What a perfect summary of the ills of Howard

March 2, 2026

What a brilliant summary by Crispin Hull.

I would only have added that he killed the chance of Australia becoming a republic in 2001, an achievement that most certainly would have occurred if Keating had won (assuming Howard would then, discredited, been replaced by a republican ‘Liberal’ such as Costello).

In doing so, he denied us the opportunity now, or rather, the prospect of having had a quarter century to grow up and mature in confidence, which likely would have resulted in us NOT getting involved in myriad foreign wars, not delving deeper and deeper into the ANZUS alliance which has become almost a religious idol for political leaders and we most likely would have a very independent foreign policy and no damn wasteful American submarines at $368bn for 0 boats.

No wonder my late father, a cartoonist, used to refer to him as “the Prime Miniature”.