Monday 25th of November 2024
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rattus promotions .....

rattus promotions .....

from Crikey

bush rains on howard's APEC parade ….

Alex Mitchell writes:

Prime Minister John Howard’s scarcely concealed attempt to turn next month’s APEC summit in Sydney into a platform for his re-election is turning sourer by the day.

At the centre of the latest furore is President George Bush’s eleventh hour decision to arrive on the evening of September 4, three days before the official start, and leave before the final session when Asia Pacific leaders dress in the host country’s national costume for the prized official photograph.

Howard has started a hamfisted campaign to bring forward the photo session so that he can be seen standing next to Bush and other world leaders – a highly desirable photo opportunity to boost his (admittedly laughable) standing as an international statesman.

But news from the protocol departments in Canberra is that countries like Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea have no intention of re-arranging their schedules to suit Bush or Howard.

They are insisting that the long-agreed and very traditional schedule be kept in place and they are privately furious that Bush is snubbing the final session when the communiqué from the leaders of the 21 APEC economies is released.

As one summit official in charge of meeting and greeting said: “Ambassadors representing Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin are not happy campers at the moment.” In another diplomatic blow to Howard’s role as APEC host, the Tokyo Government has announced that Abe wouldn't be able to keep his commitment to become the first Japanese leader to address federal parliament.

Sydneysiders are seething over the hundreds of millions dollars on security which will turn the downturn city area into a fortress and are bracing themselves for other inconveniences imposed on traffic, commerce, the harbour, theatres, museums and no-go venues like the Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

How this is playing out in Bennelong on Sydney’s lower north shore is anybody’s guess. Incidentally, the Howard and Iemma Government’s goon squads have been touring restaurants conducting detailed security investigations of chefs, cooks and waiters.

Next they’ll be hiring suitably vetted food tasters.

rattusfest .....

The rattus twins (cozzie & johnnee) are continuing their gripe about how everyone in Sydney should get behind APEC & support it. Interestingly enough the Commonwealth Government is yet to support the public holiday declared by the NSW State Government. Employees of the Commonwealth government are still awaiting coherent advice from the Department of Employment & Workplace Relations as to whether they are entitled to this public holiday. Apparently a holiday declared by a State Government does not apply to Commonwealth employees until the Commonwealth declares it so. Working parents have the addition of local schools & preschools being shut for the day. Yet another chapter in the APEC fiasco.

Meanwhile, Janette Howard has been very involved with the details of APEC. For every function, lunch & dinner, organisers have had to arrange seven different fully set tables (linen, cutlery, glassware, dinnerware etc) to choose from. Once arranged, Janette has been ushered in with the PM in tow & made her selections.

Whilst on the subject of appearances, Guillaume Brahimi, the gallant APEC chef, was asked to submit his menu for vetting by the various powers that be. The first menu he sent out was rejected by a couple of more powerful leaders attending. Guillaume simply changed the names of the dishes involved and kept the actual ingredients/dishes the same. This time it was approved all round...

And, whilst Sydney is seething over the APEC disruptions & complaining bitterly about lack of information, the APEC Taskforce's General Manager for Media & Communications, Bernadette (Bernie) Ryan, took a few days off work last week to go skiing. Never mind that most of the rest of the Taskforce - on significantly lower salaries & not getting Bernie's 'living away from Canberra" benefits & facing unemployment after APEC - is working seven days a week. Apparently Bernie needed a break so she hit the slopes, with the blessing of the Head of Taskforce, Alan Henderson.

And never mind the front page Sydney Morning Herald story about APEC enforced hospital bed closures & frantic efforts to organise security, street closures & advice to the public about the early arrival of the US President: Bernie was busy skiing ….

a bit of private?

Billson, HMAS Sydney searcher face-off over location

A war of words has erupted between the federal Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson and one of the men at the centre of a search for HMAS Sydney.

Graham Shepherd has accused Mr Billson of treating him and his colleagues like criminals after they refused to tell the Federal Government the exact location of a wreck they found off the WA coast.

"He believes we are un-Australian or dishonourable in some way," Mr Shepherd said.

But Mr Billson says that is nonsense and he just wants the wreck to be identified as soon as possible.

"This is a matter of great interest to a large number of Australians and to the Government and to the Navy fraternity," Mr Billson said.

Mr Shepherd and his group returned to the wreck site off the Carnarvon coast today, and a Navy survey ship is expected to arrive at the site to assist in the coming days.

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Gus: do I smell a bit of private enterprise?... Sure, those who find something outside territorial waters are "entitled" to keep the loot, but those who find something of interest within that border may need a bit of incentive so they can recoup their costs plus expenses plus whatever to tell where's what... was this what the argument was about?

class act triggers shock & war .....

mike carlton reports …..

US military planners have not ruled out mounting air strikes against Australian high school students who are reportedly threatening to tell jokes about President George Bush during his APEC visit down under next month.

Students at Davidson High in Sydney have entered a rock eisteddfod with a satirical production, Bad Knight II, depicting Mr Bush as the pilot of a crashing plane, and attacking the American invasion of Iraq.

Alarmed Administration officials in Washington believe the show presents a clear and present danger to US security and prestige in the region. The Education Minister, Julie Bishop, has described it as a hijack attempt with a political agenda.

We would prefer a diplomatic solution, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters at a background briefing on Wednesday. But it may be necessary to go in with tactical air strikes if the crisis escalates and people are openly laughing at the President. We have the OK from Canberra on this.

Homer Gelbfahrt, a military analyst with the American Centre for Aggression, a conservative Washington think-tank, suggests the strike would likely involve cruise missiles fired from a US navy carrier battle group. These are smart weapons capable of targeting just one classroom, he says. It would not be necessary to take out the whole school, although there could well be some collateral damage.

Another Tiresome Spin On Peter's Whirligig