There is a time and a place for everything. Ceremonies commemorating World War 1 (watched on by relatives of those lost in battle, current members of the armed forces and a plethera of veterans) are not the place for a balanced critique of that War. Anac Day is not appropriate either.

Soldiers don't decide to start a war. The politicians do. You can honour the sacrifice of dead soldiers without necessarily endorsing every war.

Abbott rightly did not focus on the futility of World War 1. If you read the speeches of Labor figures and their press releases about commemorating the centenary of ANZAC in Albany, the tone is exactly the same as Abbott's. So what is the author going on about?

If England was preparing for WW I for so many years then she was extraordinarily ill prepared; not so ill prepared as in WW II but....

Thank you jaylex. Thank you Bruce.

As a migrant, from Asia, I am a little encouraged that so far no one has gone to the depth of claiming that only those descended from the convicts are the true sons of this terra nullius.

It is also interesting that despite his best effort the hairy chested Abbott does not seem to have repeated the poll gains that Howard made through sending our young men into Iraq. Perhaps we are getting more mature. Or is it that war simply does not ginger us up anymore.

It is also possible that women, half our population, are more focused on the one woman a week dead in our midst at the hands of their male partner. Or that more women die in one season or two than all those who died at the hands of terrorists since Federation. And that we have spent millions, perhaps a hundred or two, in dropping bombs on ISIS, when we could not see clear to do more to help stop the real threat of Ebola.

Sleepers Wake?

chek

Chek,

".... And that we have spent millions, perhaps a hundred or two, in dropping bombs on ISIS, when we could not see clear to do more to help stop the real threat of Ebola"

When did we drop all those bombs on ISIS?

Perhaps a reference or two would be handy.

This approach is deliberately used by the Right to justify Australia's continuing involvement in foreign wars. By focusing on the individual heroism and sacrifice, they can divert attention from the politicians who sent soldiers to die, as you can't really rubbish the young men and women who go off to do what they see as their duty, however misguided they might be. It's a clever tactic and is working well at the moment. Foreign wars are also a way to divert attention from economic problems at home as Tony Abbott well knows. This is why we need to use the next four years to debunk these myths in every way we can.