G’DAY, ALL YOU DILLS

Howard's international eminence is in the dag (Annabel Crabb, The Age, February 6, 2005)

John Howard has always held himself out proudly as an unfashionable politician, but last weekend's performance at Switzerland's World Economic Forum revealed an ambitious extension of his talents, cementing him firmly in a new, global role: International Dag.

It takes a certain type of politician to defend America and sound a note of caution against foreign aid increases at a convention full of fashionable European politicians and rock stars holding hands, cursing George Bush and promising their surpluses to starving African children.

Not only did Mr Howard do exactly that, but he appeared to enjoy it.[...]

French President Jacques Chirac appeared by video link to outline, with Gallic aplomb, his maniacal new plan to support the Third World with the proceeds of a new global tax on air tickets, kerosene and Swiss bank accounts (the latter noticeably failing to excite the home crowd).

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder quickly endorsed the Chirac proposal, while British Chancellor Gordon Brown staged a news conference with Bono, world music star Youssou N'Dour and Australian ACTU president Sharan Burrow and issued a passionate call for 100 per cent forgiveness of Third-World debt teamed with an immediate, multi-billion-dollar increase in global foreign aid.

One could almost sense the impending release of the single.

Then Mr Howard arrived.

After switching on the lights, turning down the music and briskly fanning away the lingering suggestion of smoke from funny cigarettes, the Australian Prime Minister stoutly argued that it would just be silly to blindly increase aid or forgive debt when there were concerns about exactly where the money ends up.

Governments of developing nations, he said, had to pull their weight by sorting out their own problems with internal corruption before wealthy nations could successfully convince their own constituents to loosen the sporran strings.

Warming to his theme, the PM had a shot at the Europeans themselves, pointing out that they had no right to harp on about the US approach when the EU itself maintained trade barriers that actively harm the interests of developing nations.

This sort of talk is not fashionable; not in the least.

dag:- bits of manure that stick to the long wool around a sheep's bottom forming small dangling balls. Also a term for a funny person, nerd, goof, loser.