PM’s Trump call makes waves but Yanks can’t pronounce his name
And One Nation leader and senator Pauline Hanson set to conquer the Wild, Wild West.
The fallout from the Trump-Turnbull phone call continues, David Crowe on The Australian website, yesterday:
Australia’s alliance with the US has hit its lowest point in decades, in a clash over a divisive refugee deal that led Donald Trump to berate Malcolm Turnbull in private before staging a public retreat from the agreement.
This morning the President has said publicly that he loves Australia and will “respect” the deal, but that nations are taking advantage of the US. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Mr Trump was “unbelievably disappointed” about the “horrible deal” and that refugees will only be allowed in the US if they pass extreme vetting.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer gets the Prime Minister’s name wrong. The White House, yesterday:
The President had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Trumble … while he has respect for the Australian people and respect for Prime Minister Trumble …
Common problem. Dow Jones Newswires, January 26, 2017:
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s last name was incorrectly spelled as Turnball in the last paragraph of “China Risks Flatfooted Bid to Fill U.S. Trade Shoes,” published Jan. 24 at 4:42am. ET, and “China’s Fraught Bid to Set Agenda — WSJ”.
US President John McCain reaches out from an alternate universe to give Australia a hug. Twitter, yesterday:
#Australia is 1 of US’s oldest friends & allies — called Aus Amb to US to express my unwavering support for alliance
Our own universe’s President moves on to bigger things, CNN website, yesterday:
President Donald Trump veered off script at the start of the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday when he asked a room full of lawmakers, foreign dignitaries and religious leaders to pray for Arnold Schwarzenegger so that ratings of his show — NBC’s “The Apprentice” -- would go up.
Is Pauline Hansion welcome now, Prime Minister? News.com.au, May 31, 2016:
“Pauline Hanson is, as far as we are concerned, not a welcome presence in the Australian political scene,” he said.
Because she’s going to be Queen of WA, sorry. The Australian, yesterday:
Support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is soaring across Western Australia ahead of next month’s state election, in a dramatic shift that could deliver it lower house seats and help the Labor Party win government ... One Nation’s share of the statewide primary vote soared from 3 per cent to 13 per cent, making it more likely the party will hold the balance of power in the upper house.
A Lib-One Nation preference deal in the works? Colin Barnett in The West Australian, November 27, 2016:
“I think a number of commentators have made the point that the One Nation party of today is not the One Nation party of the 1990s,” Mr Barnett said.
Malcolm Turnbull is fine with a One Nation deal, he guesses, whatever. The National Press Club, Wednesday:
The preference allocation is a matter for party divisions and in a State Election, it’s a matter for the WA division and the Premier.
And Greens senator Nick McKim didn’t like our poll showing 48 per cent of Australians want to change 18c. Parliamentary Inquiry into Freedom of Speech in Australia, Tuesday:
Faced with a myriad of legitimate targets for a genuine freedom of speech campaign, the IPA and its media acolytes in The Australian have chosen to focus on 18C.