FormerAustralianPrimeMinisterTonyAbbottImpersonatesWillFerrellImpersonatingGeorgeWBush

From:SociallyEngineered-http://goo.gl/WXd7EtTranscript of former primeminister TonyAbbott's address to the SecondAnnualMargaretThatcherLectureinLondononOctober27,2015.I am both honoured and humbled to give this lecture in memory of MargaretThatcher, who revivedthe "great" in Great Britain and whose leadership was thegoldstandardtowhichsomanyothershavesubsequentlyaspired.Shewas, indeed, the longest servingBritishprimeminister sinceWalpole;but shewassomuchmorethanjustanelection-winner.A "mind-the-shop" conservative she most emphatically was not. She didn't justrespondtoevents;sheshapedthem;and,insodoing,shechangedBritainandshechangedtheworld.

It'struethattheworldshehelpedtocreate:ofrisingprosperityalmosteverywheredriven by freermarkets; of declining international tension under benign Americanleadership; and of increasingdemocratic pluralism inspired by the collapse ofcommunism,nowseemsafadingdream–butwe,heradmirers,areheretoimprovethingsnottolamentthem.Obviously,thedefeatofStephenHarper'sgovernment inCanada isabitterblow–buthechangedhiscountryforthebetterandheprovedthatconservativescanwinelectionsnotoncebutthreetimesrunning.In this audience, some may be disappointed that my own prime ministership inAustralialastedtwoyearsafterremovingLaborfromoffice–butasLordMelbourneissupposedtohavesaid"tobetheQueen'sfirstminister(even)forthreemonthsisadamnfinething".SetagainstthedecisivevictoryoftheCamerongovernmenthere–helpedbyLyntonCrosby–andJohnKey'sthirdstraightwininNewZealand,recentdevelopmentsarehardlytheeclipseofconservatism,moretheebbandflowofpolitics.ThelessonofMargaretThatcher'slifeisthatstrongleaderscanmakeadifference;thatwhat'simpossibletodaymaybealmostinevitabletomorrow;andthatoptimismis always justified whilegood people are prepared to "have a go", as we say inAustralia.Iwasastudent,atOxford,atthetimeoftheFalklandsWar.IrecalltheshockBritonsfelt at theArgentine invasion and their visceral determination to reverse it. Iremember thrilling to EnochPowell's parliamentary admonition that, by herresponse,the"ironlady's"truemettlewouldsoonbejudged–becauseIsensedthatshewouldnotletusdown.AndInowknow,courtesyofCharlesMoore'ssplendidbiography,howtheresponsecouldsoeasilyhavebeenhand-wringingandimpotentappealstotheUnitedNationshadMrsTnotseizeduponamilitaryplanbroughttoherbyarelativelyjuniorofficer.Thatwastheessenceofhergreatness:onthethingsthatmattered,sherefusedtobelievethatnothingcouldbedoneandwouldworkrelentlesslytosetthingsright.Shebelieved inBritain– in itshistory, in its institutionsand in itsvalues–and,byactingonherbeliefs,shehelpedotherstobelieveaswell.She refused to accept thepost-war consensus thatBritain's greatdayswereover.She instinctivelyrejected government-knows-best approaches to running theeconomyandtomanagingsociety.Andshewasconvincedthattheworldwasmorelikely toprosper ifBritainwasa seriouscountrywithaglobal role rather than justanotherprovinceintheunitedstatesofEurope.She inheritedaBritainthatwas inrapideconomicandstrategicdecline;and left itthemostdynamiceconomyinEurope,andtheUnitedStates'principalglobalally.

OnSovietmissilesaimedatEurope,shedidn'tseenuclearannihilationtobeavertedat all cost butan evil empire to be shown that aggressionwould not pay.On theFalklands,shedidnotseeanArgentine grievance to be negotiated but a monstrous violation of Britishsovereignty. On councilhouses, she did not see a government service but aneglectedassetthatwouldbetterbelookedafterbyowner-occupierstakingprideintheirownhomes.Shedidn't seeunionsprotectingworkers somuchasbullying theiremployers intobankruptcy. Shedidn't see state-owned enterprises as "national champions" somuchasanendlessburdenontaxpayers.Therewas amoral dimension and an intellectual clarity thatmade her a hero toliberal-conservativeseverywhere, rather than simply another successful politician.ToThatcher,theprimeministershipwasn'taboutholdingoffice;itwasaboutgettingthingsdone.Itwasn'taboutachievingconsensus;itwasaboutdoingtherightthing.It'susuallypresumptuoustoinvokethegloriousdeadinsupportofcurrentpolicy–butyourinvitationtogivethislecturesuggeststherewasatleastahintofThatcherabout my government inAustralia: stopping the flow of illegal immigrant boatsbecause a country that can't control itsborders starts to lose control of itself; therepeal of the carbon tax that was socialism masqueradingas environmentalism;budgetrepairsothatwithinfiveyears,theAustraliangovernmentwillonceagainbeliving within its means; the free trade agreements with our biggest markets toincreasecompetition andmake it fairer; the royal commission into corrupt unionbosses;anevenstrongeralliancewiththeUnitedStatesandareadinesstocalloutRussiafortheshootingdownofacivilianairliner.But, like all driven people, Margaret Thatcher was more interested in the nextproblemthanthelastone.Today,webesthonourherlifeandlegacybybringingthesame tough-mindedness to theproblems of our time that she brought to theproblemsofhers.Parliamentary democracy and the rule of law; "freedom broadening slowly downfromprecedenttoprecedent";thenotionofcivilisationasatrustbetweentheliving,the dead and the yet-to-be-born:this was the heritage she'd been elected topreserveandstrengthen.Her focus – were she still with us – would be the things of most consequence:managing thenation-changing, culture-shiftingpopulation transfersnow impactingonEurope;winning the fight in Syriaand Iraqwhich is helping todrive them; andassertingWesterncivilisationagainstthechallengeofmilitantIslam.

Naturally,thesafetyandprosperitythatexistsalmostuniquelyinWesterncountriesis an irresistiblemagnet. These blessings are not the accidents of history but theproduct of values painstakinglydiscerned and refined, and of practices carefullycultivatedandreinforcedoverhundredsofyears.Implicitlyorexplicitly,theimperativeto"loveyourneighbourasyouloveyourself"isattheheartofeveryWesternpolity.Itexpressesitselfinlawsprotectingworkers,instrongsocialsecuritysafetynets,andinthereadinesstotakeinrefugees.It'swhatmakesusdecentandhumanecountriesaswellasprosperousones,but–rightnow–thiswholesomeinstinctisleadingmuchofEuropeintocatastrophicerror.Allcountriesthatsay"anyonewhogetsherecanstayhere"arenowinperil,giventhescaleofthepopulationmovementsthatarestartingtobeseen.Therearetens–perhaps hundreds – ofmillionsof people, living in poverty anddangerwhomightreadilyseektoenteraWesterncountryiftheopportunityisthere.Who could blame them? Yet no country or continent can open its borders to allcomerswithoutfundamentallyweakeningitself.ThisistheriskthatthecountriesofEuropenowrunthroughmisguidedaltruism.On a somewhat smaller scale, Australia has faced the same predicament andovercome it. The firstwaveof illegal arrivals toAustraliapeakedat4000peopleayear, back in 2001, before the Howardgovernment first stopped the boats: byprocessing illegalarrivalsoffshore;bydenyingthempermanentresidency;and inahandfulofcases,byturningillegalimmigrantboatsbacktoIndonesia.Thesecondwaveof illegalboatpeoplewasrunningat therateof50,000ayear–and rising fast – byJuly 2013, when the Rudd government belatedly reversed itsopposition to offshore processing; andthenmy government started turning boatsaround, even using orange lifeboats when peoplesmugglers deliberately scuttledtheirvessels.It's now 18 months since a single illegal boat has made it to Australia. Theimmigrationdetentioncentreshave-all-but-closed;budgetcostspeakingat$4billionayearhaveended;and–bestofall–therearenomoredeathsatsea.That'swhystopping the boats and restoring border security is theonly truly compassionatethingtodo.Because Australia once more has secure borders and because it's the Australiangovernment ratherthan people smugglers that now controls our refugee intake,therewasmassivepublicsupportformygovernment'sdecision,justlastmonth,toresettle 12,000 members of persecuted minoritiesfrom the Syrian conflict – percapita,thebiggestresettlementcontributionthatanycountryhasmade.

Now,whileprimeminister,Iwasloathtogivepublicadvicetoothercountrieswhosesituations aredifferent; but because people smuggling is a global problem, andbecauseAustraliaistheonlycountrythathassuccessfullydefeatedit–twice,underconservativegovernments–ourexperienceshouldbestudied.InEurope,aswithAustralia,peopleclaimingasylum–invariably–havecrossednotoneborderbutmany;andarenolongerfleeinginfearbutarecontractinginhopewithpeoplesmugglers.Howeverdesperate,almostbydefinition,theyareeconomicmigrantsbecausetheyhadalreadyescapedpersecutionwhentheydecidedtomoveagain.Ourmoral obligation is to receivepeople fleeing for their lives. It's not toprovidepermanentresidencytoanyoneandeveryonewhowouldratherliveinaprosperousWestern country than theirown. That's why the countries of Europe, whileabsolutely obliged to support the countriesneighbouring the Syrian conflict, aremore-than-entitledtocontroltheirbordersagainstthosewhoarenolongerfleeingaconflictbutseekingabetterlife.Thismeansturningboatsaround,forpeoplecomingbysea.Itmeansdenyingentryat the border,for people with no legal right to come; and it means establishingcampsforpeoplewhocurrentlyhavenowheretogo.Itwillrequiresomeforce;itwillrequiremassivelogisticsandexpense;itwillgnawatourconsciences – yet it is the only way to prevent a tide of humanity surgingthroughEuropeandquitepossiblychangingitforever.We are rediscovering the hardway that justice temperedbymercy is an exactingidealastoomuchmercyforsomenecessarilyunderminesjusticeforall.TheAustralianexperienceproves that theonlyway todissuadepeople seeking tocome from afar isnot to let them in. Working with other countries and withinternational agencies is important but theonlyway to stop people trying to gainentryisfirmlyandunambiguouslytodenyit–outofthemoraldutytoprotectone'sownpeopleandtostampoutpeoplesmuggling.So it's good that Europe has now deployed naval vessels to intercept peoplesmuggling boats in theMediterranean – but as long as they're taking passengersaboard rather than turning boats aroundand sending them back, it's a facilitatorratherthanadeterrent.Some years ago, before the Syrian conflict escalated; extended into Iraq; andmetastasisedintotheungovernedspacesofLibya,Yemen,NigeriaandAfghanistan,Igotintotroubleforurgingcautioninafightthatwas"baddiesversusbaddies".

Now that a quarter of amillionpeoplehavebeen killed, sevenmillionpeople areinternally displacedand four million people are destitute outside its borders andconsideringcomingtoEurope,theSyrianconflictistoobigandtooramifyingnottobeeveryone'sproblem.TheriseofDaeshhasturneditintoafightbetweenbadandworse:theAssadregimewhosebrutalityistheIslamicStatedeathcult'schieflocalrecruiter;andacaliphateseekingtoexportitsapocalypticversionofIslamrightaroundtheworld.Given the sheer scaleof thehorrorunfolding in Syria, IraqandeverywhereDaeshgainsafoothold–thebeheadings,thecrucifixions,themassexecutions,thehurlingoffhighbuildings, thesexualslavery–and itsperverseallureacross theglobe, it'sstrikinghowlittlehasbeendonetoaddressthisproblematitssource.The United States and its allies, including Britain and Australia, have launchedairstrikesagainstthiswould-beterroristempire.We'vehelpedtocontainitsadvancein Iraq but we haven't defeated itbecause it can't be defeated without moreeffectivelocalforcesontheground.Everyone should recoil from an escalating air campaign, perhaps with Westernspecialforcesonthegroundaswellastrainers, inapartoftheworldthat'ssuchawitches'brewofdangerandcomplexityandwherenothingeverhasahappyending– yet as Margaret Thatcher so clearlyunderstood over the Falklands: those thatwon'tusedecisiveforce,whereneeded,endupbeingdictatedtobythosewhowill.Ofcourse,noAmericanorBritishorAustralianparentshouldfacebereavementinafight far away –butwhat is the alternative? Leaving anywhere, even Syria, to thecollective determination of Russia,Iran and Daesh should be too horrible tocontemplate.That's why it's a pity that the recent UN leaders' week summit was solely aboutcountering violentextremism – which everyone agrees involves working withMuslim communities – and not aboutdealing much more effectively with thecaliphatethat'snowthemostpotentinspirationforit.Ofcourse,thechallengeofmilitantIslamneedsmorethanamilitarysolution–butpeople do haveto be protected against potential genocide. Of course, you can'tarrestyourwaytosocialharmony–buthomegrownterrorismdoesneedastrongsecurity response.Of course, theoverwhelmingmajorityofMuslimsdon't supportterrorism–butmanystill thinkthatdeathshouldbethepunishment forapostasy.Of course, the true meaning of Islam is a matter for Muslims to resolve –buteveryone has a duty to support and protect those decent, humaneMuslims whoacceptculturaldiversity.

Lookingaroundtheglobe,it'smanyyearssinceproblemshaveseemedsodauntingandsolutionslessclear.Yettheworsethetimesandthehigherthestakes,thelessmatterscanbeleftinthetoohardbasket.Morethanever,Westerncountriesneedthe self-confidence to stand up for ourselvesand for the universal decencies ofmankindlesttheworldrapidlybecomeamuchworseplace.Like the countries of Europe, Australia struggles to come to terms with the localterrorismthatDaeshhasinspired.Likeyou,wearetryingtocontainDaeshfromtheairwhilewaiting for a Syrianstrategy toemerge.Butunlike you,wehaveat leastsolvedoneofthewickedproblemsnowafflictingEurope:wehavesecuredourownborders.Allofus,then,mustponderMargaretThatcher'sexamplewhilewewaittoseewhomightclaimhermantle.Goodvalues,clearanalysis,andado-ableplan,inourdayasinhers,aretheessentialsofthestrongleadershiptheworldneeds.

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has used a speech in London to call on European leaders to close their borders to asylum seekers or risk imperilling their nations.

Abbott used the occasion to promote the Coalition's hardline asylum seeker policies as a solution to Europe's migrant crisis, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people, mainly from the Middle East, cross into the continent.

The former PM urged regional leaders to act by "turning around boats [and] denying entry at the border for people with no right to come"

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