It’s over
Image source: smh.com.au
After eleven and a half years of a Coalition government that has ignored critical issues like climate change, the plight of indigenous Australians, the popular support for a republic, and mass opposition to the Iraq war, there is now cause for optimism. The defeat of John Howard by Maxine McKew in his own electorate of Bennelong (after being the sitting member for 33 years) will be the icing on the cake.
Australians are making a mistake. John Howard was a strong prime minister, like Tony Blair. He stood for his ideas, which happened to be different from the common man on the street. That does not mean he was wrong. He made Australia a nation to contend with. He cozied up to China, which is the right thing to do. He was very close to George Bush, which was again coming from the only true friend of the U.S. in Asia – nothing wrong with that again. It is just a political cycle like economic cycles. I can’t talk about conservatives in general, but John Howard made a very good Prime Minister for a long time, and he did it well, looking at Australia from outside.
Ofcourse, it is difficult to empathize with the common Australian. All the best Australia !
Cheers
Vijay Srinivasan