From the Skying Center. This is Paul Murray Live.
Thank you, Cherry, come on into the man Cave. We have been following tropical Cyclone Alfred for many, many days. It gets serious from now. In the second al I have plenty to say about politics, and we've got the great Nigel Farage on the show and a great back and forth, and no doubt it'll be here between Gary Hardgrave and Nicholas Rees. But I just want to send nothing but strength and love to my favorite state in the country and the many many people who are going
to be affected by this. About twenty thousand homes look like they may will end up being affected by the storm surge. It's now Noosa down to Grafton in New South Wales. Here's some of the people trying to get ready.
I think all of us come out early is to beat the rush.
Get it early and get ourselves prepared ready for what.
You know is coming.
To beat the traffic because yesterday afternoon it was chaos out here.
We're not going to leave the island.
We're staying. Bat down the hatches.
Yeah, the supermarkets had to step in today after what I told you last night, which was that there's an awful lot of people who are buying up big trying to grab things like water at the moment. Apparently Coles and Woolies have both made big announcements about that today. But here again some of the locals. Our focus always on the good people of the great state.
Toilet Paper is a big one, Milk's another, nets a bit light on.
It's COVID all over again.
Well, what is it about toilet paper?
What is it about toilet paper where people lose their brain but they do all right, Well, we smile now, but it's not going to be the case. The expectations are if we can bring that live radar up again, guys, the situation and expectation is that the green is where it has gone, the yellow is where it is now, and then where it is.
Expected to go.
As the Bureau told Sharry about an hour ago, most likely in the later hours, certainly when we're on air on Thursday day night is when this thing is going to cross. But obviously there's a lot of damage that can happen before then and after, so Thursday night is
going to be the real moment. So there is basically another full day of preparation and then some concern that rolls in that premiere is going to be trying to calm people's nerves while simultaneously telling people that this is nothing to muck around with.
We'll get through this if you do the preparation and the little things that you do now make a big difference at the back end of the system in whatever that looks like, wherever it crosses, at whatever intensity. We're asking a large part of the population in a pretty big area, in a large population to be ready.
Basically think about it, Sunny Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Northern New South Wales. That's an awful lot of people who, no doubt are nervous, certainly people that I love in an area that I look for to living in at one point in my life into the future.
But strength and love to everyone involved in a right now.
Twenty eight thousand homes, a lot of those homes which are of course very close to the coastline, very close to the canals, all of those areas up and down that particular area. The latest from sky News Weather and remember please make sky news dot com dot are you your homepage and keep checking in with them for the up to the second information.
Landfall is still expected to be between Sunjenko's and Brisbane. The leaders showing that it is still fevoring south towards Brisbane and in time for landfall. That best timing right now, happening between Thursday evening and Auvern eight into Friday morning.
Now, also a couple of things you need to know about. Normally we do this stuff after natural disasters, but there's something.
Worth talking about now and it's insurance. Okay.
We know that our mates are in the North when they were hit with floods. They're still having huge troubles at the moment when it comes to insurance companies and inevitably the you know, the mud army will be there. People will go and do their bit, But now is the time of double check about your standing.
Right now when it comes to insurance.
Suncorp one of the bigger insurers in Southeast Queensland, they are saying this one is going to be big.
We know that to be the case.
But a really great article actually popped its way up on the Courier Mail's website which I want to bring you to here, which is that you can use the power of AI to work out exactly whether you're covered or not now a lot of people think that they have a storm or flood cover but then you find out, well, the water came from this angle, not that angle, so they say use AI. Basically, you take the terms and conditions,
the really complicated part of your policy. You put it into something like a chat GPT and ask it a am I covered for? Please explain what I am not covered for? And you can maybe use the period of time between now and Thursday to make sure that everything is in place. Now again, I hope that this is all just another example about people getting it wrong, people overhyping, But the reality is you have to assume that it
is what they say it's going to be. We'll have full coverage here as it is all happening on Thursday night. We keep an eye and focus and send nothing but strength and love to the preparations of the next couple of days. But Queensland, you know how much I love you, and you know how much we are in it with you for the next couple of days and many many
years after that. So today let's again focus on how the media helped the Labour Party do its dirty work, spinning a lie, a half truth, or just trying to push a narrative. Well, today the opposition said that if you work for the federal government, it is time to come back to the office. It is now the best part of what five years since all of the COVID business meant that people weren't in the office, working from home.
All the rest of it.
And the reality is that the federal government spends undreds of millions of dollars on offices, and the alternative Prime Minister says, if you're being paid by the taxpayer, you should also be working from the place that the taxpayer is already paying.
For Australian taxpayers who are working harder than ever this government and barely keeping the head above water. I think they expect the government and the government employees to be working as hard as they are, and people refusing to go back to work in Canberra is not acceptable.
We need an efficient delivery of government services now.
Who would have a problem with this, Well, of course the Labour Party, who not only has hired a football stadium worth of brand new public servants, has given all public servants their biggest pay rise in ten years, and of course expects them all to vote for the government. Remember the whole way that the modern left works is that they want to create a triangle of dependency, one that will cover sixty seventy percent of the electorate, meaning
that they will always remain in power. This was the way in Queensland for the best part of thirty years. It has been the way in Victoria up until today, which is you either work for the government so you don't want to upset them, you don't want to upset the apple cart, or you are dependent on the government when it comes to welfare, and any suggestion that you shouldn't get more than anyone else, that of course becomes a reason to be afraid of a change of government.
Or if you're in private business, the because company is the government. Therefore you don't want to displease the government. So we know who they're playing to here. And certainly the camera bubble will always vote left, will always vote hard left, often more likely to vote green than it is to vote labor in some parts. But look at the reaction today. How for some reason, this very simple request, which is go back to where you have always worked, has been tried to be spun as some sort of
attack on women on female workers. First, the Prime Minister, with an odd take on a pretty obvious suggestion that I would imagine most Australians who don't work in the public service, well they already don't have the option of working from home. But where just the little people right the.
Coalition want public servants to be at home all the time, thirty six thousand of them, because I want to sack them. Be very clear here. So on the one hand they say you can just stay at home because those additional public servants where we've put six billion dollars in the clearing off those cues in veterans affairs. They're saying you can just stay at home.
What a surprise.
The bloke who is a creature of the Canberra bubble, who has had literally no other job than for government, either as an MP or as an advisor, the one who knows that the heavily unionized people slow play the ball during conservative times of government and do exactly what this government or left wing governments want, is of course the great champion of all things when it comes to the public service. For those of us that are paying
for the public service, we want fewer public servants. We want more simplicity, We want people actually involved in services rather than sitting.
Behind computed the no.
But as for this gender garbage, and he's got a run in much of the media today Katie Gallagher, who of course represents the act where the business is the public service.
I mean they've now said working from homes you are going to be canceled. You know, they don't have women's interests at heart on the working from home. Can I just say on this clearly the opposition have no idea about how modern working families operate.
Seriously, you want to talk about people who have no idea how modern working families work, which.
Is that most jobs require somebody to leave the house.
Now, yes, it's okay if you can find a way to maybe Monday, maybe Friday. And I understand if you're involved in all of that, fair enough, But the idea that when you work for the government that you don't have to go to the office because you see, what these people don't understand is all of the private businesses that are affected by people not going into the office. You know, all those coffee shops for the days you do go into the office, they need seven days worth
of trade. All of the ancillary businesses from the lowly cleaners all the way through to the people working in the private sector. They need as many people in the cities as possible. Now mat Nicholas Race, of course runs the city that needs as many people in the city as possible for the city to not just be revitalized, but to have an economy that actually means there are options. When you go into the city on the weekend, you see these people don't get that. They don't care because
they fly at the front end of the plane. They don't pay for anything, and they are more than happy for this triangle of dependency that I was mentioning before. But before we start suggesting that this is somehow an attack on women and the demand of going back to the office is some knuckle dragging right wing position. Do they know that the governor of California card carrying super lefty he wants everyone back in the office on no, no, But it's all about Peter Dutton. And of course it's
all code for the Liberal Party has a problem with women. Well, guess who actually has a problem with women. And it seems like until people are reminded that they have a problem with the Liberal Party that when people just judge a government on its actions or lack of actions, or see the difference between strong leadership and weak leadership that people will they move their vote away from Labor today.
The essential poll in the Turmbal Times the Guardian was released today and it shows that the male vote thirty seven to thirty one. But guess what, the Labor Party has fewer votes with women than the Liberal Party does right now. In fact, according to the primary vote went it comes to women compared for men thirty one thirty seven, it is now twenty eight to thirty five. Oh no, but apparently it's a Liberal Party who has a problem with women. No, right now, the Labor Party seems to
have a problem with women, but don't tell anyone. And the fact that the media can't be bothered even checking the polls that are released today before running garbage like that. And then there's the second part of this. R. Anthony Albernezi, of course, desperately would love to pretend that Peter Dutton is the Aussie version of Donald Trump, and the majority of Australians don't like Donald Trump, so therefore they're not
going to vote for Peter Dutton. But of course he can't say that out loud because if he goes after Donald Trump, well, we know how Donald Trump is going to respond, and right now I think we're trying to get an exemption when it comes to things like trade tariffs. Of course, much of the defense of this country comes out of, frankly, the kindness of the United States, while government's like his that have more tax coming in than ever before spend most of their money on welfare rather
than defense. Have a look at how Anthony Alberanzi is trying to play four D chess, sending simple messages that Dutton is Trump.
No, we don't have to adopt all of America's policies. What we have here from Peter Dutton is that he's so policy lazy, him and his team that they just if they hear something on the news, an announcement from overseas about sacking public servants or people working from home or DEI, you know, the dreaded inclusion policy that they're so worried about, they say, yeah, I'll have some of that.
I don't know if you guys can replay that grab but with no sound while I make this point, feel free if we can technically tell me if I can't end my year, I'm just coming up with an idea live on the TV. Do you see how unimpressed the people behind the Prime minister are look at the premier views that, well is a proper leader again, jeez, really are going to stand behind this bloke and the other
guy going, what what's the point you're trying to make? Well, of course, before Donald Trump was re elected as the forty seventh President of the United States, they thought he would never return. They thought the Trumpian politics was so terrible that they could make reference to it when the majority of the country was turning against his government when it came to the voice. So this is just the same thing but being said in a different way.
That the No campaign are importing American style Trump politics to Australia. Its aim is to polarize people and to and this weapon of choice is missed information.
She's still a member of Parliament by the way, still a member of Parliament. But let's get to the Trump of it all and the Trump effect on Australian politics and Australian's position when it comes to who is best to actually handle the relationship with the leader of the free world, who ain't going anywhere for the entirety of
the next electoral term. Here in Australia, the Red Bridge Pole that we put a lot of emphasis on and we talk about in great granular detail Sunday Nights here with the State of the Race, one of my favorite segments we do each and every week. Well, they asked people and they came back with one conclusion that Peter Dutton is the better person to deal with Donald Trump. So Albo is simultaneous trying to suck up to while
campaigning against Trump, hoping that you won't notice. But it's pretty obvious what he's referring to when he's referring to what he is referring to. So it's no wonder the Cherry Markson's reporting, as excellent as it always is tonight, is that Albo can't get a phone call back from the US President. I hope this changes because those tariffs they kick in next week. Now, I wasn't going to fall into what I thought was the outrage and the
weakness of the Prime Minister at the time. They're not going to get exemption and I thought we were going to get one. But part of that is having an ongoing relationship with Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is all about relationships, and he knows that if you turn up after he's been elected, that you're affair with a friend. If you turn up after he's been sworn in, then
you're doing it out of politeness. There are many, many people, from major CEOs to leaders of countries who built bridges to Donald Trump, not just before the election, but most importantly in the period of time between no vs. Last year and January when he was sworn in. Our Prime minister. No, no, no, couldn't do that. Couldn't go and visit, couldn't go and pick up the phone, couldn't form some sort of a
relationship beforehand. So you rely on that relationship when you need something, which brings us to the Karen rud of it all.
Now.
Kevin Rudd, of course, was somebody who has said plenty of nasty things about Donald Trump. But now that the world has changed, he's now trying to do everything he can, kissing every single bit of the backside he possibly can, to find a way to get a result for Australia, because firstly that is of course his job as the ambassador for Australia, but also it's to make sure that he holds onto his job for as long as possible.
But if he can't get a phone call, and he can't get a meeting, and we can't get a phone call after the last phone call, which was back what middle of February. Then it shows that we are getting the freeze out. And it's one thing for us to get the freeze out from a hostile nations China, it's another one to get it from the United States of America. Now, it doesn't mean that you have to go all Trump all the time and say every decision is amazing, No
human being is beyond criticism. But clearly they put zero effort into building a bridge. And last week in the Senate there was a fascinating little bit of detail about what the media told us at the time was a meeting that had taken place between Donald Trump and Kevin Rudd. Now remember the Prime Minister was out and about and saying that, yes, a meeting, a meeting between Donald Trump and Kevin Rudd was really important.
We discussed that and we'll get together at the quad all before, but we'll look forward to having one on one discussions as well, but will continue to be in contact.
But despite the leaking, despite the briefing, despite the spin, despite the media pretending that there had been some sort of a top level meeting between the person who represents us in Washington or of course the Prime Minister who yes, has had a couple of phone calls last week in the Senate James Patterson, the shadow Homer first minister. He had in front of him, Penny Wong, the person representing of course the Foreign Office, and the Foreign Office has
its well she is Kevin Rud's boss. Have a listen to just how little detail they had about the supposed meeting that took place between Rudd and Trump. This is amazing.
Can you tell me the dates of that direct contract?
I'm not sure we.
Have that here.
Might have to take that on notice.
No officials know.
It's a pretty big deal if our ambassador met with the president.
Who don't know when that was?
Well, since then we've had two conversations between the Prime Minister. Yes, some aware of those, and we might come to that. But when did Ambassadorud meet President Trump?
We said we take that on leaders.
No one knows because it wasn't a meeting.
Where did the meeting take place? Well, again they know nothing.
Can you say where the meeting was?
Well, I think refer to previous.
Answers Ema, then well, this specific date might not be an official state of maguage, but the location might be.
We will undertake to provide you as much information as possible as quickly as possible.
Now, the Prime Minister and his office, and most likely Kevin Rudd in his office, was out and about telling that this meeting apparently took place at one of Trump's golf courses, information that is either not relayed or not known because it wasn't a meeting. Stalking somebody at a country club and waving at them or maybe shaking their hand as they're moving to the thing they really want
to do is not a meeting. There has been no meeting between the President of the United States and the ambassador to Washington, yet the media at the start of this year told you over and over again that it had actually taken place. No, the most FaceTime that an Australian has had with Donald Trump is not the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, but the former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. This was him with Jenny and Millennia at their house
in Florida on New Year's Eve. It feels like we have the wrong former prime minister being the one who's actually doing the reach out right now, because obviously one's going to get a phone call back, the other is.
Going to be put in deep freeze. Why because he knows who they are.
He knows that they put no effort into the relationship before he became the president. They put no effort in between when he was elected the president and sworn in as the president. And a cursory phone call here or there does not create a relationship. No relationship, no deal.
Again.
I hope that somehow magically all of this reverses and we'd get an exemption. But I repeat, a twenty five percent tariff on Australia aluminium and steel comes into.
Effect next week.
The Prime Minister may want to change the subject, but the reality is the events and his own failures, as well as those of Kevin Rudd, are therefore all to see. Weld done, James Patterson for following the detail. I wish the media would from time to time. Meantime, when it
comes to the Prime Minister, it won't surprise you. This indecisive each way bloke who we call him that before the election, still is so before the last election, because can you believe he is still dithering about when he is or isn't going to call an election, whether we are or aren't going to have a budget. This is getting ridiculous.
And the feeling is he wouldn't call it before the WA election Saturday. I only got until Monday evening if he wants that April twelve date. If he wants an April date. Otherwise we're getting a budget and we'll be going the polls on either May three or May ten. Over the the Prime Minister was leaning towards that May option.
Seriously, the result of the election is going to be exactly the same if he called it last weekend, this weekend or next weekend. The consequences of him just dangling means that we're in this scenario where he is performing and running around like.
He's still the opposition leader.
By the way, I love today's big announcement when it came to schools funding in New South Wales. He's talking about how this was urgently needed. He's been in the job for three years, yet he's still carrying on like
he's making a promise from opposition. I've shown you in great detail and I will commit to it every night to show you how much of the media does not do the follow up that they should, and that's because they know that there is not much detail behind many of the things that get said, or they are obviously last minute choices about issues that he should have been dealing with. You don't get credit for putting out a bushfire three years after it was your responsibility to put
out the bushfire. And we're at a time right now where there are Chinese naval vessels that are moving their way around Australia. Yet the Prime Minister is so weak, so indecisive that he can't work out when he's going to have his own election, and is so on the back foot with the leader of the free world that they can't even schedule a phone call with the bloke.
But as I often say, this bloke loves to have it both ways or dore, I say each way albow where surprise, surprise, He says one thing and then he does another. He argues one way, he argues another. This was what he has to say about potentially missing a budget and why that wouldn't be a bad thing because he's in government.
Are you planning for a potential April election as opposed to May?
Now, the budget scheduled for March twenty five, So we will have a budget. The budget scheduled for March twenty five.
That's when it scheduled. It doesn't mean you have to deliver it. Are we going to have a budget?
It schedule we're working through.
If you go to the election without a budget, you look like you're swibbing it, won't you.
Oh, look, Andrew, we haven't squibbed.
Anything, but some eagle eyes have worked out that. Guess what each Way Albo said exactly the opposite thing when it was potentially a Liberal party that was going to call an election without having a budget roll the memory.
You know, this is a government.
Every time it's brought down a budget, it's dived in the polls, and they might well will want to avoid that scrutiny.
Where's your best guest for when they will go to an election?
I think March nine eight.
Nothing to see here, nothing to see here? Each Way elbow And of course he was out in about today spending more money, billions of dollars in than never never a lot of these announcements, by the way, they're over four years, five years, ten years. But who cares push the big number together? No, one in the press gallery is going to turn around and say, oh, excuse me, sir, what's the asterisk here? And ps, where's the money come from?
It's the latest in a long line of spending other people's money.
A seven point two billion dollar announcement today five million dollars ten million dollar, two hundred million dollars, three billion dollar, three hundred and fifty million dollar, two billion dollars, thirty seven million dollars, eight hundred and forty two million dollar, two point four billion dollars eight point five billion dollar all point eight billion dollar.
By the way, that's just this year. I remember telling you in some detail that I wasn't going to buy the spin that the very small interest rate cut was somehow going to turn the favor for the Prime minister. But how many times did we hear over and over again that point twenty five was going to be the savior for this prime minister.
The Prime Minister has launched a media blitz following the Reserve Bank's decision to cut interest rates for the first time since late twenty twenty.
Lucy, the PM is trying to capitalize on the positive.
Books and now ben Easy is really riding the interest rate cut high for this.
Young family something to sing about.
Well that come when it cuts into twenty twenty and we've b.
Yeah, the Reserve Bank's decision cutting official rates to four point one percent, sparking what sounds like a campaign slogan.
What we are seeing is that we're heading in the right direction.
Now it's truerlish to say we was right, but guess what exactly what we know to be the reality in suburban Australia is exactly the reality that is now turning up in the poles. But you see, as long as the media does the spin and no one does the follow up, then they hope that nobody's going to notice. But in reality, again, let's look at some polling. Redbridge Polling says sixty five percent of people it will not
change their vote. Fifty six percent of people say in the turnbul Times the Guardian today that it's too little, too late and it will not affect their vote. And people don't believe the Prime Minister when he says this.
Bringing inflation down without throwing people on the unemployments.
I know, but a soft landing PM with respect is not a bag of groceres coals or woolies or aldi costing one hundred bucks. People are angry, and some of the anger is being directed towards You have a.
Look at this part.
The people that are in most financial danger on the question of whether the interest rate is too little, too late, and the government's approach to economic management is not working. That's the red people in serious financial difficulty. Seventy four percent of people think that fifty six percent of people
for people that are struggling. The only people who are fine with the government doing what it's currently doing are the people who are sitting pretty Dare I say the public servants who get their highest pay rise in ten years or politicians who get three in the past three years. We're on the detail. We're counting the grains of sand on the beach. We are telling you the data and showing you the numbers. That are the bricks in the wall.
The opinion is the mortar. But that wall is going to hit the Prime Minister sooner rather than later.
Quick break back with more.
Lots to talk about and Nigel fur I can't wait to see what he thinks about what's happening when it comes to the UK, the US, Ukraine.
And a whole lot more. We are just getting started.
Thanks for watching this Tuesday night on Pulmurray Life. Welcome to a truly national show the mystery location of the Man Cave, but definitely Melbourne is where it's Lord mayor Snappy Dresser. None of the Nicholas reesis and have a look at Snappy Dressing the man you can hear each and every afternoon on four BC Drive in Brisbane.
Gary how Grave lads. Hello, welcome. So let's get to.
This work from home stuff, right, Nicholas.
As a person who's in charge of some public servants at the moment, what is your position when it comes to work from home? And would you prefer if people were back at work in central Melbourne will still got the feed up while doing their work at home in suburban Melbourne.
Look, Paul, you won't be surprised to know that I'm a very strong supporter of people turning up to their workstation to do their work, and certainly the City of Melbourne we take a leadership role in these things.
We lean in.
We believe that you know, if you're working at one of our swimming pools or at a local library and the parks and guards, the Maternal Health Center, then you have to turn up at work to do your job. And if you're a bureaucrat working at town Hall, then you should be turning up as well, because we're all one Team Melbourne at the City and I've seen the debate federally on this matter, and look, I think the
Australian government should be taking a similar approach. If you're a crew on an Australian naval vessel, if you're working in customs as part of Border Force, or you're a doctor or nurse and a GP clinic, you've got to turn up to your workstation. So everyone in the federal government should be doing the same.
Nicholas Race.
Nicholas Race joins Team Common.
Says absolutely, and that's exactly how it should be, because I just think it's pretty simple. There's plenty of people who have to show up because the frontline services is where they have to be. They're there, and then making a difference are the ones in the background. They can't just please themselves and get around the fluffy sip slippers and the pjs. We actually need them to show up and frankly, I'd like to see if they could tell us the five things they did last week that was
really contributing something good to all Australians. That would be an interesting exercise, Paul.
We'll wait and see.
But also again, what about the introduction of the gender part in all of this?
And yes, okay, Sin you can play emails to the ghost about three blokes talking about this, but you know, I think we can all have some perspective on this. Gary again, you know, a classic Labor Party trying to find some way to say Liberal Party has a problem with women on a day with the poll shows that the Liberal Party has a higher primary bote with women than the Labor Party.
Paul, The only women problem the Liberal Party ever had was that women saw through some stuff some years ago faster than the blokes, and they see through elbow faster than the blokes. Here too. Women are the ones who are at the front line in so many households, making the decisions to make the dollar go further. They're the one seeing the bills more often than the blokes because they have to multitask. They not only go and work and earn money for the household, but they look after kids,
they look after the household itself. So I get it that people understand that elbow for me once, shame on you for me twice ain't going to happen. So this bloke is dead man walking, and rightly so.
Well, fingers crossed from your words to the world's ears. All right, let's talk about dealing with Trump. Where Nicholas, look again, I get it probably if you did a survey of the voting public of the city of Melbourne. I don't know whether Trump wins or whether Harris gets the time, but decisions made by other people. And it's pretty obvious here that you know he is the president of the United States, will be for the next four years. That means the entirety of the next federal term is
on Trump's watch. Now, a Redbridge pole came out and it showed that the majority of Australians, well sorry, the majority of people believe that it is Peter Dutton, not Anthony Obernezy, who would be better to handle the relationship. I just went through in chapter and verse that ridiculous scenario of the supposed meeting that Rudd had where no, he didn't really have one.
He stalked him at a golf club and waived at him.
This is what Peter Dutton says about why he's better on dealing with Trump.
Well, I've worked very closely with the Obama administration, with the Trump administration, with the Biden administration, and we have good relationships with a number of people in the forty seventh presidency in the West wing, and we can work very closely and effectively with them.
And then, of course the smart alecky stuff today Nicholas, where oh, you know every idea from America. He basically wants to simultaneously suck up to and punch Trump at the same time.
In fact press play.
No, we don't have to adopt all of America's policies. What we have here from Peter Dutton is that he's so policy lazy him in his term, that they just if they hear something, you know, on the news, an announcement from overseas about sacking public servants or people working from home or DEI, you know, the dreaded inclusion policy that they're so worried about, they say, yeah, I'll have some of that.
I share the body language of Chris means shut up eight.
Nicholas, Well, look, I do think Peter Dutton is more like Donald Trump than Anthony ALBERIZI is you do look at some of the positions he's taken, like on peacekeepers into Ukraine today, and you look at his language about you know, Europe having to do more that is Trump like, and you know it is the case. You look at the Liberal slogan, it's basically make Australia great again. So
they're using the same political framework as Trump is. And look, if you ask Donald Trump who's he's supporting the election, I suspect he'd probably vote for Peter Dutton. So there are some parallels there. Of course for Australians, they've got to ask who's going to represent Australia the best. I think, more than ever we need a strong, independent prime minister who will take it up to whoever he needs to on the globalf I did.
There was a poll and the answer was done in the country, but.
Didn't we didn't literally A polling company asked the question and the answer was Peter Dutton.
Nicholas Well, I think a lot of that's around. Who's the most like Donald Trump? I think I was to say, well that's Peter Dutton.
No, I think the actual question, if I can find it here, here we go The which is, yeah, which leader is better suited to supporting, to working with And that was the question anyway, that's also Australian's view overall when it comes to Trump.
I have to be straight up here.
Ye you can see that the very unfavorable is it forty seven majority of Australians not on the Trump train. But let's get to the Ukraine of it all. Gary, I think that government should always be incredibly cautious about any sort of pre commitment about Australian troops being deployed anywhere that is not Australia or a direct defense of Australia.
I was deeply critical of the Iraq War, less so Afghanistan, but certainly as that went on that made pretty obvious sense why those were not the places for us to remain to be remember, of course, after twenty years of Afghanistan, no disrespect the service of the people by the way leadership here Yet Anthony Albanez is out and about trying to step into the void that Trump clearly is going to create here because as we speak, whatever it was being shipped to Ukraine will not arrive in Ukraine.
But Albo talking about troops roll this.
One there's discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping and from my government's perspective, we're open to consideration of any proposals going forward. As Australia has historically played an important role in areas including in Africa, in Cyprus, in a range of peacekeeping areas. We wanted to see peace in Ukraine.
I can't take my eyes off Chris Mins. He's more bored by this bloke than I.
And he's on the same team and you've got a television camera looking at him. Gary Again, I think we should be very cautious. I think that Australia in a peacekeeping role, well that comes after a deal. I mean, there's many, many, many steps. But I found it interesting that the Prime minister's trying to step up. Is you know, I got the chest up about Ukraine, but nothing to say about Chinese warships.
No, and that's because our defense department is fat and lazy. It has always said, well, America will come and rescue us if we end up with a problem, and the problem is right about one thing, and that is Australia
has always stepped up. But Paul, the world is changing right before all of our eyes right now, what Donald Trump is basically saying, why should a country of three hundred and thirty million that's America go and fight against the country of one hundred and forty million that's Russia when whole collection of countries of half a billion people that is Europe I really haven't got their act together.
So my question is why should twenty seven million people contribute troops on the ground when half a billion people in Europe haven't really worked out what they're doing. So I think we need to be completely cautious about all of this. It is not so much not our war as really we have some bigger issues in our own reachion and a defense department all that basically says to could be enemies. Look, make an appointment if you want to invade, make an appointment if you want to attack us,
because we've got to plan things. We're going to have great subs in thirty years from now. The entire Defense Department of Australia needs hosing out. They're the ones that take the medals off the troops, but they keep the medals themselves because they planned, you know, the particular event that occurred. So look, I have no faith in our defense Department planners. But the troops on the ground made I respect them, love them to death, and thank them for their service every day.
Yeah, hallelujah. So with you here. Well, so don't forget Nicholas.
What's dangling in and around all of this is China has said that they will offer military support to Russia. Okay, now, the idea that that is not part of the equation you've got it to. I just think there are moments of caution rather than Australia, you know, trying to meet to each other about who's going to jump in first, when we need to work out where Europe goes before Australia goes.
Well, I'm sorry I couldn't agree and disagree with you more Gary and you Paul on this when this is not a time for pussy footing around. This is a time for strength. And I think what the Trump administration did today pausing military aid to Ukraine, will live in infamy for years to come, you know, years. The United States has been the arsenal. The United States has been the arsenal of democracy around the world, including for Australia.
And Trumps.
It and left always complains about you guys, always complain about Lord Mayor. And the left always complains about the US being the world's policeman. Now they want them to be the policeman. I can't keep up with what the international left including it seems a Gary Melbourne is saying, well.
I mean you can this.
It's not about left right, it's about what is actually the right thing for the world. And you want to go into history, Australia has got a long and proud record of peacekeeping Israel twice, Yugoslavia, Kosovo East Team or birth of that nation to our norm. Yes, and if the circumstances are right, we should be there again. And you look at you look at Peter Dutton today ruling out peacekeeping, saying Europe's got to do more like no, no, let's wait for the roofs on the ground.
Let's work out when the war is about what Australia's role is after because we don't know again what that position.
That's all I'm saying.
I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no, but I'm saying today is not the day that i'd be saying yep, I'm going to send the boys or I'm going to forgive me, because peace through strength, peace through strength, guys, never forget that. Thank you lads. I think all three of us have got great jackets on today. Are all the best of all of our tailors. And I'm sure you're paid full price for them.
Thank you.
All right, quick break back with more Nigel Farags live in London. Let's see if he completes a quartet of snappy dressing warness.
The great Nigel Farage.
He is mixing up a UK politics and he's got an absolute in when it.
Comes to Donald Trump.
And I'm also always celebrating Nigel the great speech the day after you got elected, when people were interrupting.
Boring, boring.
I love it. I want that every day, every chance. I want that as a ring tone available for the Reform Party.
Love.
I love that.
I really do so find any chance to do it.
We're in so I love what you wrote in the Telegraph in the UK today, which was the UK is able to take certain positions when it comes to stepping up, maybe in relation to Ukraine because it's not part of the EU. Exit has given the UK the chance to be the alternative global leader here. I couldn't agree more. And this is an absolute vindication of what you fought for, so that when moments like this happen, the UK is not weird to Europe.
Yeah.
Absolutely, But what an irony that it's secure Starmer, not just the great Remainer, but the man who was campaigning for a second referendum because he didn't like the result, and so the irony that he is now the beneficiary of this is not lost on me. But yeah, I mean it was very interesting on Saturday night ahead of the big summit that was held here in London on Sunday. You know, at Number ten themselves briefed that the UK now has a unique position compared to the rest of Europe.
So yeah, we can talk to America, we can talk to Ukraine, we can talk to the European Union. As EU members, we would have been expected to speak with one voice. So yeah, it is an absolute vindication of Brexit and I couldn't be happier really, So let's get to.
Where the UK is going to land here.
I mean, Starmer seems like he wants to be the person at the heart of a coalition of the willing. But of course all of that in terms of resisting what's happening with Russia is going to cost an awful lot of money. It's what three hundred plus billion US dollars. So if that's all going to stop, then you're going to have to come up with a version of that, you know, in pounds and then obviously in the euros and all the.
Rest of it.
The appetite of the British public. Let's see, obviously everyone wants to fight for a democracy, but is Starma of the belief that the majority are willing to pay the price for where he is trying to position himself.
Well, right now, about two thirds of the British public are strongly supportive of Ukrainian sovereignty against the Pootin incursion. About a third just say forget it, there's nothing to do with us. So that's roughly where we are on the numbers. But of the two thirds, when you actually ask them, you know, do you want to send the entire British army to Ukraine? And do you want to turn all of our munitions making over to Ukraine? Then
you start to get different answers. And I think the absolute truth of where we are with this is that if the Americans were to walk away completely, that Starmer might find that the coalition of the Willing doesn't have that many members. So what is ultimately absolutely crucial here is that Zelenski and Trump come to some sort of accommodation. And I think the US minerals deal is a very
very clever step in the right direction. And if we do that, we can find the right level of security guarantees, then this horrible war can come to an end. And remember, I know Australia is a long way away, but bear this in mind, folks. One million battle casualties in three years. This is of an extraordinary epic scale. Needs to end as quickly as possible.
You remember of the European Parliament for a long time. Does the EU have the money to actually offer the same support that the US did? Now, obviously the US is in thirty something trillion dollars worth of dead so it's credit card on top of credit card, the way that you know European politics to work. Would they be willing to put their own countries into significant deficits or rack up that credit card? Yes, for the sovereignty of a European nation, not a member of the EU, not
a member of NATO. But do they have the money to do it?
No?
And I think what's happened over the course of the last couple of weeks is because of the British position. You've seen Macro standing up and articulating a very French position as opposed to an EU position, and this Ursula vonder Layan, who is the boss of the European Commission, frankly as a bit of a laughing stock on the world stage. When you poll Europeans about this ISU, they say, yes, we must increase spending. What they mean is you must
increase defense spending. We don't want to do it, and so I don't think that genuine will and resolve is there. Oh, countries like Poland of course will step up to the plate, but I suspect many many others simply won't do it. And I think you're really seeing, you know, an absolute test of the credibility of the European Union. And frankly, the truth is it's not really a player in this. Yeah, so let's get back to the meeting. And everyone's had this say, but you're a man who knows Trump, so
will you know what was happening behind the scenes? You know what has been leading up to this for years, let alone months, and in the minutes.
That took place.
What did you think of that exchange? And was there an opportunity for Zelenski in that moment, like when when Trump's sort of up and up and ready, was there a chance for him to diffuse in that moment?
Look, I think the problem for Zelenski was that psychologically, going into a meeting signing the minerals deal, which would be the first step towards a genuine peace process. I think Zelenski's psychological problem is that would mean giving up on crime here, it would mean accepting a large chunk of territory. Wasn't going to come back to Ukraine. And what's clear to me is he went into the White House,
he wasn't ready for that meeting. And so in some ways the bust up perhaps was a good thing, a good thing in the sense that now both sides part, there'd be more angry words. But you know, at some points Zlenski has got to realize that without America, without America, he's not going to have a secure future. So I think the row was always going to happen. Basically, I would say this though, you know, if I was briefing someone who was going to meet President Trump, I would
say this to them. He's old school, he's old fashioned. He looks how you're dressed, he looks to see your shoes are clean. You know, there is an old world element to Trump about how you appear, how you look on whether you're showing in respect. And I know that this has been Zelenski's calling card, this sort of battle dress that he wears, but it was definitely not the right thing to do on that day.
Well, but also, I mean it's you know, I get it what he's trying to show here, which is I'm coming from the battlefront. You know, I'm not going to look like every other world leader because I'm the one under pressure. But I mean it's pretty obvious, right if your major security benefactor, the one paying for it all, tells you to turn up in a suit, turn up in a suit, all right, But he chose not to.
And I think again, maybe there was that want to bust things up because the assumption was that the global pressure would somehow bring Trump back to the table. But again, you know, Trump's not going to come back to the table because the front page of a paper in Spain is yelling.
At him, no, no, he's not And It's also worth remembering that the Republican movement in America, you know, is not particularly supportive of all the money and the efforts that have been going into Ukraine. Actually, in many ways, you know, trum Trump is a bigger internationalist the many of his own party and his own voters, and maybe we want to bear that in mind.
Yeah, absolutely, all right, Just before we go, how are things with the reform at the moment? Latest polls again showing that you're in an incredibly strong position. But I notice a few things about tactical voting, meaning that people may well end up trying to block you by voting for parties they wouldn't agree with. This is all part of the argument about first part of the post versus
preferences and the rest of it. Do you think that people who are being a bit smarty pants of a way to block you guys at the moment?
Well, we'll find out.
On May the first. We have English local county elections. They've counceled one or two of them, sadly, but fifteen million people get a chance to vote on May the first. It'll be the first real acid test, you know, is reform at the top or near the top of the poles. Is it r or is it real? And I am going to be traveling the length and breadth of these islands over the course of the next month or so to try and make it real. So ask me on May the second that I'll tell you how we're doing.
What's your favorite garbage food that you get to eat when you're out and about in campaigning.
Oh, fish and chips, fish and chips out of the bag with lashings of sort of vinegar.
Lovely. I love it. I love it.
Thank you mate. We'll see you again next week.
Thank you.
Nigel Farage, never boring, never boring. Now you know, of course he is here and every Tuesday night. The only place you'll see him is here. The only place you'll see Meghan Kelly on Australian television. He's also here and that's on Wednesday nights. Remember homepage sky news dot com dot AU. Get our podcast and all of the highlights there. YouTubers, well my email Paul at sky news dot com dot are you