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Reply With QuotePlus look at the two countries and their major exports:
Australia: crocodile hunter
UK: Spice Girls
Australia > UK
I certainly hope you're right. But as that Muslim and/or disaffected youth and/or EU-centric proportion of the population increases, the grumbling and political difficulty we experience every dam' time we go to the well gets harder for politicians to resist...it may just become politically impossible for the future PMs to NOT snub the Yanks.Originally Posted by Economist
Mark Steyn makes a great point about it in his book, 'America Alone'. What happens when the voting-age Muslim population goes from 11% to 40%? As hard as it is for the government to be seen as anything other than hostile to the US and Israel at the former level, what's it going to be like at the latter? Well, we are about 10 years from that being the exact case in Belgium.
You know the place; it's where NATO's HQ is located.
So, with Europe leaning inexorably farther away from us, every passing day seeing:
1. more Muslim babies born in Europe
2. more Europeans converting to Islam
3. more Muslim immigrants arriving in Europe
4. more of the friendlier, philosophically-compatible Europeans leaving
5. more Europeans dieing off as the only Europeans having babies at anything like replacement rate are Muslim immigrants...
G'day, mate. Australia looks like a MUCH better bet over the long haul. There are going to be whole sections of Europe that will not come out the other side of this thang as recognizable to what we consider European. But Australia has hung tough. Oh, sure, they're even to the left of our whacko Democrats, BUT what we're talking about here is relativity.
And relatively-speaking, the Howard government, returned by a more-or-less conservative (in rest-of-the-world terms, NOT in anything like the American sense of the term) electorate, seems steady and determined.
And I am not so sure that once Tony leaves Number 10, the Brits won't head for the exit on us. And even if they don't, the pressure on them to do so will just get higher and higher. So asking them to do more is just not on.
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell
Plus look at the two countries and their major exports:
Australia: crocodile hunter
UK: Spice Girls
Australia > UK
I dunno what the heck I'm talking about but.....
Wasn't that song originally done by Johnny Cash?
It's history. An idea whose time has gone.
What about the "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP"
The more I think about it, ol' Billy was right.
Let's kill all the lawyers, kill 'em tonight.
- The Eagles
But the spirit of the song still holds true to the point.
Ivan
Actually the "SO CALLED SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP" was always a one-sided one.
It was the British way of maintaining whatever influence they could over world affairs under the American umbrella.
The fact that the debt UK incurred from the US only got paid off in DEC 2006 perhaps best describes it.
IIRC the reason for that was the terms were so advantageous to the UK that they were better keeping the loan as long as possible rather than paying it off.lla.
The fact that the debt UK incurred from the US only got paid off in DEC 2006 perhaps best describes it.
Saurav dada, Greg Chappel, Ganguli, Tendulkar?
???
Are these cricket players?
Rugby?
I have no idea what you guys are talking about.
I am new here, so I don't know if this was ever posted. They've got balls down under. I wonder what the reaction would be in the US if an US-based Islamic group wanted to live under Sharia law.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT
LOCATION: Lateline - 23/08/2005: Respect Australian values or leave: Costello
Broadcast: 23/08/2005
Respect Australian values or leave: Costello
Reporter: Tony Jones
TONY JONES: On the morning of the Prime Minister's Islamic summit, Mr Howard was greeted by his Treasurer's surprising contribution to the debate on the front page of The Australian newspaper. The headline read: "Costello tells firebrand clerics to get out of Australia".
Well, early in the day Peter Costello was not suggesting that any of the firebrands be deported. But by the time he spoke to us, that notion appeared to have matured.
His latest intervention into topics of national interest comes only days after his speech to the Australian-American leadership dialogue in which he focussed on growing anti-Americanism in the world. "That phenomenon", he later told the Sunday program, "Can easily morph into anti-Westernism, which picks up and encapsulates Australia and threatens our interests as well."
So was he suggesting that our close relationship with America makes us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks? I spoke to Peter Costello in our Melbourne studio earlier this evening.
Peter Costello, thanks for joining us.
PETER COSTELLO: Good to be with you, Tony.
TONY JONES: Now, over the past 24 hours you've been repeating the notion that migrants, evidently Islamic migrants, who don't like Australia, or Australian values, should think of packing up and moving to another country. Is that a fair assessment?
PETER COSTELLO: What I've said is that this is a country, which is founded on a democracy. According to our Constitution, we have a secular state. Our laws are made by the Australian Parliament. If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you. This is not the kind of country where you would feel comfortable if you were opposed to democracy, parliamentary law, independent courts and so I would say to people who don't feel comfortable with those values there might be other countries where they'd feel more comfortable with their own values or beliefs.
TONY JONES: It sounds like you're inviting Muslims who don't want to integrate to go to another country. Is it as simple as that?
PETER COSTELLO: No. I'm saying if you are thinking of coming to Australia, you ought to know what Australian values are.
TONY JONES: But what about if you're already here and you don't want to integrate?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, I'll come to that in a moment. But there are some clerics who have been quoted as saying they recognise two laws. They recognise Australian law and Sharia law. There's only one law in Australia, it's the Australian law. For those coming to Australia, I think we ought to be very clear about that. We expect them to recognise only one law and to observe it.
Now, for those who are born in Australia, I'd make the same point. This is a country which has a Constitution. Under its Constitution, the state is secular. Under its constitution, the law is made by the parliament. Under its Constitution, it's enforced by the judiciary. These are Australian values and they're not going to change and we would expect people, when they come to Australia or if they are born in Australia, to respect those values.
TONY JONES: I take it that if you're a dual citizen and you have the opportunity to leave and you don't like Australian values, you're encouraging them to go away; is that right?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, if you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country which practises it, perhaps then that's a better option.
TONY JONES: But isn't this the sort of thing you hear in pubs, the meaningless populism you hear on talkback radio? Essentially, the argument is if you don't like it here, you should go back home.
PETER COSTELLO: No. Essentially, the argument is Australia expects its citizens to abide by core beliefs - democracy, the rule of law, the independent judiciary, independent liberty. You see, Tony, when you come to Australia and you go to take out Australian citizenship you either swear on oath or make an affirmation that you respect Australia's democracy and its values. That's what we ask of people that come to Australia and if they don't, then it's very clear that this is not the country - if they can't live with them - whose values they can't share. Well, there might be another country where their values can be shared.
TONY JONES: Who exactly are you aiming this at? Are you aiming it at young Muslims who don't want to integrate or are you aiming it at clerics like Sheikh Omran or Abu Bakr both from Melbourne?
PETER COSTELLO: I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and another the Islamic law, that that is false. It's not the situation in Australia. It's not the situation under our Constitution. There's only one law in Australia. It's the law that's made by the Parliament of Australia and enforced by our courts. There's no second law. There's only one law that applies in Australia and Australia expects its citizens to observe it.
TONY JONES: But you're not moving to the next stage, as they have in Britain, of actively seeking out clerics who teach what they regard as dangerous philosophy to young Muslims and forcing them to leave the country?
PETER COSTELLO: The only thing I would say - and let me say it again - is we can't be ambivalent about this point. Australia has one law, Australia has a secular state and anybody who teaches to the contrary doesn't know Australia and anybody who can't accept that, can't accept something that is fundamental to the nature of our society.
TONY JONES: All right. But the situation now, as far as you're concerned, if they are to leave, it should be completely voluntary.
PETER COSTELLO: Well, I'm just saying if they object to a secular state with parliamentary law, there might be other countries where the system of law is more acceptable to them.
TONY JONES: Alright. Could that situation change? I mean, the voluntary nature of it at least, could you compel people to leave, including radical preachers, if there were a terrorist attack in Australia, as there was in London not so long ago?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, where a person has dual citizenship, Tony, it might be possible to ask them to exercise that other citizenship where they could just as easily exercise a citizenship of another country. That might be a live possibility.
TONY JONES: You mean to force them to leave?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, you could ask them to exercise another citizenship.
TONY JONES: But you would only do that if there were a terrorist attack in the aftermath of it. You wouldn't do it, for example, if there were a thwarted terrorist attack as ASIO has told us there has been in this country?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, I am not going into individual circumstances. I just make the point that where people have dual citizenship and they're not comfortable with the way Australia is structured, it may be possible to ask them to exercise their other citizenship.
TONY JONES: Forcibly?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, as I said, it may be possible to ask them to exercise their other citizenship.
TONY JONES: Let's move on. You made a speech at the weekend in which you warned that Australia could be hurt by growing anti-Americanism or Australia's interests at least could be hurt by growing anti-Americanism in the world. How could that happen?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, I think there is a lot of anti-Americanism in Australia. It's not just in Australia. It there's anti-Americanism in Europe and other parts of the world and to some degree it may be less in Australia than in countries like France or in parts of the Arab world. But I don't believe we can be complacent about it. It is a real strand of public opinion and I think we ought to engage it and discuss it. The point I'm trying to make is we in Australia have no reason to be anti-American; that where American power has been exercised, such as in the World War II, it was exercised in the defence of Australia, not the attack of Australia. By and large, American power, which is exercised in defence of democracy and in individual liberty, is supportive of Australia in its interests and not a threat to it.
TONY JONES: You said to Laurie Oakes on Sunday that anti-Americanism can easily morph into anti-Westernism and effectively that could threaten our interests. How could that happen?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, we've seen with some terrorist attacks already that Western places are targets. Not necessarily because there are Australians present, but because in the terrorist mind there are Westerners present, whether they be Americans or Britons or Australians.
TONY JONES: This is to do with anti-Americanism?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, as I said, anti-Westernism, and terrorists don't particularly distinguish when they're setting off bombs, can hit Australians as much as it can hit Americans or it can hit Britons.
TONY JONES: But this is anti-Americanism morphing into a broader anti-Western feeling which could affect Australian interests. Is that what you are saying?
PETER COSTELLO: Well, there have been occasions when Australians have been hit by terrorist incidents where people haven't distinguished between whether it's Americans or Britons or Australians. There is a strand of terrorist thinking that says that anybody who is a Westerner is a legitimate target.
TONY JONES: But the core of it is anti-American from what you are saying? The logic of what you are saying is pretty clear.
PETER COSTELLO: In some terrorist minds, if you're hitting a Westerner, you're hitting a legitimate target. The point I want to make is that because we're Westerners, in the minds of some terrorists we can be targets. So it's in our interests to defend the values of the West and it's in our interests to explain our policy. It's in America's interests to defend its own image and I would urge it to do so and I would also say to Australia's security -
TONY JONES: You seem to be suggesting that anti-Americanism is in fact a dangerous thing for Australians.
PETER COSTELLO: Well, it is in a security sense because the US is Australia's principal defence partner. When I say there is a danger of anti-Americanism in Australia amongst Australians, what I'm saying is, particularly amongst younger Australians, if they don't understand the events of 1942 when the US was the principal ally defending Australia and without which we wouldn't have been able to defend the islands to our near north, if they don't understand that, they may not understand what the importance of the American alliance is to the defence of Australia and our strategic interests.
TONY JONES: I don't want to keep coming back to this necessarily, but you've made the point quite clearly that anti-Americanism can morph into anti-Westernism and that threatens our interests. It threatens our interest, does it, because we could, like Americans, as a result of anti-Americanism become terrorist targets?
PETER COSTELLO: We have become terrorist targets because we are perceived to be Western. We've become terrorist targets because we are perceived to stand for a whole lot of values, which in the terrorist mind they oppose. Australians became terrorists in Bali not because of anything Australia did, but because in Bali they were perceived to be Westerners and in a sick terrorist mind that makes you a target.
TONY JONES: Right. Given that the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq is probably the leading cause of anti-Americanism in the Arab world, does that make us, as an ally of the Americans, a greater target for terrorists?
PETER COSTELLO: I don't think it's the principle cause at all. I think if you want to look for perceived areas of anti-Americanism in the Arab world, it was around a lot before Iraq. It's been around for a very long time, Tony, and most of it, I believe -
TONY JONES: I'm talking about what's happening right now. We're seeing it even in the lead-up to the Islamic summit we've been having in Canberra. What we are hearing is young Australian Muslims are particularly angry with the
American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
PETER COSTELLO: No, I couldn't disagree with you more profoundly. There was substantial hostility to the US in the Arab world long before Iraq. Whether it's over perceived injustices to Islam, whether it's over the Palestinian issue, whether it's over support for Israel. Most of these things, and I don't believe justify hostility at all, but it's been there long before Iraq. Let me tell you this, Tony - you are profoundly wrong if you thought hostility to the United States started in 2003. It was around a long before that.
TONY JONES: I don't believe I said or even suggested that, but let's move on if we can.
PETER COSTELLO: No, no, no. You said the primary cause...
TONY JONES: At the present moment.
PETER COSTELLO: ..of anti-Americanism...
TONY JONES: At the present moment.
PETER COSTELLO: ..in the Arab world was the war in Iraq...
TONY JONES: At the present moment.
PETER COSTELLO: ..and I explained to you, long before the war in Iraq, the attack on the US on the World Trade Centre showed there were great causes of disaffection to America long before Iraq, Tony.
The crux of Nationhood!PETER COSTELLO: Well, I'll come to that in a moment. But there are some clerics who have been quoted as saying they recognise two laws. They recognise Australian law and Sharia law. There's only one law in Australia, it's the Australian law. For those coming to Australia, I think we ought to be very clear about that. We expect them to recognise only one law and to observe it.
Now, for those who are born in Australia, I'd make the same point. This is a country which has a Constitution. Under its Constitution, the state is secular. Under its constitution, the law is made by the parliament. Under its Constitution, it's enforced by the judiciary. These are Australian values and they're not going to change and we would expect people, when they come to Australia or if they are born in Australia, to respect those values.
"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."
I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
HAKUNA MATATA
^^^How much I would love to hear those words from an Indian Leader.Unfortunately only Indian leader with any balls, Mrs.Indira Gandhi castrated the rest.
^^^How much I would love to hear those words from an Indian Leader.That sure as hell leaves India in a hell of a mess.
There is certainly bipartisan support for the stand the government has taken (as spelt out by the Treasurer Peter Costello). Everyone I know, including several Muslims, are sick and tired of the comments made by radicals like Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali (the Mufti of Australia). I think the Muslim community itself is sick of him too.
Here are list of controversial comments made by Australia’s Mufti, Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali collected by AAP and published in The Age:
Controversial Comments by Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali on Women | Women Lifestyle, Fashion, Health, Beauty and Personality“If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?” the sheik asked.
“The uncovered meat is the problem.”
“If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (islamic headdress), no problem would have occurred.”
“September 11 is Allah’s work against oppressors.”
Called for holy war against Israel and praised Islamic suicide bombers following a meeting with Hizbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. “I blessed Hizbollah for liberating the prisoners and the bones of the Shahids and I praised it and its sacrifice. Hizbollah has become a model for all the Mujahideen in the world.”
Claimed Australia was originally Muslim land, settled by Afghans.
Said radical clerics were a disease like AIDS and you can’t cure them with Panadol. “Any cleric who preaches violence or hatred against Australian society should be deported, 100 per cent.”
Dismissed the Holocaust as a “Zionist lie”.
Said George W Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard were the “axis of evil”.
“The media all over the world are controlled by Zionist fingers, particularly the Western media, and that includes Australia.”
At least he rejected the preaching of violence against Australia but the rest of it has infuriated Australians and united them behind the government's stand. I think his days as Mufti of Australia are numbered.
Cheers
Learn from the past. Prepare for the future.
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