Mr Abbott and friendTHE burial was swift. On November 2nd Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, announced his government had removed the titles of knight and dame from among the honours that the country bestows. Tony Abbott, his predecessor, had resurrected them—40 years after they had been consigned to history as a quaint relic of Australia’s British colonial past. In their latest life, they lasted just 20 months.
Mr Turnbull unseated Mr Abbott as leader of the conservative Liberal Party, and prime minister, in mid-September, before Mr Abbott had served even a full term. The former prime minister’s fondness for British-style gongs played a big part in his downfall. He astonished Australians when he revived them early last year, without consulting his cabinet. In January, on Australia’s national holiday, he awarded a knighthood to Prince Philip (pictured), the husband of Australia’s head of state, the British queen. The press ridiculed the award as “Abbott’s knightmare”, and accused him of being completely out of touch with Australia’s egalitarian ethos.
Unlike Mr Abbott, Mr Turnbull...Continue reading
from Asia http://ift.tt/1Ss9eyR
EmoticonEmoticon