Dunno what point of Loudmouth's I've proved. So far I have him down as declaring support for international law applying equally to all nations and for standing up to bullies.

Can I extend that to a belief that Australian foreign policy should adhere to the above?

And further that no nation can be accepted as "exceptional" and thereby exempt from principles of behaviour that it expects of others?

If so we're on the same page.

We'll see.

Hi Jules,

YES ! Yes, yes, yes. Precisely. Exactly. Thank you, thank you.

Best wishes,

Joe.

Dear EmperorJulian & Loudmouth,

Thank you for your pseudo intellectual comments.

Now go put your heads back in the sand and let the real thinkers work out what is happening in the world.

I think what Mr Opinion is driving at (have to guess a bit as analytical reasoning isn't his strong point) is that declaring support for international law applying equally to all nations and for standing up to bullies is “pseudo-intellectual” and irrelevant to “real thinkers” who “work out what is happening in the world.”

Maybe he accepts that there really is a nation (guess which) that “real thinkers” accept as "exceptional" and thereby exempt from principles of behaviour that it expects of others?

Or perhaps his advice is to stop all that reasoning stuff and simply become a knuckle-dragger and grunt.

Dear EmperorJulian,

The only compliment I can pay you is that I think you are as knowledgeable as an engineer. And the same goes for the great majority of people on the The Forum.

I'm not as knowledgeable as an engineer but I try to be. We all should.