I plead guilty, any other action will be a waste as you will both devalue my views and elevate your own.
A truth should not be over looked, all views have value,some far less than others.
You got this started, in your response to no mate of mine Shadow Minister.
You claimed, in putting up this thread, he was starting a fight.
It is my view, strongly held, he reserves his fighting for the ALP.
Review your comments about me, in all our contacts, see the thought that I should see the big picture/yours.
I am aware, very much so,Greens dislike me, it is their right to.
Do I have the rights to mine?
And can I underline a truth than can not with honesty be rebutted?
More Australians, FOREVER, intensely dislike/do not trust greens than will ever vote for them.
I leave you to your own views unchalenged.

Rache and P3,

By Dec 1941 Japan had expanded it reach over most of south east Asia, Manchuria and large portions of China. It certainly needed a year or two to consolidate its positions before it was in any position to expand further. If it had not been stupid enough to tackle the USA, and lost its fleets at Coral sea and Midway, Australia would have been effectively cut off and within 12 months, the situation might have been very different.

Irrespective, Australia was spectacularly unprepared and its saving grace was its vast size and the sea separation. The army would have been soundly whipped, and was in no position to mount any defense off shore.

A powerful foe say china with a strong navy is not going to be even slowed by the military we have now. The alternatives really lie in a far stronger and better equipped conventional force, and/or a nuclear deterrent.

A emergency parachute is a complete waste of money right up until the time you need it.

SM....Australia's transparency is well known around the world and Aussies just go about there only little ways, and don't bother anyone.

If people are worried about an invasion, just go to Sydney airport or christmas island in a leaky boat...:) jokes aside SM, WA or NT is where all of our forces should be. ( in the unlikely event of invasion )
Japan's the only threat thats ever hit our shores.

"A powerful foe say china with a strong navy is not going to be even slowed by the military we have now. The alternatives really lie in a far stronger and better equipped conventional force, and/or a nuclear deterrent"

Sorry, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Who would want to invade us? 3/4 or so of our land mass is a sandy waste land. The only green strip worth anything is the eastern sea-board, and thats already filled with every race under the sun......no..your making mountains out of mole hills.....but like I said, if the Australian people are that worried, lobby the Government with the peoples concerns. SM

Australia is what Switzerland was in the II world war, and thats neutral.

What we have, wouldn't be worth the effort.

cc

"Australia is what Switzerland was in the II world war, and thats neutral."

If I was sitting in Beijing, Jakarta or any other Asian capital I don't think my view of Australia would be that its 'neutral' considering its track record in the region since WWII and its present position in the Middle East. and in the light of its stated foreign policy, US troops in the NT etc, I might think Australia was firmly in Uncle Sams Camp and a rather belligerent mob to boot. Then again those Asians never have understood "The White Mans Burden" have they and after all we are white and they are not, so easy for them to get things wrong.
SM
About our Aussie Bomb. Once the Mad Monk comes to power his first priority, well second after getting rid of the dreaded carbon tax, should be to start an Aussie Atomic Weapons Program, take a leaf out of North Korea's and Iran's book telling the World its all for peaceful purposes. We could fast track the whole program. I think the CIA will give us a hand with a few blue prints etc, a few long range missiles, perhaps. Maybe if we let our good buddy Uncle Sam post another million troops in Australia he will lets us have some old war surplus missiles he's got no more use for, could pick them up for a couple of bills. Then point our purely for defensive purposes missiles at Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur or any other place in reach where the yellow peril hang out. Then the Mad Monk can tell these not white people what he really thinks of em and their boaties. If you are in Government with the Mad Monk you will be elevated from a lowly Shadow Minister to the exalted position of Minister for Atomic Weapons and Asian Affairs, the two go hand in hand.

@Paul 1405,

<< Those Asians have never understood…>>

ROFL. What or who are “those Asians “? Asia is fragmented in a hundred different races, languages, religions and polities.
Sorry to break the news to you, but there ain’t any monolithic polity called Asia!

<<If I was sitting in Beijing, Jakarta or any other Asian capital I don't think my view of Australia would be that its 'neutral' …I might think Australia was firmly in Uncle Sams Camp and a rather belligerent mob to boot.>>

It would depend on what “Asian capital” you were in!
Were you in Seoul (South Korea) faced with a less than friendly northern neigbour, New Delhi ( India ) faced with a Pakistan intent on extending its influence in South Asia, or Dili (East Timor), Taipei ( Taiwan), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Kuwait City (Kuwait) or even Kula Lumpur (Malaysia), and had even a smidgen more knowledge of history than the average Green, you might want to use the word cooperative rather than belligerent.

However,I concede, that there would be at least one Asian capital you would most likely hear the word belligerent used a lot in relation to the US and OZ -- Tehran (Iran). Come to think of it with your politics you would fit in well there – till they learnt what you think about God & priests!(LOL)

<<Then again those Asians never have understood "The White Mans Burden" have they and after all we are white and they are not, so easy for them to get things wrong.>>

PS:I hope you are not the white races official representative … since you are doing a very great job of TRASHING the reputation/tradition/conceit --you say we have -- of Not “getting things wrong”.

SPQR

My post was some what cynical. I was commenting on the notion of 'Australian neutrality'. You said "there ain’t any monolithic polity called Asia!" and I agree.
Its my opinion that our near neighbors, both friend and foe, in no way view us as neutral. We are rightly seen as pro America and as a close alley of same.
You said "you might want to use the word cooperative rather than belligerent." By far the biggest conflict Australia has been involved in since WWII was the Vietnam War, and I hardly think Vietnam and the rest of Indochina and China itself ever viewed Australia as cooperative when it came to that particular war.
Now that America (Obama) has made it clear its intention once again is to become more involved in Asia, no doubt to counter Chinese influence in the region, Australia has once again demonstrated its 'neutrality' by allowing American troops to set up on our soil. Australia could be far more influential for good in our region if we were clearly seen as being neutral but at the present time that is out of the question.
I fail to comprehend how Australia obtaining nuclear weapons would be viewed as a friendly gesture by the likes of Indonesia, China etc, particularly if we pointed them right at em'.
p/s When you hitch your wagon to the most belligerent nation in the world, some of that belligerency may rub off. See my list of wars since WWII.