Squiz Today – Tuesday, 2 November

THE SQUIZ
It’s not every day that world leaders slog it out while attending consecutive international summits… It’s even more unusual when Australia is one of those parties, but the France v Oz saga has continued to play out overnight. PM Scott Morrison has strongly rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that he was lied to about the cancellation of French company Naval Group’s $90 billion submarine contract. Morrison says he will not allow Australia to be “sledged”.

SO WHAT DOES TEAM OZ SAY HAPPENED?
Well, Morrison says text messages might shed some light on things. In June, the pair spent time together in private as Morrison swung through Paris to see Macron. At a dinner during that visit, scuttling the French company’s contract to build subs was raised, and Macron told Morrison “I don’t like losing“, reports say. Overnight, it was revealed that Macron texted Morrison 2 days before the AUKUS announcement asking if there would be good or bad news, but the French leader would not take the Australian leader’s call to discuss it.

WHAT’S GOING ON?
Many have pointed out that voting in France’s presidential election starts in April next year, and that’s why Macron is going all out to defend France, his government and himself. Morrison is also facing an election in the coming months, and there are 2 prevailing views about how this plays out for him at home. To supporters, Morrison is seen as putting Australia’s interests first, no matter the blowback. Meanwhile, his critics say it shows he’s shifty, and his judgement on the world stage sucks. That’s all ahead, but for the next 2 days, Morrison and Macron have the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow to get through. Stay tuned…

Drinks are served at the last chance saloon

UK PM Boris Johnson has warned world leaders that it is “one minute to midnight” in the race to prevent global warming from reaching devastating levels. And David Attenborough has delivered a pep talk as the big climate summit that kicked off overnight. The United Nations has warned the stakes for the COP26 meeting “couldn’t be higher.” The meeting has also been described as the “last chance saloon” by Prince Charles and one of history’s most important diplomatic meetings. No pressure… Out of the blocks early is India – PM Narendra Modi is not only attending, but he has also committed his country – the world’s 4th biggest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the US and the European Union – to a target of net zero emissions by 2070. It’s 20 years later than hoped but it is seen by some as progress. PM Morrison will deliver his address to the meeting today.

Berejiklian done with ICAC…

…but is NSW’s anti-corruption commission done with her – that is the question. The state’s former premier spent a 2nd day in the hot seat talking about her relationship with disgraced former Wagga MP Daryl Maguire and how it affected her conduct in office. Giving evidence, she said the pair’s “close personal relationship” didn’t need to be declared to her colleagues when she was NSW treasurer and premier because it didn’t undermine her duty to the public. Despite his banishment from public life in 2018, the relationship continued until last year when she was called to give evidence in ICAC’s investigation into allegations of his corrupt conduct. Her grilling is over, and Berejiklian says she will now “get on with my life” – and she will no doubt run the ruler over her “love circle”… Experts say it could take a year for ICAC to report its findings and recommendations.

Dudded by the polls again

Which Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida would not be too unhappy about… Several significant polls said his Liberal Which Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida would not be too unhappy about… Several significant polls said his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) would lose its majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s election, but that hasn’t eventuated. Needing 233 to claim a majority, the LDP is set for circa 260 seats. With its coalition partner Komeito, they’ll have more than 290 seats and a solid lead over the opposition. Kishida, who became the nation’s leader a month ago, was not expected to deliver that kind of result. After the resignation of longtime PM Shinzo Abe and a lacklustre year at the top by PM Yoshihide Suga, Kishida has promised to get the economy back on track after a pandemic pummelling. “We will speedily implement policies to respond to the voices of the people we have received nationwide that strongly desire political stability and policy implementation,” he said yesterday. Stirring stuff…

House prices continue the march forward

The start of a new month doesn’t just bring a pinch and punch – it also brings a tally on what has happened to home prices in the month gone by. And according to analysts CoreLogic, capital city prices were up 1.49% last month, with regional prices up 1.87% as many city dwellers continue their escape to the country. All of that means national home prices are up by 21.6% over the last year – a rip-snorter if you’re a homeowner and intimidating if you’re trying to crack the market. Believe it or not, growth has slowed in recent months thanks to worsening housing affordability, more homes being put up for sale, and the drying up of government stimulus payments. Up today: the Reserve Bank is meeting for its Melbourne Cup luncheon… ahem… monthly meeting to consider interest rates.

Giddy-up it’s Cup day

Just a few weeks ago, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ commitment to having a crowd of 10,000 people at today’s Melbourne Cup was taken as a sign that the state’s battle with COVID was moving on. And here we are – it’s the first Tuesday in November, and the race that stops the nation will be run at Flemington at 3pm. Going in, there is a firm favourite for the 3.2km race. Country Queensland’s Incentivise is attracting odds of $2.80 for the win and $1.55 for a place. The 5yo gelding hasn’t won at the distance, but he is fancied to make it 10 wins on the trot. Or should that be gallop… Incentivise is so fancied that parallels with legend Phar Lap are being drawn… If the gee-gees aren’t your thing, the fashions on the field are set to be epic, according to those in the know. The ins and outs of one of the biggest days on the Aussie sporting calendar are here.

It must be that time of year… The Oxford English Dictionary has revealed its word of the year. And drumroll, please…. It’s ‘vax’. It’s a word that wasn’t used as widely as it is now, senior editor Fiona McPherson said. And ‘vaxx’ is also an accepted form of the word.

If you’re feeling a bit stressed over supply chain shortages and wondering what it could mean for your Christmas table, Heinz has a solution. Behold “Christmas dinner in a can”…

And New Zealand’s long-tailed bat has done it. Defying its species and lousy reputation, Kiwis have voted it in as bird of the year for 2021. How very this year…

Melbourne Cup public holiday (Victoria)

1.00pm – Tassie Premier Peter Gutwein delivers a “State of the State” address – Hobart

2.30pm – Announcement on interest rates following today’s Reserve Bank board meeting

3.00pm (AEDT) – And they’re racing in the Melbourne Cup – Flemington

US Gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia 

Day of the Dead – Mexico

UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

David Schwimmer’s birthday (1966)

Anniversary of: 
• the birthday of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France (1755)
• the first publication of Harper’s Bazaar (1867)
• the start of cheerleading in the United States as Johnny Campbell leads the crowd cheering on the football team at the University of Minnesota (1898)
• the start of the Great Emu War. Aussie soldiers were called on to cull emu flocks in Western Oz because of their destruction of crops. Long story short, the emus won… (1932)
• the release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller single (1983)