Constructed Questions Swatted
Mr. Keating up to bat, again
[Image: from Caitlin Johnstone’s article on the topic at hand. Mr. Keating returns to the media scrum to address Australia’s foreign policy.]
Published: 2023-03-17
Updated 2023-03-18: Many references have been added to highlight the discussion generated by Mr. Keating’s presentation.
Submarine Intervention
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating joined the National Press Club to defend his criticism of the nation's recent policy on national security, including the AUKUS deal. His preceding comments critiqued the current government’s agreement to follow that of the preceding government's policy to purchase nuclear powered submarine vessels and thus join a military alliance aligned against China.
Caitlin Johnstone drew my attention to the re-emergence of Keating, again criticizing Australia’s foreign policy. Her reporting of concerted publications in dominant Australian journals had already warned us of this battle occuring in the media.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) hosted the event with Mr. Keating, connecting its Sydney studio with the National Press Gallery at the nation's capital in Canberra. Laura Tingle hosted the interview. Her introductory statements neutrally established the frame for discussion.
The ABC's technical team had some challenges during the first few minutes. The early audio is partially broken. Following this annoyance, Keating struggles to establish himself. Unsurprisingly, he recovers, and delivers the core of his argument.
Geography
To understand defence policy in Australia one must also understand its geography. The current brouhaha about China is damn stupid. Keating informs the audience that to invade Australia China will need an armada of troop ships, which of course, can easily be destroyed on route. In our satellite age one cannot hide an armada. The ships become targets. His previous statements on Australia's defence relations with Indonesia become even more obvious. The Indonesian archipelago and Papua New Ginea are the defence.
The battle of the Coral Sea during the Pacific component of WWII demonstrates this, as do other battles in Papu New Guinea during Japan’s failed attempt to expand into the South Pacific.
Mr. Keating stressed the difference between the Collins Class submarine's design, produced during his period of leading Australia, and those of the new policy. The Collins boats are 4 000 tonnes in displacement. They are relatively small. They are designed to operate in Australia's coastal waters. The new boats are twice the size. Their nuclear power enables them farther reach, but their size limits them. Australia is to pay 368 billion USD to obtain eight vessels, of which only three can be expected to be concurrently in operation. These new submarines are designed to operate in the deeper waters off the edges of seas surrounding China, not in the shallower waters of Australia’s continental shelf.
This is the core problem Mr. Keating described.
Ms Tingle holds her cool while a parade of dumb journalists ask questions, having obviously not listened to Mr. Keating's argument. Keating swats these journalists and their uninformed questions aside. The questions and questioners receive his justified derision.
Sources
It's Good To Be Mean To War Propagandists, Caitlin Johnstone, her newsletter, 2023-03-16
A Sane Voice Amidst the Madness, Joe Lauria, Consortium News, 2023-03-17
Paul Keating excoriates AUKUS as exercise in security policy stupidity, Allan Patience, Pearls and Irritations, 2023-03-17
With AUKUS, Australia has wedded itself to a risky US policy on China – and turned a deaf ear to the region, Matt Fitzpatrick, The Conversation, 2023-03-14
Paul Keating lashes Albanese government over AUKUS, calling it Labor’s biggest failure since WW1, Michelle Grattan, The Conversation, 2023-03-15
IN FULL: Former PM Paul Keating criticises AUKUS pact and discusses relations with China | ABC News, 2023-03-15
The punditry
Keating, in unmoored fury, lashes leaders of the party that made him, Tony Wright, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2023-03-15
Paul Keating calls nuclear submarines deal worst decision by Labor government since WWI conscription, Matthew Knott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2023-03-15
Paul Keating slams Labor, AUKUS deal in press club address, Nick Pearson, 9 News, 2023-03-15
(There is plenty more of this. I just could not be arsed to copy and paste more of it.)
Culture
Midnight Oil - 4 - Read About It - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982), Strip Style Christian Music’s youtube channel, uploaded 2015-07-22
This is not the official publication of the song. It is the best quality of audio I could find. So, this is what I offer.
The belief any military asset for regional or world war preparedness secures any nation on earth, let alone a naval nuclear submarine asset, is so bloody absurd. I’m always beyond shocked how intensely-stupid everyone, we citizens, are these days, and the world’s richest security agencies and major media outlets are so treasonous-guilty for our, The People’s ignorance. The Australian government is truly no longer Australian, and the same goes for it’s Navy and Nuclear Submarines. Their war assets sport Australia’s Flag, but Australia’s entire military is entirely remote-controlled by the United States and Great Britain, and their media taking-heads totally understand this. Deep sea subs can and are being currently detected and tracked from dry-dock to launch to any location it travels, and any of them can be destroyed at any time or location on earth, and not by other submarines, and Australian Media understands this, too. The People are so intellectually misdirected by media, so they just don’t get how insane an offensive-defensive military really is, no matter how large or which country sustains these assets. It’s simply mass murder, not security, the same as fighting Military Bioweapon Viruses with Military-Grade Vaccines, and Australia’s mainstream media produces, editors and writers have understood this fact for over three years as well—All of them are such Treasonous Whores.