I wonder if the roles had been reversed and 'Timoiy' -Julia Gillard's partner, Tim Mathieson- had gone the grope of the bountiful tush of US First Lady Michelle Obama what the chatterati would be saying?

http://tinyurl.com/colonial-grovel

Who can explain though how Antipodean PMs and our media gush in such cringeworthy purple language and bow and scrape in the presence of other world leaders?  Actually I should hasten to exclude proud and upright NZ from that because they are usually immune, but why is that so?

Will Australian ever be able to think of Pig Iron Bob Menzies' grovelling and perving description of the young Queen Elizabeth II during her royal visit, 

"... I did but see her passing by and yet I love her till I die."

For those with a strong stomach, the linked page has video of the sycophantic toad (who also sucked up to a US president to get me killed in Vietnam) in action,

http://www.menziesvirtualmuseum.org.au/about/multimedia.html

Q:  What 'Ozzie' PM has not done the outrageous sucking up and in public too, while the public recoiled in horror?

Although Julia Gillard, who has shamelessly ridden the feminist bandwagon to get where she is would have to be the first PM to flirt like a love-smitten schoolgirl and feel up another leader's tush.  That is a first!  On camera too, another first!

But again, if Julia's 'Timoiy' had similarly fondled Michelle, or if a CEO did the same to a female journalist or staff member, wouldn't the Oz feminists have been outraged and strident in their condemnation?  Under Australian law that constitutes a sexual assault of a woman (shudder, shudder) and there would be calls for the offending male to be sacked, for massive compensation to be paid and for his testicles to be removed.  However Julia is saved by the prevailing culture of Oz political correctness.

Q:  Is that an essential difference between Oz and NZ: that we are so 'needy' - less independent, forever captive of colonial cringing and slaves to our political correctness?