Originally Posted by Mark The Convict

So we can stand in the shadow of the biggest bruiser on the block*, as we have since the early 1940's. I take your point about it all being done on the quiet; I can only presume that this is tub-thumping for the benefit of US voters. I can't see Australian voters giving a stuff one way or the other, we're too apathetic.

*although in terms of sheer size, bilge-rat cunning and long term planning, I think the US might have met its match in China.

Ever get the feeling that, perhaps your backing the wrong bruiser?
I can't help but think that Oz is on a slippery slope and in danger of isolating themselves if they begin to be too overtly pro US. We Brits don't even get away with the yank brown nosing and it goes without saying that we are in a much more US tolerant region than your good self. An independently minded Oz with close regional links would be a far better “bridge” into SE Asia for western countries and vice versa which is what I always thought was the angle they were going for which is why I find this announcement so surprising.

Originally Posted by Dogface

One can only hope

Throw in the gun laws from Texas and the death penalty and you've got a deal.

This is time to play the Joker in the pack:

PM changes mind on uranium sales to India - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

PM changes mind on uranium sales to India

Julia Gillard is heading for a showdown with the Left of her party as she pushes to have Labor drop its ban on exporting uranium to nuclear-armed India.
In an opinion piece published in Fairfax newspapers this morning, Ms Gillard argues the move would strengthen Australia's relations with India, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
She says selling uranium to India for peaceful purposes will broaden Australian markets and increase jobs.
"We must, of course, expect of India the same standards we do of all countries for uranium export - strict adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency arrangements and strong bilateral and transparency measures which will provide assurances our uranium will be used only for peaceful purposes," she wrote.
"[We] must be prepared to confront difficult questions about maximising prosperity and the strength of our relationships in our region of the world."
Labor policy prohibits selling uranium to any country that is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But pressure has been mounting to change the policy, with Resources Minister Martin Ferguson and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd both in support of selling uranium to India.

India refuses to sign the treaty because it wants to retain the nuclear option to defend itself against nuclear-armed neighbours, Pakistan and China.
Mr Ferguson says India is not a rogue nuclear nation.
"The international approach to India has changed dramatically with the Nuclear Suppliers Group decision of 2007, led by the United States, to actually sell uranium to India," he said this morning.
"We can sell uranium as a nation to countries such as China and Russia, but under our existing policy, which is outdated, it actually is a hangover from the 1970s ... we can't currently sell uranium to India, the biggest democracy in the world, 1.109 billion people, which I might say, 400 million live below the poverty line."
He says the move is about "normalising" Australia's relationship with India.
"India could purchase uranium from a range of countries, but they are desirous, at some point, of being able to purchase uranium from Australia," he said.


"At the moment, we say to India, 'Yes, you can cooperate with us, for example, on defence, on customs, fighting against drugs, combating international terrorism ... but we don't trust you to actually handle safely Australian uranium'.
"It's about time we fronted up to the fact that India is a responsible nation. They have a desire to actually assist their community, to actually get out of poverty, with 40 per cent ... having fewer than 12 hours electricity per day.
"At the moment, I might say, 70 per cent of their energy actually comes from coal-fired power. The main thing they wanted to talk to me about last week was, 'Can you actually just find us more coal, thermal and coking coal?' This decision is also important from a climate change point of view, nuclear power is baseload reliable clean energy."
Mr Ferguson says India will still be required to negotiate a detailed protocol with Australia in terms of the safe handling and accountability of Australian uranium, with a proviso that it is only used for energy generation.
"That will be the policy position put by Labor at the national conference under the leadership of Julia Gillard. If that is ratified by the national conference, that will be the approach we take as a nation in terms of our negotiations with India over this complex issue," he said.
"In my opinion the party will again back the leader on this occasion ... because this is about modern Labor fronting up to a process of evolution in terms of actually looking forward, in terms of complex, hard political debates."
But Labor senator and Left faction convener Doug Cameron has told ABC News Radio he remains opposed to such a move.
"I would assume the majority of the Left would support that position," he said.
The Greens say most Australians would be horrified to learn the Prime Minister wants to overturn the ban on selling uranium to India.
Greens leader Bob Brown says it is a dangerous move.
"There's no doubt uranium, through this process, will end up in the stockpile of nuclear weapons in India," he said.
The Australian Conservation Foundation, which campaigns against uranium mining, says Australia cannot rely on assurances that India won't use Australian uranium to free up local supplies for its nuclear weapons program.
"India is a nuclear armed state that is involved now in a nuclear rivalry with Pakistan, there is a regional arms race, and India has made no secret that it wants to access foreign sources of uranium so it can

Was there 'stuff' going on behinds closed doors? China won't be too happy. Things are going to get interesting in the diplomatic front.

Welcome to Julia's garage sale. One wonders whether the aforementioned Mr Garrett will be resigning now that his boss is bringing in the marines and flogging uranium out the back of a ute in the pub carpark.

Originally Posted by filthyphil

Welcome to Julia's garage sale. One wonders whether the aforementioned Mr Garrett will be resigning now that his boss is bringing in the marines and flogging uranium out the back of a ute in the pub carpark.

Na the w*nker will just sing about it! The bloke is a good musso but a liability in politics.

PS Stand by for budget cuts in forthcoming mid year budget review (first one in donkey's years!)

Oils were seriously good, and the best live band around in the late seventies and early eighties until Garrett started thinking he was the messiah.

Originally Posted by filthyphil

Throw in the gun laws from Texas and the death penalty and you've got a deal.

Bogans with gats fills me with dread and I'm not a fan of the death penalty, my grand dad was on a firing squad in WW2 and it haunted him for the rest of his life.

I disagree with little Johnny taking our bunny guns and .303's off us but my local is volatile enough and Texas style gun nuts plus bundy rum sounds like a recipe for disaster!

Originally Posted by Bushmills

Bogans with gats fills me with dread

Not a fan of the police eh?

Originally Posted by filthyphil

Not a fan of the police eh?

Many a true word mate!

Originally Posted by bob wall

WHILE IN R.E.s A WO2 TOLD ME ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE IN A THAILAND BAR WHEN SOME AMERICANS ON R&R FROM VIETNAM WAS WHINGING TO EM THAT NO BRITS WERE THERE... SOME WITTY SAPPER PIPED UP "THE VC ARE KICKING YOUR ARSES, THEY DONT NEED ANY HELP FROM US!"... SUPRISINGLY A FIGHT STARTED!

Royal Engineers were busy building airfields for Air America!!