G'Day from "Down Under"

[Kentucky Fried Panda]

Jonny I do wish you would keep up with current world affairs...

Some 200 U.S. Marines arrived in Australia late on Tuesday for a six-month deployment, the first of 2,500 troops expected to rotate through a de facto base in Darwin as part of plans to deepen the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific.

[jonny2mad]

if the US collapses wont those troops be wanted at home

[RenewableCandy]

Possibly, but how will they get back there ?

[energy-village]

Hunter Valley, Australia. All that lovely wine. Hmmm . . . . if the worst happens at least you can drown you sorrows!

[jonny2mad]

Possibly, but how will they get back there ?

With the last available oil or by sail boat , or they stay in Australia, but without oil I don't see them being much use in the defense of a continent .

I think the idea of anyone being able to sustain a Island of relative order and prosperity without being armed to the teeth and xenophobic as hell is very unlikely, thats why I think Australia and new Zealand are doomed .

yup I think the fluffy crowd will do us all in for sure

[RenewableCandy]

Australia is always an easy one to hold on to and regroup in in "Risk" (Mind you, I've never been sober while playing "Risk"! ... )

[kenneal - lagger]

I'm not allowed to play Risk. I take it too seriously.

I could never stand playing Totopoly while I was a child as my brother used to take that very seriously and would always win. Little B*****d!! Perhaps it runs in the family!!

[featherstick]

I have been allergic to board games ever since a child psychologist recommended that we play games as a family in order to teach my little brother that if he lost it wasn't the end of the world. Monopoly, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders - all would end with my Dad cheating and my little brother throwing the board and pieces against a wall and screaming his head off. Risk would have lead to fratri- or patricide.

Still, Australia sounds nice if you can cope with all that sun.

[BritDownUnder]

Possibly, but how will they get back there ?

With the last available oil or by sail boat , or they stay in Australia, but without oil I don't see them being much use in the defense of a continent .

I think the idea of anyone being able to sustain a Island of relative order and prosperity without being armed to the teeth and xenophobic as hell is very unlikely, thats why I think Australia and new Zealand are doomed .

Could happen especially with Australian politicians display gullible naivite at times especially in foreign affairs. Australia could be a more difficult country to invade than you think though, especially with a peak oil hobbled attacker. The North of the continent has little agricultural land and inhabited by nasty creatures to boot.

Remember that Britain only successfully invaded in 1788 by coming in from the South and then with two years of food supply. Even this was not enough and the colony nearly starved were it not for the timely arrival of a supply fleet. I feel the place is more likely to be sold than invaded.

There is always the fear of Asian invasion in the Aussie subconscious. Maybe a nuclear armed, nationalist Australia could be the best hope?

I think a more likely scenario is one of boat arrivals. There seems to be a boat of would-be refugees arriving off the North-West coast every week mentioned in the news containing some people fleeing their own war ravaged homelands. Whether this develops into a tidal wave of arrivals depends on the speed of collapse I suppose. Personally I think the authorities' patience would wear thin after the first few shiploads.