Time to Get Rid of Gordon Brown, the Profligate Prime Minister!
THE TELEGRAPH: John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, has warned that Gordon Brown's policy of imposing large debt levels will load "nasty medicine" onto future generations.

Former Australian PM John Howard said that spending billions to try to survive the recession merely stored up problems for future generations. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
His comments come after Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, said cutting VAT in the UK was a "mistake" and warned that running up large debts in Britain could "ruin the country".

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Howard said that spending billions to try to survive the recession merely stored up problems for future generations, he said.

He said: "Medicine will have to be taken and it is a question of making sure that we don't load all the bad nasty medicine onto future generations.

"It is common-sense that if you get too deeply into debt the burden you put on future generations is enormous."

Mr Howard, who was led the right wing Liberal Government from 1996 to 2007 and a close ally of Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister, said he was worried that governments seemed to think that there was no alternative to this form of "deficit spending" to survive the recession.

He said: "There is a danger that governments generally will think that the solution is to go ever deeper into debt. That troubles me because I don't think it is.

"My sense is that over the last month or six weeks the sense of restraint how far you go into debt seems to have disappeared and that troubles me.

"There is a mood developing that it does not matter how much you are going into debt. I am not sure that is a sensible thing." Former Australian PM John Howard Warns of Gordon Brown's Nasty Medicine >>> By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Monday, March 9, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Australia) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Australia) >>>

UN Vote: Rudd Breaks with Howard on Israel
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AUSTRALIA has switched its position to vote against Israel on two resolutions at the United Nations, ending the Howard government's unswerving alignment with the United States and raising concern from the Jewish community.

The move also signals to the incoming Obama administration that the Rudd Government plans to take a different approach to the Howard government on the international stage.

In the weekend vote in New York, Australia supported a resolution calling on Israel to stop establishing settlements in the Palestinian territories and a resolution calling for the Geneva Conventions to apply in the Palestinian territories.

The resolutions on the Middle East peace process are held annually and the Howard government had backed both from 1996 to 2002 but in 2003 began to vote against or abstain. It was a move that aligned Australia with only the US, Israel, the US Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Micronesia and put the country at odds with Britain, Canada, New Zealand and France.

Australian officials told the UN the Government had changed its position because it supported a two-state resolution of the conflict to deliver a secure Israel living beside a viable Palestinian state and that Australia believed both sides should abide by their obligations under the Road Map for Peace. >>> Phillip Hudson | November 10, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Australia) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Australia) >>>

Canada: Campaigner Causes Embarrassment for PM Stephen Harper by Plagiarizing John Howard’s Speech

TIMESONLINE:
Five Years Late, Canadian PM Stephen Harper Caught Copying: On March 20, 2003, the then Canadian Opposition leader Stephen Harper got up in Parliament and put the case for supporting the US-led invasion of Iraq. It was considered a good speech, good enough, indeed, to be printed up as a pamphlet and mailed out to supporters.

Five years later, and with Mr Harper now battling for re-election as Prime Minister, it has emerged that it was not really his speech at all: nearly half of it was lifted word for word from a speech given by John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, two days earlier. >>> Philippe Naughton | October 1, 2008

THE INEPENDENT:
Canada Opposition Party Accuses PM of Plagiarism: A senior campaign worker for Canada's governing Conservative Party has resigned after admitting writing a pro-Iraq war speech for prime minister Stephen Harper that plagiarised another world leader's address.

The opposition Liberals released transcripts and video of speeches delivered by then-Australian prime minister John Howard on 18 March, 2003, and one by Mr Harper two days later in the Canadian parliament when Mr Harper was the opposition leader.

Liberal foreign affairs spokesman Bob Rae said nearly half of Mr Harper's speech was a word-for-word recitation of Mr Howard's comments. >>> AP | October 1, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada) >>>

John Howard Concedes Defeat in Australian Election
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Mark Alexander

Election Disaster for John Howard in Australia
BBC: The Labor Party has claimed victory in Australia's election, after early vote counts suggested Prime Minister John Howard had lost his parliamentary seat.

"On the numbers we are seeing tonight Labor is going to form a government," said Labor deputy leader Julia Gillard.

She was one of several Labor figures to claim victory, although leader Kevin Rudd has yet to make a statement.

Mr Howard was bidding for a fifth term in office, but tallies indicated his Sydney seat had been lost to Labor. Labor claims Australia poll win (more)

Mark Alexander