Oh dear, Mr Downer! Surely you didn’t! But then I saw you do it. It was broadcast on ABC News across Australia and I was just one of hundreds of thousands watching. You were born and bred in Adelaide, the city that considers itself the epicentre of Australian wine. Your education was expensive and you’ve certainly travelled more extensively and frequently than many of us would care to do. And as the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, you’re supposed to have at least a small handle on the sensitive issues that bring countries to loggerheads. You’re generally expected to mend broken bridges, not to sabotage those that are working perfectly well. And since on your frequent forays onto the international cocktail circuit you’ve been better fed and watered than most, I can’t accept ignorance as an excuse. So what on earth, Mr Downer, was in your mind when you said to the person serving you the drinks at the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s meeting in Phnom Penh yesterday: ‘I hope this Champagne is Australian?’
