Solomon Islands, China, diplomacy, Scott Morrison, election, Virgin Airlines, climate change, NDIS, Uber, minimum wage
According to the report “PM under fire over Solomons deal” , Prime Minister Scott Morrison, when asked why he had sent a junior minister to negotiate with the Solomon Islands government about its pact with China, said: “Our view is very much that don’t go around stomping around, telling leaders in Pacific Islands what they should and shouldn’t do.”I dare say Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was mightily miffed, if not insulted.
We need to face up to the fact that China will increasingly try to damage Australian interests. We must seize the initiative instead of simply reacting to every blow from China. Our stark diplomatic failure in the Solomons simply drives home the point.I am one of those swinging voters confused and depressed by our so-called federal election campaign.
Rather, I think our focus should be on restoring truly meaningful discourse on the genuinely pressing issues of the day – issues such as the upward spiralling cost of living, flatlining wages, how to handle the ongoing COVID problem, what to do about that very nasty war in Ukraine, how best to stabilise our relationship with China, and how best to avoid climatic apocalypse, for example.
This generally ensures that no operator is “idle” for long. It also ensures that there is a queue. The queue then grows as the whole process slows with passengers for embarking planes being pulled forward. You can queue for two hours and still only get on as the frantic employee runs around calling out your flight.Advertisement