"We couldn’t even vote with the courage of our convictions"

WHAT did Australians do in the face of President Trump’s bullying tactics over UN vote criticising the pre-emptive move to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem?

YOUR SAY:  What did Australia do in the face of President Trump's bullying tactics over the UN vote criticising the US's pre-emptive move to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem?

We abstained.

But even worse, Australia obviously lent on smaller Pacific nations dependant on Australian (but not US) aid with Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu also abstaining.

Obviously, our government agreed with the UN motion otherwise it would have voted "No", but we were so weak-kneed we couldn't even vote with the courage of our convictions - as did New Zealand, PNG, France, the UK, China, Russia and about 120 other nations.

As Paul Keating said late last year, "We've had more or less a tag-along foreign policy, tagging along to the United States. It's time to cut the tag".

The UN vote was an excellent opportunity for the world's countries to stand up against this self aggrandising President. But no, Australia abstained.

Absolutely time to cut the tag - both on the US and also on our do-nothing, stand for nothing, Federal Government.

CHRIS MEIBUSCH, Toowoomba
 

Originally published as "We couldn’t even vote with the courage of our convictions"