I don’t miss you, Johnny

Did you see the stuff Howard was spouting in an address to American conservatives the other day? (Text of speech)

… his most bitter remarks were reserved for those seeking to unwind his WorkChoices legislation
…
Mr Howard also attacked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s decision to withdraw combat troops from Iraq as “naive and dangerous”.

And also:

And he’s back to his old suspicions of global warming, which has “become a new battleground. The same intellectual bullying and moralising, used in other debates, now dominates what passes for serious dialogue on this issue”.
…
There was praise of Ronald Reagan and “that other great warrior in our cause, Margaret Thatcher”

Jeez. I’m glad we voted out the smegger.

Interestingly, he doesn’t appear to have talked about his important role in strengthening Australia’s gun laws. Maybe that wouldn’t have gone down so well. Also interesting that he tries to credit the end of the Cold War to Ronald Reagan’s building-up of US forces in the 1980s. Talk about historical revisionism — it was economics, and the Soviets wanting Western aid and investment that brought down the Wall.

Of course, in some people’s eyes the shine has gone off Rudd, but his biggest sin is something he hasn’t actually done, or said he’d do: scrapping the Carers’ and Seniors’ bonuses… But the Seniors Bonus was clearly flagged as a once-off payment last year. The Carer’s Bonus was also meant originally to be once-off. Frankly, I would scrap them — and replace them with something means-tested, aimed at giving those who need it more money, and giving those who don’t need help nothing. Fund food, clothes and rent, not plasma TVs and luxury cars.