Tony Abbott Carrying On Up the Khyber

"Abbott's politics [at Oxford, 1981-83] stood out: 'He loved Maggie Thatcher,' says Crowe. 'He was even more conservative than he is now.' In May 1982, 6 days after the British sinking of the Argentinian warship General Belgrano, with 323 killed, an Oxford demonstration took place against Thatcher's military campaign in the Falklands. Hundreds of chanting students and locals, led by chained figures made up as corpses, converged on the Martyrs' Memorial, a traditional gathering place for protesters. Abbott hurriedly scraped together a dozen fellow rightwingers from Queen's, rushed to the memorial, and mounted a counter-demonstration in favour of the British war effort. Provocatively, he stood beside the peace protesters, one hand in his pocket, bellowing pro-Thatcher slogans... After Oxford... he travelled the length of Africa, vaguely pursuing an interest in the British empire and Cecil Rhodes in particular..." (Tony Abbott at Oxford: fighter, networker, Thatcherite, Andy Beckett, The Guardian, 16/8/13)

For an earlier manifestation of Abbott's barracking for the White Man as he hammers the Brown, see my 13/9/12 post Greg & Tony Do Monash.

PS: Just read this in Mike Carlton's column in today's SMH. Enjoy:

"At this point Abbott abruptly changes the topic, throwing up some ideas on stopping the boats and negotiating with the Indonesians, a task he says he is looking forward to but admits won't be easy. 'It's not the Indons' fault they're not in the Anglosphere,' he says. 'They're natives. Rice farmers. Different. You and I grew up with Enid Blyton and Biggles, Winston Churchill and their finest hour, the smack of leather on willow at Lords. I can still remember the thrill of waving a union jack at the Queen for the first time on the 1963 Royal Tour. But your Indonesians don't have any of that." (Don't quote me, says Tony, but maaate...)

I'd be substituting Cecil Rhodes though for Winston Churchill. The latter's a tad too contemporary for the likes of Tony Abbott.

PPS: But there's more! Here's Abbott's old maaate, the "suppository of all wisdom," Greg (Jerusalem Prize) Sheridan, writing in today's Australian Weekend Review. There's really nothing quite like a virile, thrusting Anglosphere to turn these guys on:

"It is easy to be nostalgic for for Edwardian England, notwithstanding its many social injustices. It was an attractive, orderly yet liberalising time, the last time, perhaps, when England was young. By the 1950s, England is much less attractive, the global role is disappearing, the atmosphere all rationing and awkward narrowness, the long grumpiness of English politics just getting going. But America in the 40s and 50s is immensely attractive. It is beginning to feel its oats as a great power, the sense of destiny and purpose is palpable." (The Forum)