Our Rudd-er

Big bad Kev has just finished his tour of the U.S. Our Prime Minister made a number of announcements, all of which should have been made on home soil.

Like… going for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. No mention of the $AUS30-40 million dollars it will cost, nor the greater cost of compromising our stand on certain issues: Japanese whaling, South Pacific government corruption, Chinese human rights violations, and so on.

It’s not as if the U.N. has proven itself worthwhile in recent years. In fact, I’m wondering if it’s a lame duck. It sucks up enormous resources and money, for little visible return. Remember Bosnia? Within a week the U.S. had done what the U.N. failed to do in years of talks. Afghanistan? It did nothing to stop the Taliban execute women for showing ankles or begging on the street or any number of bullshit crimes. Iraq? For ten years Hussein thumbed his nose at U.N. sanctions – of course he had help from U.N. members France, Russia and China. For ten years he rattled his sabre and threatened biological and chemical attacks; did, in fact, kill thousands of Kurds.

Rule by committee does not work and the larger the committee, the less work is done.

Nope. We don’t need to be on the Security Council, we can continue to work behind the scenes. But our PM wants us to be more involved in world affairs – but do we have the international clout for that?

Mr Rudd also had a chat to Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain, though Barack Obama was only available for a phone call, coz he was so far away in Pennsylvania.

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It being Wednesday, there’s another instalment of Bounty Hunter up on the Takeaway.

And now, since we have ferocious winds coming up the coast, I’d better go and batten down the hatches (Melbourne and Tasmania have copped a beating today, and I have no doubt… we’re next).