Advertisement

Abbott ‘shockingly incompetent’

A US think tank has labelled Prime Minister Tony Abbott “shockingly incompetent”, comparing him with “unhinged” leaders like North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

An article written by the Council of Foreign Relations titled Tony Abbott Has To Go posed the question: “is he the most incompetent leader of any industrialised democracy”.

• Why it’s time for Tony Abbott to step aside
• Is Tony Abbott reaping what he sowed?

Council of Foreign Relations southeast Asia fellow Joshua Kurlantzick said Mr Abbott was “incapable of clear policy thinking” and “also looked completely baffled on climate change issues”.

“Abbott’s policies have been all over the map, and the lack of coherence has often made the prime minister seem ill-informed and incapable of understanding complex policy issues,” Mr Kurlantzick wrote.

“Abbott has offered mixed public messages about some of the health care reforms that were at the centre of his agenda, and sometimes has seemed unsure himself of what health legislation has actually been passed on his watch.”

“There are world leaders who appear dangerously unhinged, making policy based on whims, advice from a tiny handful of advisers, or some other highly unscientific formula. Argentina’s president, Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, comes to mind, as does Ecuador President Rafael Correa, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, or Russia’s Vladimir Putin. But none of these leaders run a rich and powerful democracy.”

Mr Kurlantzick criticised Mr Abbott for his decision to knight Prince Philip and cutting ABC funding after promising not to do so.

He compared Mr Abbott with leaders like US President Barack Obama and French President Francoise Hollande, despite being unpopular, have proven to be effective leaders and policy-makers.

“A country that for decades has punched above its weight on nearly every international issue surely can do much better for a prime minister than Tony Abbott,” he wrote.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.