John Howard maybe will not go to Tonga?

from w
I heard shouting from the lounge room and wondered what was the matter. Junior was shouting that 'he's on every channel!'. Who? Okay, at last, at long last, John Howard has announced an election date - November 24th.

So, now will he go to Tonga for the South Pacific Forum and have a nice little chat with you-know-who from Fiji? I think not. He's in election mode and not in the mood for eating pork and palusami and huge yams for breakfast and running around Nukualofa with his bodyguards in tow. Anyway, I'm all for prime ministers trusting their foreign affairs ministers to do the work instead of traipsing off to every-which-way.

(later - on Monday) As expected Johnno will not go to the Pacific Leaders meeting, but instead, Australia will be represented by Alexander Downer - which is probably a suitable choice after all he is the Foreign Affairs man and he has a firm opinion on Fiji, though he is usually polite.