A Handy Change of Subject

Wednesday, 14th February, 2007  - Richard Farmer 
Barack Obama
There’s one thing to be said about Barack Obama. For John Howard, the heat generated by talking about him is less than when the subject is global warming. After a week or two of climate change headlines the government needed the focus to be switched to something different. The pollsters tell us that all things environmental are a plus for Labor. Security and foreign policy is where the Coalition reigns.
The first and obvious point to make about Howard’s attack on the Democratic Party presidential candidate is that it will do Howard no harm at home. The diplomatic niceties of not interfering in the politics of another country will concern very few voters here. If anything there will be merit marks for getting stuck in to an American. Puts an end to that notion that our PM is too subservient to those Yanks doesn’t it! Show our PM is a tough old blighter too when he wants to be. We admire a bit of toughness even if we are on the side that wishes it was George W. Bush, not some bloke we have never heard of, that got the tongue lashing.
As to putting the spotlight on to Iraq, I am not so sure. Australians seem to be turning against the war and are increasingly suspicious about why we got involved in the first place. But there are not yet masses of passionate opponents and there will not be while ever the Australian involvement is nothing more than token. It takes more than an accidental death or two overseas to stir up anti-war sentiment to the point where it over shadows concern about living standards back home.
Perhaps the most significant political event of the week, then, is not a slanging match about Barack Obama but the report from the Reserve Bank suggesting that interest rate rises have done their anti-inflation job and the next movement will be down rather than up. As for warning clouds, John Howard should be more worried about that same Bank report’s comments about rising rents than rising temperatures.

From Glug

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