Aussies, what is the anticipated outcome of this meeting ?

Bush wants Howard to win. Kevin 07 intends to withdraw from Iraq. His believes being friends with the US doesn't necessarily mean doing everything they ask.

Personally - I don't think much of Rudd. But I guess he's playing the game to ensure that he gets the swinging voters. He's clever.

and he'll be better than Howard.

I’m not sure.

Kevin Rudd is pretty smart. I somehow doubt much more will come from the meeting than Rudd reaffirming his commitment to the Australia-US alliance, which in any case has never been in jeopardy, whatever party has been in office throughout the past decades the alliance has endured.

Tonight on the news, I saw Bush speaking. Even though he said he was not going to comment on Australia’s internal politics, Bush made a comment about how he believed Howard could still win the coming federal elections, even though he’s coming from behind at this point.

President Bush is here to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit.

The Summit is on Friday. President Wu and President Putin, and the leaders of other regional nations, will also attend. The APEC forum itself has already begun and will go through to Sunday.

It’s all being held in Sydney.

When the Olympics were held in Sydney, my beautiful city was glowing with the warmth of happy Sydneysiders welcoming all our visitors. There was music, colour and fun. We can’t feel the same about this event, alas. The thing that has really alienated people here is the security theatrics that have been put on show. Sydney is now divided by an ugly five kilometres long reinforced high fence, cutting us off from the Botanical Gardens, the Opera House, Circular Quay, and much of the northern area of the CBD. The Festival of the Winds (Kite festival) in Bondi has had to be cancelled, among other events, so Mrs Howard can entertain the wives of the international guests, as if they would not have enjoyed watching the festival! Friday has been declared a “bonus holiday”, and we’ve been told to stay out of the city that day, unless we have business being there. The city is in “lock down”, we’ve been told. And we won't be allowed to go down by the harbour to watch the fireworks at the weekend, either.

Well, there you are…going to bed now.

Good night all from Sydney locked-down.

Tethys

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

Australia-USSR alliance?

Freudian slip?

Matt

__________________
De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

Yes, I agree, Daisy. Howard is sure taking his time to call the date of the election.

I saw President Wu visiting your way, and the difference of how he interacted with the people was huge. I mean, China has a lot of issues that we need to address, but it was refreshing that President Wu just milled around people, rather than whizzing past at top speed in an armoured limo.

Tethys

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

Yap. US...USSR...hard to tell the difference these days, Matt.

Tethys

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

Yes. The only times I've seen security around here is WRT Americans pollies or an Israeli who visited last year.

Maybe its justified - but I feel that putting barriers only reinforces the negative views we are forming.

I noticed that plenty of school kids have been protesting about Bush - the war, and climate change. I think a lot of the hype with the lockdown has only encouraged this.

Yes. There is a lot of anger over here about the lock-down. Security is important, of course, but alienating people only creates a bigger security risk. Much better security would come from having people on side. All we are getting is warnings to stay out of the city, and lectures about how we should be proud to host the event. I want to feel proud, but I can't.

Tethys

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

I saw a lot of coverage on how the lockdown is affecting business. Seems there are a lot of angry people. I've heard it said they should have had their meeting on Nauru - since the government wasted millions building facilties there it would have at least recouped some of that - without disrupting all of Sydney.

Good on yers, gals, I think I get the picture.

Who's manning the long-range pie-and-sauce mortars ?

Not sure, but here's an important news bulletin...

www.smh.com.au - When I met Dubya, he did his noodle


Tethys (Your USPOL reporter locked down in Sydney)

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

It'd be difficult and rather foolish for Bush to not meet with Kevin Rudd. Pretty much everyone in the country - even the radically vehement pro-Howard media supporters, eg Andrew Bolt - are now calling for Howard to go, saying that he is heading towards political annihilation. The Liberal party caused a minor scuffle this morning as they tried to prevent cameras being taken into the meeting between Rudd and Bush as they don't want to lend any leadership photo opportunities to Rudd. The cameras are allowed in though.

It's interesting that Howard is now about to become only the second Prime Minister in Australia's history to go full-term (after Sir William McMahon). He seems more and more like the spoilt child who doesn't want to give up his favourite toy. EVERY poll over the last year hasn't just shown a Labor lead, but a landslide Labor lead. All of the polls over the last two months have shown that if an election were held now, then not only would the Govt lose power in one of the biggest landslide losses ever, but Howard would lose his seat, as would 12 of his ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer (our equivalent to Secretary of State), the Environment Minister and Immigration Minister. Even Howard's Deputy Peter Costello, who was thought to hold one of the Libs safest seats would now struggle to hold his seat (although he'd probably retain it, it would swing dramatically to a ultra-marginal seat).

Heya Tethys, perhaps you could share with us what it's like to live in the West's version of the Iron Curtain this week? I'm sure some of the members of the Forum would be interested to know about the fence that has been constructed in the CBD and how workers and residents are banned from entering certain parts of the city, etc. How has it affected you?

Well, Noah, this is going to be one mega whinge!

Last Saturday, I woke up to the news that the fence was going to start being erected, with traffic and public transport disrupted around Circular Quay, where I’d planned to meet two friends to go to Manly by ferry. Phone calls to the info line gave us two different stories about what this would involve. So we decided to meet elsewhere, and just make our way to Circular Quay by what ever means we could find. Since one of my friends is in a wheelchair, this involved catching a train southward to Central, so we could go back northward to Circular Quay. Don’t ask!

So that bloody 'Rabble-proof fence' is made of concrete, steel and wire and is five kilometres long, dividing the city by enclosing much of the northern end of the CBD, the Opera House, Circular Quay and the Botanical Gardens, in short, the most beautiful part of the city, in an exclusion zone. Taking pics of the fence is a no-no. Yes, the fence is ugly and makes people think we are in Berlin or Baghdad.

At the weekend, when APEC gets down to serious business, most of the rail stations on the City Circle route will be shut down. There have already been lots of road closures, as well as traffic lanes turned into freeways, preventing residents in many areas from using street parking.

One of Sydney’s pubs almost ran out of beer because delivery trucks are not authorised to park in the city.

Friday has been declared a bonus public holiday for greater Sydney, which means that I had to cancel two appointments I had for that day. Small businesses are hit hardest by the day off costs and lost trading.

You know that Australians are truly cheesed-off, when even getting a Friday off does not soothe them!

Fighter jets and army and police helicopters patrol the sky.

Snipers are perched on top of buildings, including, I believe, in the building where I live, which is in one of the “target” areas. Now, the other day, I was getting dressed in my room, when I heard voices calling out lewd remarks. Normally, no one can see through my window, which is protected by a net curtain and a fly screen, and not in a direct line of view from my neighbours. These blokes must have been on the roof, with binoculars or whatever, and must have been bored with watching out for terrorists.

The $1 coin the Mint was to issue to commemmorate the Surf Lifesavers has been tossed, to be replaced by an APEC coin. Don’t worry, though. It won’t have John or George on it. This morning on ABC Radio Fran made a slip of the tongue and said “George Howard”! Haha!

The Icebergs can’t have their morning dip, and the Festival of the Wind had to be cancelled, because Mrs Howard and the APEC ladies want to have lunch at Bondi.

We won’t be allowed to go watch the fireworks over the harbour.

I want to quote a short letter published in this morning’s Sydney Morning Herald, which I think captures the mood of Sydneysiders so well:

Tethys (Your USPOL reporter locked down in Sydney)

__________________
-- Harry S. Truman

Out of curiosity, do you assign any responsibility to the protesters who have in the past become violent and made security such a serious concern?

Look at the G8 / WTO / World Bank protests. I think you can understand why people would be concerned.

Matt

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De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum