• Queen invites Former Prime Minister John Howard into her exclusive club
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[img]http://i.imgur.com/E6GLk.png[/img] Source: [url]http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/queen-invites-john-howard-into-her-exclusive-club/story-fn59niix-1226234451392[/url] [img]http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/01/01/1226234/342319-120102-john-howard.jpg[/img] Former prime minister John Howard at his home in Sydney after receiving news of being awarded the Order of Merit in the Queen's New Year's Honours List. Picture: Jane Dempster Source: The Australian [release][B]JOHN Howard will not speculate on the Queen's decision to award him one of the highest honours in the Commonwealth but the steadfast monarchist says the pair have grown to know each other well over the past quarter of a century.[/B] The former prime minister said yesterday the announcement that he had been appointed to the Order of Merit - an exclusive club hand-picked by the Queen and limited to just 24 members - had come "out of the blue". "It is the first time this has been given to an Australian political figure and I think it is a mark of her tremendous respect for this country," he said. Mr Howard, the nation's second-longest serving prime minister after Robert Menzies, joins just eight other Australians who have been appointed to the order since it was founded by King Edward VII in 1902, including the only other living Australian on the list, the internationally renowned scientist Robert May. The order recognises distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature or the promotion of culture. Current members include former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, playwright Tom Stoppard, wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, former Canadian prime minister Jean Cretien and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee. Former South African president Nelson Mandela is an honorary member. Past recipients include Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill, actor Laurence Olivier, writers Henry James, Thomas Hardy, Graham Greene and Ted Hughes and Australians Howard Florey, Sidney Nolan and Joan Sutherland. Mr Howard said today he was conscious of the “eminent Australians” who had received the appointment before him. “That adds to the quality of it as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I respect the contribution that each of those men and women have made to not only the lives of Australians but the lives of the world and the excellence they have displayed in each of their individual fields.” The award is a personal gift of the Queen and does not form part of the imperial honours system, abolished in Australia by the Hawke government in 1986. Menzies, Mr Howard's political hero, also received personal honours from the Queen, being appointed to the Order of the Thistle and to the ceremonial office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. "He was a staunch supporter of the monarchy in a different period and different style," Mr Howard said. "But that is the remarkable thing about the Queen - she will have been on the throne 60 years on February 6 this year and Menzies was prime minister when she came to the throne." Mr Howard said he recalled her 1952 coronation. "I was at Canterbury Boys High, in my second year at high school," he said, backing her to beat Queen Victoria's 63-year reign. Mr Howard - appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours lists - said he would not "presume to speculate" about the reasons for the award. But he noted that since meeting the Queen when he was opposition leader, at the opening of the new Parliament House in Canberra in 1988, "we have got to know each other very well".He had made it a practice to visit the Queen whenever he was in London, and there had been many meetings on Commonwealth matters. The referendum over the republic was a key moment in the relationship between Australia and the monarchy under his prime ministership. "I've never hidden my support for the constitutional monarchy as part of the good governance of Australia." He said the Queen was "absolutely proper" during the referendum. "It was realised both by the palace and by my office and me that this was an important event in the history of the relations between the two countries. "Her position was the very correct one - that as a totally independent country, it was entirely a matter for Australia and Australians - but she would have, I'm sure, been disappointed if the referendum had gone the other way." Mr Howard's office had collaborated with Buckingham Palace over what would be said, depending upon the outcome. Another point of close contact with the Queen was over Zimbabwe, with him heading a "troika" with then South African president Thabo Mbeki and Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo to assess the fairness of Zimbabwean elections, which led to the country's suspension from the Commonwealth. "After a meeting I chaired in 2002, I called to see the Queen to brief her. She's incredibly well briefed and has a remarkable interest in Commonwealth affairs." Governor-General Quentin Bryce said Mr Howard's award was a "rare and singular honour" for his service. "On behalf of all Australians, I warmly congratulate Mr Howard on receiving such a distinguished, eminent and personal award," she said. Appointments can only be made when a member dies. Mr Howard and British artist David Hockney take places left by the death last year of artist Lucien Freud and, in 2010, of Sutherland. The Queen also made Australian expatriate writer and broadcaster Clive James a Commander of the British Empire.[/release]
I'm not exactly sure whether he deserves this or not. As sleazy and as cunning as he is, he still kept Australia up semi-decently through his 12 years. The man can run a good fear campaign though.
John Howard was a lying cunt, Go to Hell
Well, John Howard did make a nice surplus for the australian treasury...compared to what our current party is doing now to that said money...
Good for him
I hated him when he was in office, now I miss him a great deal because of how bad our current leaders are I find it hard to understand why he was given this though, seeing as people like Nelson Mandela and Florence Nightingale were given it. I suppose he and the Queen would have seen quite a bit of each other though and he did foster very strong relations with the monarchy
[QUOTE=download;34004921]John Howard was a lying cunt, Go to Hell[/QUOTE] thanks for the input
John Howard was a good Prime Minister, He wasn't the best, But i only believe that because of his conservative views, I think Malcolm Turnbull will do a good job next.
He can't play cricket for shit though
[QUOTE=Pelican;34005244]thanks for the input[/QUOTE] You're welcome
he ran the country well as soon as labor got in they fucked everything up
[QUOTE=O'Neil;34004957]Well, John Howard did make a nice surplus for the australian treasury...compared to what our current party is doing now to that said money...[/QUOTE] By implementing a GST when he said he wouldn't.
Although it was dickish to lie in regard to the GST, it can only be expected of politicians. I mean, look at what Gillard originally said about a carbon tax under her administration. Also, I'm surprised. No non-Australian posters yet. What are you pussies waiting for?
He looks like my Math teacher.
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