The appointment of former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott as a British trade envoy is not quite treason but certainly a further sign he has London written on his heart. Like Churchill he has striven to be a journalist, a prime minister and a soldier. This British trade job would set a new mark of Australian politicians signing on to British employment. Australia’s fourth prime minister, George Reid, served also in the House of Commons, and subsequent prime ministers Stanley Bruce and Robert Menzies were in Churchill’s war cabinet. Despite the bluster, the Putin shirtfront remained undefined, and the Russian leader – himself a practiced hand at bulldozer diplomacy – even seemed amused.

Source: The Guardian August 27, 2020 17:30 UTC