Analysis: When leaders refuse to leave the stage, it’s time to move on
There is a certain point when the leader of a country decides to stay on the stage. Maybe it is time to stop acting like the star or it is time to stop the public’s attention.
This summer, while addressing a rally in the state of New South Wales, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made headlines for staying on stage during the speech.
He did this by speaking directly from the text of a speech he previously gave to a different body.
He did this by telling the audience that he was giving the same speech he gave to them in 2013.
He even claimed that he was not going to “change his mind on climate change”.
As he finished, he told the crowd: “We are absolutely committed to leaving the Paris agreement.”
These were not the words of a leader walking out of the room without a clear signal of intent.
He was telling the world that he is walking out of Paris and the world will know it.
This is a statement that will put the nation’s climate policy on trial. He is telling the world he does not intend to fight on climate change.
And after years of climate anxiety in the country, that is a shocking message to send out.
Instead of fighting the fight, he is telling the Australian people that he is ready to walk away.
Morrison’s speech was an act of leadership that demonstrated the power of the nation’s Prime Minister.
He was not abandoning climate change as he claimed.
The Prime Minister is not walking out of the Paris Agreement – he is walking away from it.
The Prime Minister is not abandoning the Paris Agreement – he is abandoning it.
The Prime Minister’s speech was a show of leadership that put Australia on trial. It was not a retreat or a statement that he was quitting the fight.
But, it was the Prime Minister’s message that demonstrated that he is not willing to fight the fight for Australia.
This was exactly the right