Kevin Rudd made an impression on the China President Ho. What gives this black stockinged little Gitt (Alex) the right to condem Kevin Rudd for speaking the President of China's language? God talk about bottom of the barrel, there is nothing they will not do to win this election.
2007-09-06 21:52:31 · 12 answers · asked by Dick E knee 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
He sure is pissed off - he is positively green with envy.
According to a piece in The Age: Downer speaks French!
http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Downer-takes-swipe-at-Rudds-Mandarin/2007/09/07/1188783483181.html
BIG DEAL!! The President of China doesn't speak French!
2007-09-06 23:02:02 · answer #1 · answered by cutsie_dread 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Of course Kevin Rudd made a great impression on Chinese President Hu Jintao. He even worked as an interpretor (Chinese/Mandarin - English). However, in 1984 he once accidentally mistranslated when attempting to remark on ambassador's speech on the close relationship enjoyed by Australia and China (he said "Australia and China are enjoying simultaneous orgasms in their relationship"). I'm sure he's come a long way since then. :þ
Kevin Rudd is excellent for Asia Pacific relations because he studied Asian Studies at ANU. While John Howard snubbed the Dalai Lama while he was in Australia Kevin went out to meet him. I think that Kevin made a good impact on President Jintao that Australia is truely a multicultural country and open to other cultures. He's white, has no obvious Asian relations and learnt Mandarin.
I don't think he was flaunting it. I think he was more trying to brush up on his Mandarin and more importantly, give a good gesture and show of hospitality in Australia and show that he's open to other languages and cultures. Downer probably is jealous because he couldn't butt into their conversations and make snippy little comments (unless he had a translator nearby).
BTW I don't know what DFAT language training is like (or how intense) but according to himself Alexander learnt French in 2 months? I've studied French and I can tell you that unless you toss someone in the country, give them home stay with a French family plus a French lover and force them to only speak that language you're probably exaggerating your talents. All you get in about two months is "Comment ça va?" and possibly how to order drinks and get a hotel room.
2007-09-07 01:05:36 · answer #2 · answered by Acyla 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It was a very petulant response, but that's what is to be expected from squirmy Downer. It was respectful to speak in Mandarin to the Chinese president and earned Australia some respect from the Chinese at the same time. How is a respectful diplomatic gesture considered to be showing off? They knew he spoke Mandarin and would have wondered if he hadn't spoken to them in it anyway. So what if Downer can speak French? I hope he shows the same respect when speaking with French dignitaries - or does he just flash them his stockings and insist to them that English will be spoken today?
2007-09-06 23:31:55 · answer #3 · answered by Camperdown T 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Alex Downer can speak Mandarin???
Is anyone here a sci-fi buff??
Have you read 'The Day After Tomorrow' by Robert A Heinlein?
(Alex) Downer was the US born Chinaman who ended up sacrificing himself in a bid to keep the Panasian (Chinese??) army at bay. I think?!?
Hmmmmm!!!!!
2007-09-07 11:48:24 · answer #4 · answered by leo9ine 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alexander should go back to his crossdressing ways i think your righ!
Alexander is our Foreign minister he should have a better friendship with the Chinese President than anyone else in this country, its his job, obvoiusly getting shown up that he is not a fluent speaker of their language makes him feel embrrassed that he is not doing his job properly.
Downer....the name says it all.......
What has this man ever done for our country, or our ties with China for that matter.
This is a case of being cornered like a wild animal and going on the attack any way the libs can....they are a mongrel beast!
2007-09-07 02:47:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Heh, heh, Downie me boy ... so u learned to speak French in 2 months while Rudd took 24 months to learn Chinese? So u are 12 times smarter than the Chinese-speaking show-off, eh?
Good, always told me friends u were hiding yr talents! Now please sign up for Mensa, yr IQ is clearly around 210, higher than Einstein's. And while u are about it, please also find the Unified Field Equation that eluded ole Albert. Ta ta.
2007-09-07 03:09:09 · answer #6 · answered by Norm 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
FROM THE DAILY DOCTORED NEWS:
'I can speak French': Downer
Article from: AAP
September 07, 2007 05:00pm
FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer has taken a swipe at the opposition leader for flaunting his Mandarin language skills during the APEC summit.
Mr Rudd has impressed China's President Hu Jintao with his grasp of the language, talking to him in Mandarin during a 30-minute meeting this morning.
There were gasps of surprise and numerous compliments by overseas media yesterday when Mr Rudd used the language to welcome Mr Hu to Sydney during a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister John Howard.
Today, Mr Hu complimented Mr Rudd on his fluency and thanked him for his commitment to developing the Australia-China relationship.
Asked if he was impressed by Mr Rudd's language skills, Mr Downer, a French speaker, said he was not one to flaunt his talent with foreign tongues.
"Remember I am the foreign minister so whether I can speak French or not seems to be reasonably immaterial, I can sing a well known French song .. it taught me all I know. " Mr Downer then broke into a popular World War One song,"Madamosell from Armeteers PARLEZ VOUS"
"It's not something that I can speak French that I have paraded in all of my years in politics, though it's been quite useful to me as the foreign minister from time to time. Not to mention ABBA, Voulez Vous UH-huh , ah-Huh"
"I know dozens and dozens of people who speak a lot of languages, they don't just speak Mandarin, but other languages as well. And I am sure Mr Rudd does not understand one single word that Plastic Bertrand sings in CA PLANE POUR MOI""
Both Mr Downer and Mr Rudd, who used to be Labor's foreign affairs spokesman, are products of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mr Downer said learning languages were part of the DFAT training.
"If you go and join the foreign service and you do a language course, you are obviously going to learn a language, and I've also always been a greta fan of Doris Day, Que sera sera" he said.
"I did the French language course and Mr Rudd did the Chinese language course. I did mine in two months and he did his in two years, that could say something him and me or something about the two languages. I think the former but that sounds a tad partisan so i will just sing C'est la vie."
Mr Downer continued to stress that Mr Rudd had met world leaders, Mr Hu and US President George W Bush, this week as part of normal diplomacy.
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EDIT: Our trading future is more reliant on China than what it it is on France ( no offense intended to the French people) ... SO I would REALLY like to ask the extremely Pompous Billy Bunter MR DOWNER .. which language is really more valueable ???????
2007-09-06 23:33:50 · answer #7 · answered by ll_jenny_ll here AND I'M BAC 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and god knows, the Liberals ARE desperate!! And Downer's only a low class poofter, anyhow, so who gives a stuff what he says?
2007-09-07 02:04:13 · answer #8 · answered by mad_mick001 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oh, i could say approximately a minimum of 10 to 12. Butt, i do no longer possibly care. in the event that they are P'ed off, then that is their problem. "Resentment, anger and hatred are like a warm coal. It burns in basic terms the guy who holds onto it." - Buddha.
2016-10-04 03:32:28 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Downer's been behaving like a spoilt brat over this one.
He does himself no favours
2007-09-07 01:26:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋