howard's end, page-69

re: howard's end/ljones Eric,

The point I was making was in response to Bali's fear that the US would not help an externally threatened Australia if it was not in the US's interest.

What seems to escape Bali and others is the fact that the US and Australia are offshoots of Great Britain.

That means centuries of shared history,culture, ancestry and involvement together in past conflicts which, when push comes to shove overide other considerations.

That is not a wish on my part but purely a statement of what is in fact true.

Now in that sense Howard is irrelevant. I suggest Labor leaders have (Hawke) and would follow much the same course because of that special relationship that exists between these nations. I was not arguing the merits of such a relationship.

regards llew.