Yes we can be so hypocritical to suit our needs. We wanted independence for East Timor, to preserve their "freedom of choice" to form a separate nation. One can only imagine the Australian response if the Torres Strait Islanders or the people from the Kimberley wanted to secede from the nation of Australia , and tried to hold a referendum. Even more so if they garnered support from other developing countries, or financial aid from China.
We live in the world of "balancing democracies" - for better or worse, but "democracy" is not the agenda.
