This is not actually the UK. "The Chaser's War on Everything" is an Australian satirical programme (not our best by any stretch) and the airport in question is Sydney (if they were flying to Melbourne on an international flight they would have had to present photo ID - even though they're on a domestic flight they still would have been subject to metal detectors and had their luggage screened) which, like all our other major airports, is patrolled by Australian Federal Police officers. Security's actually pretty reasonable, we Aussies are a pretty laid back lot and we usually know when somebody's just having a (bad) joke.

 

"The Chaser," now in it's second or third incarnation has taken great pains to present itself as even-handed (hence "War of Everything") but leans fairly obviously to the left. Politics aside, their humour is consistently fairly weak and not many of us over here are bothered by their absence on our free-to-air television. There's a good reason.

 

In the news (over here at least) Dick Cheney's visit has been a little soured by a display of bad behaviour from a certain (very small, in every sense) sector of the Australian community. Nothing, however, will keep me from savouring the moving words he gave in his speech. A fine summary of the alliance between Australia the United States of America.

 

As reported in Australia's "Daily Telegraph" newspaper here:

 

' "From my own experiences as vice-president and previously as secretary of defence, I have only grown in admiration for the skill and the toughness of the Australian Defence Force," he said.

"Americans know that for this country, standing by your mate when he's in a fight are more than words in a song." '

 

He's paraphrasing a fairly obscure (internationally) Australian country singer, Mr. Cheney has done his homework. His kinds words are much appreciated.

 

As a trivial note, I've heard it said that Australia is the only nation in the world that has fought as the United States' ally in every one of her 20th century wars. I think this is true but haven't verified it.

Politics aside, their humour is consistently fairly weak and not many of us over here are bothered by their absence on our free-to-air television. There's a good reason.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21273835-5006009,00.html

Cheers Nick,

 

Although the Spanish-American war was fought to its end in 1898 and the Philippine Insurgency began in 1899 so I'm not sure if either of these should be counted as a '20th century war'. As for the intervention in Granada, the action in Yugoslavia and the 'Banana Wars' (more in support of elements within nations than nations themselves, whole and entire) it depends on whether or not you choose to apply a very all-inclusive definition of war. We may have to agree that our opinions on the distinction between warfare and military intervention are as different as our opinions on sketch comedy.

 

Thanks again, mate.