Has Tony Abbott finally lost the plot completely?

Unable to govern effectively at home,  Liberal-Nationals Coalition Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott looks elsewhere to validate his self-importance.

He spends tens of millions hunting the ocean floor for a missing Malaysian commercial aircraft, postures aggressively towards Russian Prime Minister Putin and, tries to invite himself into a civil war.

Not content with alienating various Asian trading partners, traditional allies and the United Nations, now English-born Abbott is inserting himself into the debate concerning Scotland’s independence.

This ill-considered, opinionated move made Page One of The Times on Saturday 16 August 2014:

BBC News  also reported on his interview on 16 August 2014:

He said the nations who would "cheer" the prospect were "not the countries whose company one would like to keep".

A spokesman for Yes Scotland said: "Independence seems to be working well for Australia."…..

Mr Abbott told the Times: "What the Scots do is a matter for the Scots and not for a moment do I presume to tell Scottish voters which way they should vote.

"But as a friend of Britain, as an observer from afar, it's hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland.

"I think that the people who would like to see the break-up of the United Kingdom are not the friends of justice, the friends of freedom, and the countries that would cheer at the prospect... are not the countries whose company one would like to keep."

A spokesman for Yes Scotland, which is campaigning for independence, said: "These comments have echoes of Lord George Robertson's "forces of darkness" speech in April which was widely ridiculed, even by No supporters, as one of the anti-independence campaign's most outlandish scare stories.

"The decision about Scotland's future is one for the people of Scotland to make - a point that even David Cameron asserts. After a Yes vote, Scotland will take her place as a normal and valued member of the international community - just as Australia did when she gained independence at the turn of the century."

A spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Tony Abbott has a reputation for gaffes, but his bewildering comments have all the hallmarks of one of the Westminster government's international briefings against Scotland."

He added: "Scotland's referendum is a model of democracy, which has been cited as such internationally, including by the US Secretary of State. An independent Scotland will be a beacon for fairness, justice and cooperation in the international community - and a great friend of Australia."….

Scotland's First Minister went further in a BBC News report on 17 August 2014:

Scotland's first minister has said the Australian prime minister's comments on Scottish independence were "foolish, hypocritical and offensive".

* Snaphot from animated video Tony Abbott - Wrecking Ball