I don’t understand that because there’s no benefit to the United States in having permanent bases in Australia”. As the long established Australian Anti-bases Coalition notes, the noses are widely deserved.