Best incompetence excuse ever
In response to criticisms of the governments delay in evacuating Australian citizens, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says;
“The failure so far to get a chartered ship in shows just how hard it is.”
Not too hard for the British who are on stand-by with two aircraft carriers and four other ships, not too hard for India sending four navy ships, not too hard for Russia sending Emergencies Ministry aircraft to pick up its citizens, not too hard for Spain sending a Spanish airforce Boeing 707, not too hard for Brazil sending a Brazilian air force plane, not too hard for Croatia who sent a Croatia Airlines chartered flight, not too hard for France sending a ferry, not too hard for Egypt sending two Egyptian air force C-130 transport planes, not too hard for Italy sending an Italian destroyer, not too hard for Canada who sent six vessels to evacuate their citizens and not too hard for Sweden hiring a ferry boat –Source.
All those years in the top job and our Foreign Minister has not created a reliable network of support.
Image from here
July 21st, 2006 at 9:45 am
I was going to leave a well considered comment about Downer ‘doing a hell of a job,’ but it was just too hard.
July 21st, 2006 at 7:08 pm
According to Downer’s logic that would excuse your failure to do so.
July 21st, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Considering I don’t mind a bit of unaccountable slack, perhaps I’ll lodge a CV.
Wonder if all the Aussies will manage to hitch a lift before Lord Downer’s flotilla hits the beaches. After all, the surest way to succeed is to redefine success.
July 22nd, 2006 at 11:50 am
One thing that reassures me at my lowest moments is that once upon a time Alexander Downer was leader of the Liberal Party. Alex for PM! Even Big Kim would be able to beat Alex.
July 22nd, 2006 at 12:11 pm
I’m buoyed by the notion that Costello will eventually be leader of the Liberals. Little Johnny is able to pull off some grandfatherly level of credibility with the public no matter how outrageously paternalistic or bent toward making the rich richer a given policy may be; Costello has no such charisma nor PR skills. Peter Costello has roughly the same level of credibility as Naomi Robson. I’m not sure Pete has the innate level of sheer evil as does Philip Ruddock, but he oozes self-interest.
It’s no wonder Johnny doesn’t want to hand over the leadership before the next election. Worst, Johnny is an incredibly healthy old sod with no known habits of excess. There’s certainly 10 years of working life left in the beggar.
July 22nd, 2006 at 11:30 pm
Oh no, not even a history of dicky-tickers in the HoWARd lineage?
July 23rd, 2006 at 8:29 pm
I hate to say it, but he and Janine will probably be able to continue with their medically recommended twice weekly flannelette friction for a good while yet with absolutely no danger of him keeling over en flagrante.
Eeww.
July 24th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
I heard a very interesting program sometime after 2001, it might have been Background Briefing on RN but I haven’t been able to google it.
The gist of the radio program was that Australia used to have a thing called the Merchant Marine, which was able to help Australians and Australian troops overseas. (Other countries had one, too.) Now with commercialisation and outsourcing, and in particular the dubious practice of allowing ships registered in Liberia and god-knows-where to carry our cargo, not only is it having a dreadful impact on working conditions at sea, but it has destroyed our Merchant Marine and made us more vulnerable to terror.
Yeah, Liberal government, tops on WoT. Not.
And Tigtog, er… don’t. Just don’t….
July 24th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Sorry, strayed from the point a bit there. The image of Janine and Johnny’s flanellette was too much… Of course, if we still had a merchant Marine, it would be typically used for such a purpose as rescuing Australian from war zones.
July 25th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Yes Sooooooooooki – he should stick to his fishnet stockings.