Abbott installs knighthoods filter on self

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From The Australian:

A REPENTANT Tony Abbott has conceded he derailed Campbell Newman’s re-election campaign by appointing Prince Philip a knight of Australia, vowing “considerably more consultation” on future appointments.

…Mr Abbott said he took the decision after consulting with Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Order of Australia Council chairman Sir Angus Houston.

“I stand by the decision. I understand why some people don’t like it. I respect their right to be critical; that’s what you get in a democracy such as ours and I take it on the chin,” he said.

Consultation is not the issue. Lack of judgement is. One is not terribly reassured that our national leader needs a chaperon.

About the author
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.