The Strong and Free Networking Conference — originally the (Preston) Manning Centre Networking Conference, aka “Manningstock” — kicked off Wednesday in Ottawa with two former anglospheric prime ministers weighing in on Ukraine, Israel, climate change and sundry other topics.

Boris Johnson (Conservative prime minister, United Kingdom, 2019–2022) and Tony Abbott (Liberal prime minister, Australia, 2013–2015), both Oxford grads and both former journalists, agreed on pretty much everything except climate change. (The Australian Liberals are, broadly speaking, akin to the former British Columbia Liberals: the centre-right option.)