WHEN asked by Paul Murray last night if he was concerned about the mental deterioration of Joe Biden – lifelong liar, plagiarist, harasser of the Little Sisters of the Poor, racist lyncher of Clarence Thomas, abortion extremist, habitual bribe-taker, traitor, alleged rapist, groper of children, inciter of violence, gaoler of political opponents – the former PM described the President as “a thoroughly decent man.” Unbidden – to say nothing of unembarrassed – he quickly began retailing the hottest pseudo-compromise in the neocon echo chamber. Namely, that Donald Trump shouldn’t stand for re-election either. Because he isn’t decent. The frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination may not be demented like Biden but he refused to accept the ‘result’ of the 2020 election. Cue, inevitably, a cricket analogy involving an umpire and a finger going up.
No one should be surprised by Mr Howard’s vanilla casuistry or preciousness when it comes to The Donald. The Anglophile’s only bilateral loyalty is to the US security state, not to the violated demos of America. That is proven by his commitment of Australian military personnel to a cooked up war in Iraq and a disgraceful rout in Afghanistan. Certainly, Trump would not have been his cup of tea even if the leviathan disruptor never descended to the foyer of his eponymous New York redoubt to announce an intention to raid politics and change America forever.
At this point, however, only three groups deny that the 2020 poll was splattered black by organised pre-campaign violence, state-enacted vote channelling, ballot harvesting, mail-in shenanigans and the information-rigging coordinated by intelligence agencies, Big Tech oligarchs and legacy media. The first group is low information innocents who still believe anchormen. The second, Democrats. The third – Howard, Rove and Co. – is the most contemptible. They’re dinosaur conservatives who believe the 45th President is a clear and present danger to war.
Sure, but besides the mental deterioration, lies, harassment of Little Sisters of the Poor, racism, abortion selling, bribe-taking, treachery, kiddy fiddling, inciting violence on political opponents, he is a fine man.
JWH is a truly horrible little man. He should STFU. Pontificating war monger and gun grabber.
a thoroughly decent man
It’s not often words fail me. Mr Howard must be chatting a lot with his good friend, Dribbler Sheridan. Last year Sheridan described the old Sniffer as a “good man”.
I work in Sydney’s CBD. In July 2018, a month before Turdbull committed hari-kari on himself, I ran into little Johnny Howard on Castlereagh Street here in Sydney. I decided to say hello and ask him a few questions. We started walking together and as we were chatting, I said to Howard…”Mr Howard, you can’t possibly be happy with how Turnbull is doing as PM, he’s a disaster”…to which little Johnny replied “oh well, he’s better than the other side”. I was dismayed at his response. Nothing about “yes he could do/be better”.
So there you have it. That’s Howard and that’s most of the Liberal Party in a nutshell. Self-interested cowards, every single one of them.
Turnbull was, and remains
‘the other side’.
JWH is a truly horrible little man. He should STFU. Pontificating war monger and gun grabber.
The gun grabber (deliberately done with the use of a patsy) has set the stage for what’s coming up next for us
I think you’ll find Howard still gets his daily update from traditional media. Probably thinks the Biden corruption is all exaggerated.
Well said C.L., Howard’s comments last night were well, despicable.
He should reflect on his own failings more such as when he refused to stand down during his final term when it was obvious he had lost the support of the public, but his own hubris kept him in there much to the detriment of the Liberal party and all who voted for them.
Additionally, it was Howard who initiated the ban on nuclear energy with the Democrats, not that that it would make any difference because CO2 has no effect in the climate (whatsoever), but it might be handy down the track when the fossil fuels start to diminish. He also was the one who kept Turnbull in the party, which worked out really well for everyone (/sarc/.)
We should be spared comments from JWH in the future unless it is on some banal subject such as cricket, because all his comments on Trump do is condemn US conservatives to ongoing political persecution and move them closer to a civil war.
If traditional media is the only place he gets his news, he wouldn’t even know about Biden’s corruption.
Yesterday, I got a haircut and the barber asked me if I’d like my eyebrows trimmed, I replied, yes, I wouldn’t want to be like Johnny Howard now would I? Prophetic words, it seems.
Australian Liberals are the exact ideological, cultural and class equivalents of US Democrats, it shouldn’t surprise people that they love them, love democrat presidents, and were instrumental (Alexander Downer) in the global deep state’s destruction of the Trump presidency via Russiagate, and now quietly approve of the attempts at imprisoning him.
Re Downer’s deep involvement in Russia-gate, as if that fishnet stocking wearing poodle headed queer got involved in high stakes imperial politics all by himself without his mates in the Liberal Party, bureaucracy and security agencies and the US Democrats knowing, supporting him and green lighting it all the way.
Downer big-noted his role. Has been dining out on it ever since, just as he was likely to have been dining out on something or another when he got ‘word’ of the skulduggery, and off he went to his masters and their war chests.
Perfection. Until this changes nothing really changes, and the only way beyond this is a reckoning with the idols that perpetuate the illusion.
Of course. He’s proud of it. Just as “Lazarus with a triple bypass” was proud to go on TV last night and declare that a man who may very well be President again doesn’t have the “right” to run for the top job a second time.
One other thing about Howard: dozens of Australian soldiers are dead because he wanted to cosplay Churchill. Dozens more are now being threatened with imprisonment for killing terrorists. Howard hasn’t spoken a single word in their defence. Not one.
Howard and Downer signed up to the ICC.
As if anything UN would be applied evenly or objectively. The US wasn’t stupid enough to agree to it, but we were.
Which is weird, as Downer himself referred to the UN as lowest common denominator politics, where the most dysfunctional kleptocracy has the same vote as us.
They now use this as an excuse i.e. if we don’t prosecute our soldiers, we would have to send them to the ICC. Apart from virtue signaling, that was probably the reason they joined. Cover for disgraceful acts of persecution.
Howard invoked Article VI of the ANZUS Treaty on September 14th, 2001, as fires were still burning under the rubble of the World Trade Center. Parliament voted in support of the commitment three days later. I’d be interested to know how many here thought that the move was all about cosplaying Churchill.
Thank heavens every Australian Prime Minister since Curtin has understood the value of the US Alliance. Aside from allowing us to get away with spending less than 2% of GDP on the military, the Alliance has projected democracy to our north and made our region safer than it otherwise would be.
I have been in the room (Staff College passing out ball) when Howard generously applauded the military and mourned the loss of each soldier, particularly the SAS, in the midst of the Afghanistan deployment. I’m pleased to be able to write that he received a standing ovation from those present.
Good for you “Texas Jack”.
Why are you not defending Texas from invasion?
Ho-war(D) is and was a slimeball lawyer politician from the very start.
He was the greatest treasure!
And I’m sure that made him feel special.
But what has that got to do with contributing a symbolic little contingent to invade Iraq (which had nothing to do with the World Trade Centre) or spending 20 years losing a war in Afghanistan?
Howard hasn’t said a word in defence of the soldiers being accused of war crimes.
Not one.
Texas Qld has a lot of nice art deco buildings.
Just marvellous, Twostix.
Great to see you on the blogs again!
What kinda special? Like lauding it over all and sundry who might have a different view with his own private conservative blog with all those oh-so perfectly crafted opinion pieces?
Every Australian contribution to every war it has been engaged in has been symbolic. This one was backed by parliament. You know, the people who actually get to run the country.
How would Howard know there weren’t cases to answer? Why stoop to get entangled in one-way risk? A one man judge and jury? Like the kind of stuff routinely bagged here when Morrison was dumb enough to comment on the Higgins case.
I know. I know. If you don’t like it here fark off.
Brilliant.
“What kinda special? Like lauding it over all and sundry who might have a different view with his own private conservative blog with all those oh-so perfectly crafted opinion pieces?”
Geez louise….
1. C.L. doesn’t lord it over anyone.
2. Conservativism has changed radically since Howard’s defeat in 2007. And those who can’t or refuse to see that reality are the reason why the Liberal Party is in its current dire straights. This nonsense that the party is a “broad church”, spruiked by Howard, has led to the complete guttering of the party, to the point where it’s no longer a “broad church”, because almost every single conservative has been purged from the party. The likes of Antic and a few others hang on…just. By the way, I remember hearing a disaffected SA Liberal, who’s left the party, say that the “broad church” only worked when the conservatives (or the “dries”) had the upper hand. That hasn’t been the case now for a decade. The wets are in control now and they are ruthless when dealing with conservatives. It was John Howard who helped Malcolm Turnbull knife Peter King in the back in 2004 in Wentworth (I remember it well, I live in Wentworth). If that malfeasance wasn’t bad enough, six years later he talked Turnbull into staying on in parliament. I regard that as a catastrophic mistake, that has almost destroyed the party.
Finally, why can’t we critique Howard? He’s not perfect, his legacy isn’t perfect, far from it. And I regard the engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan as wrong.
great “stuff” Texas Jack.
do you like mayo?
Describing him as thoroughly decent is quite strange, to my mind.
No, I’ll say it’s fulsome. One thing to consider Biden to be a decent man, but that “thoroughly” makes John Howard sound all-knowing.
His particular earnestness always put me off.
Howard was able to spruik the broad church bs safe in the knowledge he had tied up factional control of the libs with the help of others. Photios now has that control, that is why we get imbeciles like Speakpuppet in NSW.
Howard was able to spruik the broad church bs safe in the knowledge he had tied up factional control of the libs with the help of others. Photios now has that control, that is why we get imbeciles like Speakpuppet in NSW.”
Yep.
I probably don’t come here often enough to really know, but if I had a dollar for every reflexive jump you make to his defence….
On any reasonable reading, my initial comment was a simple factual contribution in defence of the former prime minister. No ad-hominem, just a different perspective from some interactions I have had with Howard. It still copped the usual derision embraced here by all and sundry, including C.L. Which is fine, but tiring.
I completely agree with you on the descent of the Liberal Party, Cassie. Near complete alignment on that – for many years.
I won’t bother replying to the other stuff.
“I probably don’t come here often enough to really know, but if I had a dollar for every reflexive jump you make to his defence….”
Rubbish.
C.L. and I have differences, but on John Winston Howard and the the state of conservatism, not just in this country but across the West, he’s 150% correct.
Only 150%? Sure.
I’m, likewise, lukewarm on Howard the politician, but he’s barely responsible for the appalling state of conservatism in our heads. My comment simply relayed a balancing anecdote from a small piece of personal interaction with the former PM. He was deeply personally impacted by the deaths of Australian troops in East Timor and Afghanistan and, like most PM’s up until Morrison, holds the ADF in the highest regard.
You are joking right? WW1? WW2? Symbolic? You are beclowning yourself.
And yet obviously couldn’t give a rat’s arse about the 19 SAS diggers currently being persecuted by the government. Go figure.
BTW Kevin Rudd never held the ADF in high regard.
Yes, Jupes, it’s all deliberate.
Walking hundreds of miles on recruiting musters to go and fight a European war for King and Country was not a symbolic act? What then?
Silence isn’t endorsement. What’s your evidence that he “doesn’t give a rats…”?
“but he’s barely responsible for the appalling state of conservatism in our heads”
It isn’t in “my head”, it’s a reality.
Oh and Howard IS responsible for the appalling state of the Liberal lite Labor Party. He endorsed Turdbull in 2004, which stabbed a fine man in the back, and he persuaded Turdbull to stay on in 2010.
So yes, there’s a lot he is responsible for.
John Howard told 9News he is distressed by the allegations 39 civilians or prisoners were unlawfully killed by Australian soldiers in the Afghanistan war, but has argued those in good standing should not be tarnished by the investigation.
“They are, of course, to be utterly condemned, and I can understand the revulsion people feel,” Mr Howard said today.
In a population of less than 5 million, having over 60,000 killed and 56,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner, is “symbolic”.
You are a tool.
It was an existential war. The AIF contribution was substantial. You cannot be this ignorant.
Bluey, a truly great response.
My point is that it was a truly great and wholly positive symbolic act, demonstrating fealty to the mother country and Commonwealth, as we had done in the Boer War, and as we would do in WWII and the conflicts thereafter.
I stand corrected. It’s not that he doesn’t give a rats … as Phil pointed out above, he is keen for them to be persecuted.
And as Hawke would do during Gulf War I in support of Bush I.
Why then is Howard a tool for having activated the ANZUS provision after 9/11?
Tell me you didn’t support the action then?
Here’s the link to the story.
He is throwing the 19 combat diggers under a bus in support of the emasculated ADF. Much of that emasculation happened under his watch.
Texas Jack, we seem to get along until I criticise the Liberal Party or the United States. Then you get angry and start abusing me. When I politely reply, you take disagreement to heart. As I’ve said to you before, I understand where you’re coming from because until about 2015-16, I had the same loyalism-first view of the Liberals and the US alliance. The last several years have changed all of that for me – as they have for many others.
Australia cannot go on sending a dozen men here and a hundred there to be killed in America’s latest war – on the piggy bank pretext that it’s a sound investment in ensuring we’re rescued like damsels when we’re invaded decades or centuries hence. This is utterly childish and beneath the dignity of a great nation. If the US wouldn’t otherwise assist one of the world’s oldest democracies – but for that trite investment – it doesn’t say much for America does it? I believe the people of America would always be inclined to assist this nation – one they admire; furthermore, I believe respect can be earned by going our own way, according to our own national interests.
Let me return to the subject of the post. I regard it as despicable and gutless for John Howard to appear on Sky (again) specifically to make a headline of his contempt for Donald Trump and retail his unctuous belief that Trump doesn’t “deserve” to run for the Presidency again. If he honestly sees nothing untoward in the longer 2020 election campaign or, for that matter, in what is happening now in the longer 2024 campaign, he is one of only two things: in mental decline himself or a supporter of the Democrat Party’s fascist behaviour.
The latter is the case, in my view, because Trump wants to return US foreign policy to its historical moorings and get back to the business of America. The business of America is business, as Calvin Coolidge said, not endlessly killing people. Howard is ‘relaxed and comfortable’ that the Democrats are doing this favour (as he sees it) for frightened little Australia.
As I’ve also said to you in the past, Jack, you’re always welcome here. I think you have to accept that in 2023 there are people who are on your side but who now have different priorities.
No kidding…
Good luck for your journey.
Many (including even some on the conservative/right side) would prefer to have a Democrat president – Biden or whoever replaces him – who does nothing to try and broker an end the Ukraine war or even escalates it to WWIII, rather than Trump who has vowed to end it if elected.
That is carrying unhinged hatred to an extreme.