Scott Morrison spent his weekend at the G20 looking friendless and uncomfortable.
Then he headed to the COP26 talks in Glasgow, where he was expecting an icy reception over his government’s stance on climate.
“I’m not going to cop sledging at Australia,” the prime minister said yesterday. But cop it he may have to.
The weeks since the announcement of the AUKUS deal in September have encapsulated the tactlessness which has characterised the Morrison government’s approach to foreign policy. Now French President Emmanuel Macron has called him a liar. US President Joe Biden threw him under a bus. Our Pacific neighbours don’t take Australia’s net zero target seriously, and the less said about the China relationship the better.
Here’s a look at how Morrison has soured relations with allies, and whether he has any friends left.
AUKUS powers
France Morrison and Macron had their first phone call since the French submarine contract was abruptly torn up in September. Macron says Morrison lied about the state of the submarine contract. The relationship is not in good shape and will take a while to mend.
European Union France is an influential EU member, and the AUKUS falling out hurt Australia’s reputation among the bloc. There’s also a feeling in Europe that Australia isn’t pulling its weight on climate. Negotiations for a free trade agreement have been delayed until February.
United States Morrison’s relationship with the Trump administration was always a little too close for comfort. While a change in the guard wasn’t going to seriously disturb the ANZUS alliance, Biden’s claim that the Americans thought France knew about the end of the French Naval Group’s contract seriously challenges Australia’s account.
The neighbours
New Zealand The Kiwis are supposedly our greatest mates, but Morrison’s relationship with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been tetchy at times. In 2020, there was the joint press conference in front of the Opera House where she attacked Morrison for deporting New Zealanders convicted of crimes. She’s also criticised Australia’s climate policy, warning the Morrison government “must answer to the Pacific”.
Pacific Islands Ardern has a point. Countries which are on the coalface of the climate crisis have never warmed to the Morrison government’s stance. Pacific leaders have repeatedly pushed him to adopt a more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target.
“It’s no secret we expect more from Australia,” Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama said at Glasgow, days after welcoming Morrison’s net zero pledge. Micronesia’s President David Panuelo says Australia’s net zero target was “somewhat hollow”.
Asked last week whether he’d left the Pacific under threat to appease the Nationals, Morrison lashed out: “I actually just don’t accept the premise of your question at all. I think you’re wrong.”
Indonesia Another key neighbour Morrison has pissed off more than once. The first was over his impulsive thought bubble (influenced by Donald Trump) about moving the Israel embassy to Jerusalem. That delayed an economic partnership with Indonesia. More recently AUKUS led Indonesian President Joko Widodo to cancel a meeting with Morrison, raising concerns about an arms race in the region, which are shared by neighbouring Malaysia.
The superpower
China The China relationship was deteriorating well before Morrison became prime minister but his unilateral demand for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus last year accelerated the death spiral and was met with trade sanctions. Now senior ministers and public servants talk openly of war with a country whose military might dwarfs ours.
The … friends?
United Kingdom Good old England. Morrison loves to talk up his “good mateship” with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Despite Britain’s far greater ambition on climate, Johnson called Australia’s net zero pledge “heroic”.
“Boris understands Australia,” Morrison said last week.
India Morrison loves to make a big show of his friendship with India’s conservative Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially on social media where he likes to show his counterpart pictures of curries he’s made. Modi returns the online bromance, and at Glasgow posted his own chummy picture with Morrison. Modi wouldn’t be one to criticise Morrison’s lack of climate ambition. In Glasgow, he announced India would reach net zero emissions by 2070, the last big emitter to get there.
Scott Morrison…the Australian PM most likely to drag Australia into a war with their mates. The man is not a leader, he is a dangerous menace who must be removed. It will take years to rebuild Australia’s reputation both domestically and internationally.
Oops! against their mates not “with”.
No,” with” is an unconscious take on what Lying Nasty PartyPM, from Menzies though to Howard, who were very keen to march off lock step into US military adventures wasting the blood and treasure of the C of A, from The Viet Nam Farrago, to The Afghan Imbroglio and on into The Iraq Fiasco, which then led into The Da’esh Disaster. none in fact in the defence of Australia
Morrison said ” I have thick skin” only thing think on that body is the lump of mest on top of shoulders!
Morrison is as bad as that hillbilly Barnaby. A major reason for the foreign mistakes has been the LNP disregard for the experience and expertise of DFAT. Scomo and Angus Taylor ignore DFAT, and Marise Payne is too weak to push DFAT to be included in discussions prior to making bold statements regarding China, Submarines, France or COP26.
I think DFAT has been hollowed out.
He has been Teflon coated by the fossil fuel loobby industry
try lobby
Eric, no need for a correction. ‘Loobby’ works perfectly well as a portmanteau; as in the fossil fuel ‘loopy lobby’ system.
Thanks Wheretonow
Our PM. At best a failed advertising hack, at worst one of the worlds least trusted leaders as we battle climate change. How much of his decision-making or lack of it is based on his religious beliefs. ls our PMs judgment clouded by a belief that God will solve the problems and we can continue to deny current science and pray for miraculous new scientific advances to offset the greedy fossil fuel industry..
God will not help the PM and the problem of climate change will not be solved by magic in six days We need leadership not smirking deception and more spin.
When you think about it God, if S/He did try to save the planet the $$billions the LNP are
giving to the polluters will sure get in the way, especially with all the new mines, fracking
and off shore drilling Morrispin’s lot are allowing.
Don’t believe for a second that his decisions are based on his religious beliefs. He is focused on doing whatever is necessary to remain in power. Everything that he does — buying votes, telling lies, etc. — are all focused on staying in power. Full stop.
he sure can piss off other Nations. however not as badly as he pisses off sensible Australians
In my case he really causes my piss to boil. On top of everything else, he’s a health hazard..
Morrison is a mistake. He fumbles, bumbles about with no idea and/ or no clue, he drags Australia down and makes this country a joke ( by) his ineptitude.
Of course he has hus supporters and ppl who believe him holier than thou ( I think he believes that himself) but as he trips at each hurdle, as he missteps on every issue, he then tries to invoke HIS belief that ut is in interest of Australia.
And just as a foot note to this ” failed” sub deal with France, did Morrisons friend, the one who set up the contract ever return the money that he was paid to do thar deal thst was not done.
The Australian ( Murdoch rag) is out there saying all manner of things about how Macron knew and how Macrin said this and that, why foes that not suprise me from a rag like the Australian!
This should be really taken in longer context than 24 hour news cycle. Where in it is in fact collective Australian culpiity coming home to roost for letting such a pathogenic ‘leader’ thrive in a debased utterly corruot political system. He maintained a political modus operandi of dishonesty and complete secrecy to get where he has got! The bodies are everywhere! Burnt to death at Nauru by people driven to despair! It is his enablers that concern me! There is poison in the system here obvious now to the world but locals do not see or able to comprehend…!!
Agree entirely, everything else this incompetent has done has been raked over like the coals of the Las bushfire we had here ( Morrison in Byron Hawaii) you can list his incompetence on a scale that is incomprehensible.
But this last one shows how low he has sank and tries to hide behind a mask that involves rest of country ..He is incompetent
“For evil to triumph it must show a kind face”.
Watch Morrison’s face go slack, then the left lip droops at the corner and he gazes off into the middle distance.
At this point the lies become poisonous and then he makes baseless accusations to distract from the subject being lied about. (You lot were taking selfies with him(Macron) or (I wouldn’t stand there making accusations when there a sexual harassment case in your workplace regarding a journo and a Ladies bathroom). Neither claim was true, just expedient and meant to throw the journalists off.
Really if it wasn’t so important to our entire society ,our situation could be written up as a farce.
In perspective with a strong and wealthy country at the end of the earth, which both strategically and economically we need good secure allies.
We currently have a lazy man, addicted to secrets and not being accountable as our Prime Minimal.
He really just wants to live at Kirribilli house and is unwilling to read briefing note and charges around making enemies of our allies. Neither Biden or Macron can now stand him and Boris got a good laugh at the expense of the French.
Is a mythical superpower from above pulling the coal hugging failed advertising hacks strings? Has the superpower backed a loser? Does the failed advertising hack realise 2030 is eight years and two months away?
We need to use existing knowledge not wait for more miracles and we desperately need a Leader if we are going to get out of the sxxt we are in because of a lack of leadership
He’s doing enormous damage to the country – whilst much of it has been domestic, this is now majorly flowing over internationally. Expect the jingoism to blow beyond 11 in the coming months. And with the media’s help, it will work.
Whilst Labor was still thinking that at least defence/foreign relations was somewhat bi-partisan, they should now concede that there’s nothing, just absolutely nothing that this mob won’t do if they feel they can score political points and they need to start acting on it. Or, as Morrison calls it, it’s been “partisanised”. The coalition is heading full blown GOP now.