Malcolm Turnbull welcomes Trump plans for military buildup in Asia-Pacific

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Australia’s prime minister says ‘a stronger United States means a stronger world’ when asked about US navy spending boost


@murpharoo
Wednesday 16 November 2016 00.15 EST


Malcolm Turnbull has publicly endorsed the proposed US military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region which has been flagged by the incoming Trump administration, while launching a swingeing political attack on the federal opposition, alleging Labor is hopelessly split on the alliance.


Asked on Wednesday whether he was at all concerned about talk in the US about the deployment of a giant US military force to counter China in the region, the Australian prime minister was unequivocal. He told reporters “a stronger United States means a safer world”.

The Guardian reported last week two senior Trump advisers had flagged the incoming administration’s desire to expand the US navy from 274 ships to 350 and to deploy more extensively in the region to counter China’s growing assertiveness.

This talk has only gathered pace post-election, with public commentary over the past 24 hours from Rudy Giuliani, who is considered the frontrunner to be the new US secretary of state, about the proposed buildup.






Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/16/malcolm-turnbull-welcomes-trump-plans-for-military-buildup-in-asia-pacific

[Matilda]

1. Turnbull's in big trouble.

He's proven to be a weak and ineffectual leader, completely under the thumb of the hard-right political organisation known as IPA (Independent Policy Analysis), a fascist group which, thanks to Turnbull, is creeping into many facets of Australian life to impose their odious views on us.

He is disliked by the electorate as much as Tony Abbott ever was, and he's desperately trying to find something to make people like him. Or at least respect him. He's been drawing on the old terror memes by having so-called suspects arrested, but nobody cares. So now he's trying to sound like Trump Down Under, but instead looks effete and pathetic.

Best to ignore him as much as possible.

[Violet_Crumble]

2. With Turnbull and Abbott, it's a race to out-Trump each other....

I think the wannabe Lazarus is winning with this gem I saw in an article today:

"This is, if you like, the revenge of the deplorables," he said of Mr Trump's victory on November 8. "All of the people who are sick of being called racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic because they don't comply with the canons of political correctness ... all those people saw Donald Trump as in some way their champion."

The Republican President-elect has asserted that global warming is a Chinese hoax and vowed to tear up the Paris climate agreement which Australia ratified last week. While refusing to call climate change a "scam", Mr Abbott said the election of Mr Trump would put the climate issue into perspective.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-revenge-of-the-deplorables-tony-abbott-says-donald-trumps-victory-will-put-climate-change-in-better-perspective-20161116-gsr0yl.html

[Matilda]

4. Abbott certainly hasn't given up,

and that's what Turnbull's so afraid of.

But the electorate still doesn't like him, so even if they put him back in the top job, he'd still lose.

Truth is, they've got nobody.

And hello again, Violet!

[MrModerate]

3. Turnbull started out trying to out-Howard Howard . . .

And since that's failed, he's now trying to out-Trump Trump?

Not possible. Turnbull doesn't have it in him.