Abbott is the only person who could make Julie Bishop look competent on the international stage. Surely Scott Morrison's new Border Force should begin demonstrating its effectiveness by taking away Abbott's passport.
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As Tanya Plibersek has highlighted, Abbott embarasses us with his lack of understanding of the importance of international meetings, especially in the lead up to the G20 we are hosting.
It is also interesting (and embarrassing) that his international diplomacy follows the same pattern as his media engagement strategy in Australia.... only speak with friends. And in his absence, Abbott's friends Bolt and Jones have been trying to shore up his leadership against the only person the public thinks (based on the recent Essential poll) could possibly make a better leader (because sadly for the Libs 'I don't know' and 'Someone else' are not actual people).
Even before he left for France, Dumb Dumb's YouTube speech was a source of international embarrassment for the disrespectful and ham-fisted way in which Abbott conflated war commemorations and business interests.
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Having cancelled meetings with the IMF and the World Bank, Abbott now has time to visit his good friend Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada.
You would be right to assume that trade with Canada does not hold the key to our economic future. Abbott however needs to feel like ;less of an international pariah, and what better way to achieve this than to form an alliance with another luddite and climate change denialist.
Sadly for Abbott, this just underlines that, like Stephen Harper, Tony Dumb Dumb is also an international embarrassment. As outlined by Tristan Edis, despite suggesting they are interested in reducing emissions (now that statement is CRAP)... this is nothing more than a desperate attempt by both men to protect the fossil fuel industry.
Many see the alliance with Harper as a scheme to undermine Obama's push to reach agreement on carbon trading at the upcoming G20 meeting. There is further analysis of Abbott's strategy has been done by Barry Naughten from the ANU. Abbott is quite simply out of step with International sentiment.
While in Ottawa, Abbott begged Canadian fund managers to take stakes in resource companies, toll roads and government guaranteed infrastructure. Tony Dumb Dumb’s view is to deliver infrastructure like the Cahill Expressway or the West Gate Bridge... a strong vision that would suit a nation striding confidently towards the 1970s. As the rest of the world offers tech friendly investments, Australia offers toll roads -- a vision Jack Lang had in 1931.
It seems Tony Dumb Dumb is backing the wrong horse.... embarrassing!
It seems also that as much as Abbott is dodging credible people, they are also dodging him. Hilary Clinton for one.
But prior to embarrassing himself in Canada and the US, Abbott made a fool of himself in France. See the video below. There seems to be a pattern here... whether they are high school or primary school, children have a superior intellect to Tony Dumb Dumb.
The final word on the future prospects for Tony Dumb Dumb and his government goes to the incomparable Clarke and Dawe
by Mark Enders