You are either drunk or insane.

What sort of idiot makes comments like:
."old ttbn simply has taken the bait", but can't explain what he means.

."can do nothing other than sprook (sic) American propaganda" and still can't say what he means.

."BUT I'm smart enough not to disappear up the arse of a shonky politician as you did. How much did that one cost you?" with no explanation, again.

."As for agreeing with AC, the reason is obvious, because he's right, I don't care what you think, you're wrong …". The reason is obvious? Because he's right? "Your wrong"? No reasons. No explanation. No proof.

The idiot Paul 1405. That's who.

It really is depressing watching the dumb Albo playing at statesman, being played like a violin by the Chinese. He is so dumb, or perhaps conceited he thinks they are taking him seriously.

If ttbn were to ask me right now if I want nuclear subs:
I'd say 'It depends'.

If we could get nuclear subs and also have a nuclear deterrent (which we wont be getting)
And we didn't have to join a defensive pact and could have our own foreign policy based on Australian not Western interests, I'd say yes definitely.
(problem then being our hawkish leaders)

But being tied to America when it's obvious they aim to escalate and cause a conflict, then the answer to anyone with any common sense should be 'no'.

America does not hold the moral righteousness in these wars.
Expect a lot more defense personnel killing themselves over time and not understanding why they were even in that war.

America does not have the industrial base to fight a war with China.
America cannot ever hope to fight China and win on their mainland.
(But China most certainly could come here)
You want to awaken a sleeping dragon?

US does not have hypersonic weapons, their ships and ours will be at the bottom of the ocean if we send them to fight a war in the Taiwan Straight.

The US uses 1 million dollar missiles to take down $10k drones.
They have fallen behind when it comes to fighting major wars.
Their military is built on profits, not effectiveness in a war of atrition with an equal military power.

The US is strong only when fighting smaller adversaries that don't have adequate air defense.

Now you are talking sense Hassy, why would China take anything an Australian government politician or official says seriously, when they know Australia is nothing more than a subservient lackey of the United States, the most belligerent and aggressive nation on earth. We have no more use to the Chinese other than a supplier of raw materials to their growing economy. Post WWII I believe Australia should have followed a nonaligned course in world affairs, rather than kowtowing as we did to the Americans. If there is a conflict over Taiwan then Australia will be sucked in as cannon fodder by the US in some phoney proxy war they will wage against the Chinese. Previously the price we have paid has not been that great, a few hundred young Australians killed, a few billion dollars on wasted militarism, and some degree of political unrest at home, this time things could be different as China exerts its power directly at Australia, then the warmongers at home might think twice!

[Cont.]
The AUKUS deal and military pact is itself a part of the escalation.
If 'coalition of the willing' partners didn't come together there would be much less chance of the US biting off more than they can chew and starting a war in the first place.

The Taiwanese people 'Republic of China' (since you don't seem to know the history) don't want independence. They have friends and family and employment in China, and most of their goods come from there.

This is about the US looking to drive a wedge and cause a conflict, just as it's doing to many of China's neighbours, because the US doesn't want to give up it's position as global ruler and hegemon.

And the US can't stay global leader forever, it just doesn't have enough people.
Look what it has done to Ukraine 150k dead.
Look at the de-industrialising of Europe, blowing up the Nordstream pipelines then setting favourable tax policies to woo those European industries to the US.

It's willing to eat it's own allies.
You want to be associated with that?
You want Australia to suffer the same fate as Europe?

US shut down the source of Europes wealth, Russian gas.
You want to shut Australia off from imports and exports with China?
That's a dumb as Europe's being lead by the nose.
- But we'd be even dumber than Europe, since we've already seen what's happened to them.

Do you care so much about Taiwan independence you are willing to start a global conflict for it?
(Keep in mind the fate of the Taiwanese will be the same as the Ukrainians, so you wont actually be helping them)

Do you care about it so much you're prepared for Australian cities to get bombed, ADF personnel killed?
Do you want to risk an invasion?

Thank goodness people like ttbn, and their democratically diverse 'klinger-army' will save us.
That's sarcasm, you don't actually think we can win do you?
You want us to play stupid games, what exactly are we going to win?

Stupid prizes are the only thing on offer.