Australia 'used' to be known, and for good reason, as the lucky country. A lovely isolated paradise for European settlers who were able to build a free society based on beer, family, petty rivalries, humour, sport, the home, the car and the telly.
Unfortunately this Xenox News journalist must inform you to this sad fact: "Sorry; its all over" It all began when the people of Australia decided to back a Prime Minister who they presumably thought was harmless, a no sayer, 'Yes Minister' type, who wouldn't rock the boat too much, and who would carry on his duties like the boring old fart he has been in the previous 20 years of politics.
Unfortunately the populace under-estimated how far the mix of power and senility had disturbed our little accountant Prime Minister.
As part of his swan song Johnny boy thought he would take to the world stage!
Unfortunately for all of us it went beyond the smiling hand shaking and proud chested 30 seconds in the news with a US president!
No, Johnny wanted to top all of that, to be seen by the world, (or perhaps just by his wife, or maybe next door neighbour, or his little chihuaha), as a 'big' man.
This desperate 'need' to be seen as some world power broker, a 'major player', completly blinded Howie to the implications that would come from, not only backing, but whole heartedly endorsing 'every' decision that George W. Bush made.
Those same decisions that the US are now hurriedly backing away from, trying to patch up or justify, Howard, without question, research or debate, stood up brazenly and boldly (like an inch worm) in the world media, associating Australians with the all fanatical and extremly red necked Yank world policies.
By doing so John Howard, in less than a year, has propelled Australia, and all of the people in Australia, into the coal face of current world terror.
The terror and fury created by US policy is now well and truly targeted at our country with what appears equal vindictiveness and malice. Our flag burnt along side the flag of the USA. What did we do wrong? We voted for John Howard.
Howard proponents (the Aussie "patriots") would have us believe that the vocal and physical attacks and threats that started targetting Australia, (and now, more often than not, include and unconditionally associate Australia alongside the USA as 'the enemy'), originated because we also represent the Western lifestyle that these groups inherently loath.
Yet we do not hear threats from these terrorist groups against New Zealand and other western countries who 'did not' unanimously, unquestionably, and emphatically endorse US policy and the questionable retaliatory attacks and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as Johnny boy has.
John Howard has created more vociferous enemies this country has had in the last year than it has had collectively in known history.
But breeding Aussie hate amongst the Islamic world and terrorist networks is not enough for Johnny.
In his grandiose stance as 'powerful world leader' Johnny Howard has also angered the Indonesians and others in the Asia Pacific region.
The senility is observed at its best when little John suggests that Australia, with our huge population of 16 million, is the self appointed 'watch dog' of the area. Indonesia, with its population of 221 million must be cowering in its boots!
But why stop with inflaming Islamists and Indonesians? This week Australia and US forces practised and paraded around the Coral Sea in " Operation Pacific Protector" enflaming relations with North Korea.
The North Korean government in its official Communist party newspaper have described the maneuvers as "high-handed provocation that is part of a hostile policy the United States is pursuing towards North Korea." It also warned that the exercises could result in nuclear conflict!
So there you have it folks; we're fucked. What I would do if we could have traded our Prime Minister with his New Zealand counterpart 12 months ago.
John Howard's policy has clearly been to announce to all rogue nations in the world "HEY, IF YOU WANT TO BOMB THE USA, BOMB US AUSTRALIANS AS WELL"
John Howard has fucked this country for all of us who live here, and for the long term, and for no apparent reason other than he wanted to big note himself on the world media platform as part of his swan song. Something tells me that he won't be saying sorry either.