I wouldn't expect anything less from that turd.

Yes, Turnball stirring the pot good and proper. It actually borders on treason or traitor, really....phoning the French president to discuss the embarrassment on his part 1st is disgdisgusting selling your country down the tubes,  2ndly why would you embarrass your ex Liberal colleagues by engaging in such an action and 3rdly he really is showing  his true colours ......disgusting behaviour to stir the pot and dig up reasons to make Australia a laughing stock. I've never been more disappointed in a prime minister than I am now of MTurnball. He is a turncoat of note.  Good on Scomo for proving he did tell France albeit in an sms BEFORE it was announced in the news. The French did exactly  the same thing to South Africa prior to Nelson Mandela being throned. The consequences brought the country almost to it's knees ....so as to speak.  The French are NOT without cardinal sin,  but they know how to scream WOE IS ME.

Mmmm I did my bit of handing out leaflets at polling booths nearly half a century ago and I'm still not Prime Minister. Maybe I'm too honest for any political career.

Exactly,   spot on!

Looking in from "outside the box", we've been overseas for nearly 2 years since the borders were closed and it's clear from widespread expat fb forums that Scumbag's latest "smirk and mirrors" stunt has left Australia's rapidly dwindling international credibility as little more than a not very funny joke. Scumbag's creepy PR spin goes hard on "firm" but could never recognise "serious" or "formal" in a blue fit.

"She'll be right, mate," smirk smirk...

Totally agree Anna

They should cancel all the perks of politicians once their service is ended instead of letting them carry on like some sort of Royalty.

No doubt LinMart your comments are based on opinions from a selfish cohort who chose to live outside Australia then complained for the last 18 months that they couldn't get back. Who did they blame? Certainly not themselves for the choices they made, but the PM who gave them fair warning before closing borders.

Nobody will disagree there were musings around the contract costs and performance but these were inconsistent with the official correspondence.

There can be no doubt deception occurred, the AUKUS deal had not been sealed, however there is also no doubt that Australia was able to legally exit the agreement. If Australia had been more honest/circumspect in its communications then the diplomatic fail might have been avoided.

When Morrison met with Macron in June he was expected to  raise the government’s dissatisfaction with the troubled $90 billion deal with French company Naval Group for a fleet of new submarines. Defence had earlier confirmed it was looking at alternatives if the agreement does not go ahead so no doubt Macron was aware the project was on thin ice, but nobody said their was a sweetheart deal in place rather than an open tender for a future nuclear based strategy. 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne told the Senate she reiterated the importance of the Attack-class program to French counterparts at a meeting 17 days before the announcement that Australia would build nuclear submarines with US and UK support. Refer the communique from the meeting "21 - Both sides committed to deepen defence industry cooperation and enhance their capability edge in the region. Ministers underlined the importance of the Future Submarine program." 

Last week Secretary of Defense Greg Moriarty told a parliamentary committee “There was no cost blowout”. The contract was terminated “because our requirements have changed, not because of the poor performance of either Naval Group or Lockheed Martin Australia”.

And then the day before the announcement Australians wrote to France to say that they were satisfied with the submarine's achievable performance and with the progress of the program. Morrison himself said it was nothing to do with costs or performance but rather a change in strategy  when he canceled the contract in September. When the Prime Minister was specifically asked if his decision had anything to do with cost blow-outs and delays with the French submarines, the Prime Minister said he was “aware of that criticism, but I do not think it is at all based on what are facts “. In fact, Morrison was convinced that his decision “in no way, shape or form reflects the attack class of the attack class, the naval group and the French government and indeed President Macron in this project.”

Talking about politicians and their perks, this is about a retired Prime Minister, if we compare ours to other countries I guess they think they are hard done by!

Viking, good questions and the answers are, nobody knows, see article below.

Hi Viking

Your comments are perfect, I can only add !

We decided to cancel the French submarine contract for :

  An 18 month scoping phase

  The possibility of having nuclear powered submarines starting to be built sometime after the scoping      phase

  We're told this will cost more than the French contract 

HOW GOOD IS SCOTT MORRISON ?

Agreed, just look up 'nasty saga you nearly missed' on Google, how Morrison "won" the seat of Cook after the local party voted 10 to one against him. This shows the true measure of the man.

The hyper hysterical Mr. Macaroon is playing to the peanut gallery. And his grudge against Australia is equally matched by his grudge against the UK over fishing rights which, under Brexit, France is currently violating. I suppose the chip on each shoulder makes him well-balanced!

Remember all 'politics is local' and Mr Macaroon is fighting for his life at the French polls and failing miserably. This macho muscle-flexing is not hitting the mark either in France or Australia. Oh that's right, except for the "miserable ghost" Mr. Turncoat whose appalling submarine deal has been scuttled, and the media who are hell-bent on bringing down Mr. Morrison personally.

KSS. Nobody is violating any fishing agreement except according to the EU the UK may be just like it is with  the Northern Ireland Accord which Johnson crowed about when he signed it.  The UK EU fishing agreement is in dispute but the disagreement is about a number of French fishing boats which  have been refused permits under the agreement..

Macron is slightly ahead in the polls and they usually go to a second round when any slim lead is generally extended.

As I understand it, the French could have delivered nuclear submarines.

I have always voted Liberal, but never again with Morrison at the helm.

He is deceitful at all levels.  Politicians do lie, but Morrison sets a new bench mark.

the French were modifying their well regarded "Barracuda" class nuclear sub to fit Australia's diesel-electric requirements. Indeed, Sweden and Japan could also have sold us nuclear subs; none of these require weapons grade uranium to operate unlike the subs in the UK and USA proposal. And remember, there is not even a design for a sub under AUKUS, just an agreement to provide a propulsion system using weapons grade uranium and discuss scope for a design.