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| Down Under |
| Howard Admits Election Defeat |
| 2007-11-24 |
| Australian Prime Minister John Howard has suffered a humiliating election defeat as the opposition Labor Party swept into power. Mr Howard, who was seeking a fifth term after 11 years of conservative rule, is reported to have telephoned Labor leader Kevin Rudd to admit defeat. The outgoing prime minister also appeared to be on course to lose his own seat, which he has held since 1974, as the elections saw a 6.3% swing to Labor. If he does lose his constituency, he will be the first prime minister since 1929 to do so. Former diplomat Mr Rudd, 50, presented himself as a new generation leader compared with the 68-year-old Mr Howard. Voters warmed to his promise to pull Australian troops out of Iraq and sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The pledges further isolate the United States, which had received strong backing from Mr Howard. "On the numbers we've seen tonight, Labor is going to form a government," deputy Labor leader Julia Gillard told Australian television as results came in. The Labor victory marks only the sixth change of government in Australia since the Second World War. The election was fought mainly on domestic issues, with Labor exploiting widespread anger at workplace laws and rising interest rates. Mr Howard was Australia's second-longest serving prime minister behind Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies. |
| Posted by:Dave D. |
| #18 Australia is already well under its Kyoto target. So signing it, is just symbolic. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-11-24 22:11 |
| #17 Iraq wasn't an issue in the election. Kyoto and global warming surprisingly were. Otherwise it was domestic issues with the perception it was time for a change. Rudd doesn't concern me too much. Its the rest of the Red and Green crazies in the Labour party that will be the problem. Also something of a red state/blue state divide here. My electorate in Perth actually swung to the Liberals and it looks like a Liberal win whereas in the last election Labour won although by a very slim margin. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-11-24 22:02 |
| #16 Australia experts: how long until the next election? Oh, and we're starting to de-Surge, so it's fair enough if Australia does, too. There doesn't seem to be any talk of leaving Afghanistan, or quitting the War on Terror, which for Australia means Malaysia and Indonesia, where they've been involved for years -- without any help from us that I recall. As for the Kyoto Protocol, almost all the signatories except Britain never intended -- nor have -- abided by it, as it was intended originally to hobble the U.S.. Should we honestly expect a Labour candidate to mean to abide by the thing, especially when President Bush has begun (foolishly, in my opinion, but perhaps there are deeper currents than I know) talking about it recently? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-11-24 21:17 |
| #15 You may send an e-mail to PM Howard at this page |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-11-24 16:12 |
| #14 Oh and I like that comment about "further isolates the United States" which completely ignores what has been going on in Germany and France. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2007-11-24 14:59 |
| #13 Fascists again will arrive just off the shores of Britain (Germany's Hitler) and Australia (Japan's Hirohito) as Fascism did in WWII. History will repeat itself. All the Indonesian Islamofascists need is a leader to emerge to solidify the effort. All the European Islamites need is a leader to emerge as well to solidify their efforts in Europe. When that happens, the US may or may not have the leadership in place to repel the now slowly emerging Global Caliphate. |
| Posted by: General Patton 2007-11-24 14:59 |
| #12 China managed to get their guy elected. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2007-11-24 14:58 |
| #11 America thanks John Howard for his unwavering dedication to naming the enemy aloud and bringing the battle to them in no uncertain terms. Something we are are barely capable of ourselves. I do not relish thinking of the terrorist attacks that a liberal Australian government will invite by their spineless kowtowing to Islam. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-24 13:16 |
| #10 Good luck Convicts. You may soon realize what you've lost. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-11-24 13:12 |
| #9 No big deal. Leaders and political fortunes always come and go. But the trouble here is Australia (which is country of similar immigrant origins as America) and the future of its own enterprise. This will be seen much along the lines of the Spain elections and wouldn't surprise me to see some internal Islam terrorist action as a response to what they perceive as internal political and cultural weakness. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-11-24 12:16 |
| #8 Yes, and they kicked Churchill [not Ward] out after the victory over Hitler back in Britain too. So? It looks like the heavy work is being taken care of. Thanks for the assist mates. Concur. So that would make Kevin Rudd Australia's Clement Atlee? |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-11-24 11:50 |
| #7 Are Aussie diplomats as traitorous as American ones? I hope not. The Aussies deserve better than that. |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2007-11-24 11:20 |
| #6 Oz survived Keating and Hawke. It will survive this Mark Rudd, too. But with scratched ears. Who needs it? Do Ozzies really need to learn a lesson? At what cost? To the consolation of concerned, Canucks are and now Frogs seem to be amongst gains. But then again, some Western Euro countries are already in the middle of a slippery slope and UK seems to be amongst them. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-24 11:10 |
| #5 Thank you, Mr. Howard. You will be missed. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-11-24 09:07 |
| #4 11 years is a long time. It's a great run and history will treat Howard well as he deserves. Oz survived Keating and Hawke. It will survive this Mark Rudd, too. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-11-24 08:49 |
| #3 Yes, and they kicked Churchill [not Ward] out after the victory over Hitler back in Britain too. So? It looks like the heavy work is being taken care of. Thanks for the assist mates. The election was fought mainly on domestic issues, with Labor exploiting widespread anger at workplace laws and rising interest rates. Just like Nancy and Reid ran against |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-11-24 08:34 |
| #2 The fallout from waging unwinnable wars, gave America: President Jimmy Carter. Howard had to defend his support for the interventions, in face of US admissions that this war - with unimpeded harborage and jihad support from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Syria - could go on for decades, couldn't promise peace. Even with the Surge, the status quo is not sellable to any electorate. The sight of a brand new heroin industry flourishing in Helmand, Afghanistan, will disgust American taxpayers. I wonder who will say: vote for me and I will demolish them with napalm, and crumble any mosque from where jihad terror calls issue. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2007-11-24 08:19 |
| #1 Sad. Australia apparently wants to go the way of the British. Off the cliff into ruin. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-11-24 07:55 |