[naturalman1975]

Reading this, consider that Bob Hawke was one of Australia's most socialist Prime Ministers - and he began his time as Prime Minister in a situation where the leaders of our traditional allies were Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, so he had little in common with them. Yet, even he understood the importance of our treaties and what those treaties mean in a way that modern socialists seem to have a hard time understanding (well, with the occasional important exception like Tony Blair).

[Doug Loss]

So why don't the Aussies just annex NZ? It's not as though they could resist...oh, I know, who wants them?

[garyhope]

" New Zealand was the safest place in the world"

Yes, because it's a naive, elitist little island out in the middle of nowhere, it doesn't do anything, except raise sheep, takes no risks and nobody gives a damn about it.

When the Chinese or Islamofascists invade what will they do? How and what will they defend themselves with. It's so very brave of them to declare a no nuke policy. So what?

New Zealand is meaningless.

[Malesherbes]

Very interesting article. Australia under John Howard is a good and principled ally. In that respect the less said about New Zealand....

[Billthedrill]

I shall decline to speak ill of the dead, and so I shall say nothing of Mr. Lange beside the fact that "poseur" describes him perfectly. Anti-Americanism was, for him, the same easy out as it was in the Philippines for a set of like-minded demagogues. It doesn't take any particular courage to demand that a guest leave knowing that the guest will scrupulously honor it. It takes even less integrity to misrepresent that as a mighty victory over a giant.