“No Place at the Table … but a Good Deal Across the Counter.”

NZ representative Paul Cotton responds to Greg Sheridan’s criticism of NZ’s independent defence stance in The Australian (20/7). As Cotton avers, “It doesn’t seem that the Kiwis are suffering too much from just being a ‘very, very good friend’, as PM Helen Clark was told by Colin Powell and Bush in Washington.” Affirming edge smarts Cotton uses the example of NZ’s successful purchasing of American Seasprite helicopters in comparison with the bungled Australian attempt to do the same. Axis of Edge.