COMMENTS ON THE BRITISH SCENE

The following comments are culled from the May 16th issue of British On Target, and written by Mr. Jeremy Lee, Deputy National Director of the Australian League of Rights.

It seems that Brixton epitomises so much of what has happened to Britain since I was last here 30 years ago a combination of economic depression and racial conflict now finding expression in blinding violence and carefully planned revolution which must become a national situation unless the basic causes are correctly identified and remedied.
"That is the basic difference in 30 years: however bad the war time damage, subsequent objectives were self evident and it was a case of 'getting on with the job'.

Today, Britain staggers like a blind man from crisis to crisis. Its physical capacity is at the moment greater than it was in 1945. It cannot remain so much longer if a practical vision is not developed by the British people. "There have been plenty of politico-economic visions painted by vote getting politicians. How many 'lights at the end of the tunnel' Britons have been treated to since 1950, only they, themselves, can tell. "But that is a far cry from a mood of purpose and determination in a people. Such a thing is essentially spiritual and comes from a combination of things - a correct statement of the problem not being the least of these.

"Much of the genius of C.H.Douglas lay in his painstakingly correct statement of the problem. That he did so long before the symptoms were as evident as they are today must be the greatest reason for examination of his solutions. Douglas dealt not with idealism, but with reality. "Enoch Powell was right about the issue of Immigration, yet, despite Bristol and Brixton, not one national paper in Britain has been bold enough to say so.

Powell's comment after Brixton? 'We haven't seen anything yet.'

"Because Britain's leaders cannot yet face the reality of Powell's warnings, the only people free to act are the revolutionaries who organised Brixton. They are acting out of the gospel of Marx who stressed that because the British would never fashion a revolution themselves, it would have to be imported. Britain's immigration policies since the fifties amount to 'imported revolution', Enoch Powell being almost the only politician brave enough to say so.

The Revolutionaries Behind the Scenes
Active in Brixton is movements like the Revolutionary Communist Tendency, an offshoot of the Socialist Workers' Party, which has its headquarters in Brixton. The workers' Revolutionary Party, backed by Vanessa Redgrave, is also active in the Brixton area. Active too are such black power organisations as the Black Unity and Freedom Party. One could ask why the Left is moving into Local Government? The answer, in part at least, lies in the fact that more revolutionary potential lies in the rate explosion taking place throughout metropolitan areas. Camden's rates, for example, have increased 40%, Kensington and Chelsea 50%, Southwark 38%. A Camden ratepayer who had a rate bill of 120 pounds ten years ago can expect to pay more than 500 pounds today.

Debt is the key factor behind these huge rises. Southwark had a debt of 470 million pounds. Camden's debt is about the same - 2,500 pounds for every person in the borough - and interest payments alone this year will total some 70 million pounds.

"Sir Brandon Rhys Williams, Kensington's Tory M.P., predicts that central London will lose one third of its population in the next ten years as a direct result of high rates. "After all, rates are a form of property tax. This tax has now become far too heavy, particularly in central London", he said. (New Standard, April 14th, 1981).

"Significantly, however, the Leftwing is fighting for higher rates. In Southwark for instance, 14 Leftwing Labour councilors demanded the rate increases be set at 40% instead of the 38% agreed to. So much for the 'voice of the proletariat'. The latter must not be allowed to own private property!

"But where is the voice offering an intelligent campaign for lower rates? And where is the financial policy, which would allow not only councils, but also such utilities as British Rail, and the whole structure of British industry to get back on its feet? "The 364 economists who issued a recent statement criticising Mrs. Thatcher's economic policies have no answers themselves; nor yet the group of 30 prominent world bankers, including Johannes Witteveen, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, who issued a statement on April 15th supporting Mrs. Thatcher. They are the devil and the deep blue sea, between which the British people are helplessly squeezed with the resulting Bristols and Brixtons.

"A great many worthwhile people in the English speaking world have seen through the party game - and about time too! There is a great yearning for absolutes, for values and for spiritual quality, finding expression in a rejection of the phony, the power seeker, and the political gimmick. We are on the edge of a spiritual revival in the West - make no mistake. It needs looking for at the moment; but it's there. We'll miss it if we search in the Halls of Power, tempting though it might be.

One Worlders Starting To Panic?
"The coalition of unsavoury movements in the world government campaign is concerned at the grassroots renaissance reaching for freedom. There is an almost panicky emphasis now on the New International Economic Order and the Brandt Report. The well informed have no difficulty discerning the hidden barbs of banking and monetary centralisation, linked to global control of commodities, production, and distribution. The fact that these are camouflaged in the glib phrases of pseudo-Christian altruism determines the course of action for the wise and the prudent.
"The Socratic method will do much to expose the real facts for the naive and the gullible.

"Is the Brandt Report a plan for World Government? How come it follows so closely the edicts of Lenin on this subject, written in the twenties? Is it true that its message is enthusiastically endorsed by the Soviet Union? What benefit can be accrued by the creation of money, and the aggregation of interest bearing debt on a world scale? Wouldn't this be a perpetuation of the longtime aberrations, which have contributed to the current world crisis? How will the Brandt Report aid the Third World problems in the Brixtons and Bristols of Britain? If the debts of Turkey, Upper Volta, and Ecuador can be written off, why can't the debts of Islington, Camden, and Southwark?

"Enormous resources lie behind the campaign to have the Brandt Report recommendations accepted by a compliant and exhausted Britain. It is being sold in the parishes, political parties, and on university campuses. "A dedicated association of individuals, armed with nothing more than the right questions - asked infuriatingly through the letterbox, in church meetings, in newspaper columns, and political circles - could do wonders:" An intelligent and persistent question campaign across Britain might do more to expose the real facts on money and debt creation than anything else. Leading from there into some positive suggestions for alleviating local problems may well be the first humble steps in the real breakthrough we are all praying and working for."

BRIEF COMMENTS

It is clear that in spite of Prime Minister Fraser's assurances following the Burr affair, that many Government backbench Members are far from satisfied. The Tasmanian Liberal Member has discovered that members are expected to be faithful "yes" men, and that any criticism of party leaders or policies is frowned upon. The Burr affair has highlighted the necessity for Members to be responsible only to their electors, not to party machines. But electors themselves must give the lead by voting and acting in a responsible manner. Government Senators who are displaying commendable independence should be given every possible encouragement and support.

Remember all the propaganda about the necessity to impose savage increases in petrol prices because there was a worldwide "energy crisis". The OPEC oil ministers have just announced that they have frozen oil prices until the end of the year - because of the worldwide oil glut!

There is nothing like hard experience to dispel windly idealism. The Australian teachers who went to Zimbabwe have been brought face to face with some unpleasant realities. One teacher writes to draw attention to many of the problems, including accommodation. Then there are the severe currency restrictions. Only 600 Zimbabwe dollars a year can be changed into other currencies. Zimbabwe dollars are not accepted elsewhere. There is increasing evidence that Mr. Mugabe would like to make Zimbabwe a one party State like many other African countries. Incidentally, these one party States, like Tanzania, will be warmly welcomed at Mr. Fraser's Commonwealth Conference in Melbourne, where they will strongly condemn "racist" South Africa.

The anti-South African campaign of the Fraser Government does not extend to criticising nations other than New Zealand concerning sporting contacts. Britain, Ireland, France, Argentina and, yes, the USA - have either hosted a Springbok tour or travelled to South Africa. Why only criticise New Zealand? What about the old Anzac spirit? Surely it is not dead in Australia.

The Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church are the latest victims of the New World Economic Order conspiracy. They are quoting the Brandt Commission Report on how the "rich" nations must help the "poor" nations. The World Council of Churches has also been making use of the Brandt Commission Report, which is a major instrument in the campaign to foster the New International Economic Order. Essential reading on this subject is Jeremy Lee's "Upon That Mountain", price $1.40 posted.

From Hansard: Representatives, May 13th. Mr. Lionel Bowen, Deputy Leader of the Opposition:
"I ask the Prime Minister: Is he giving serious consideration to committing Australian troops to an American sponsored peacekeeping force in the Sinai desert, despite objections from his Defence Minister (Mr. Killen) and National Country Party colleagues? Will he assure the House that before any Australian troops are committed to any peacekeeping operations which are not under the umbrella of the United Nations - a commitment without precedent - this matter will be fully debated in the Parliament because of its serious nature?"

Mr. -Malcolm Fraser:
"If the honourable gentleman wants to make any assumptions about the attitude that the Minister has expressed, he would be better advised to make accurate assumptions rather thin inaccurate ones.

Mr. Lionel Bowen:
"I am asking you a question."

Mr. Malcolm Fraser:
"…The issue of peace and war in the MiddleEast is also very serious. The survival and integrity of Israel within secure and defensible boundaries is clearly a very serious issue, as some colleagues in the honourable gentleman's party would be ready to agree. In the light of reports that have appeared, it would be idle not to say that this matter has been before the Government, but at present we are in communication with the Government of the United States of America. My colleague has written to the Secretary of State asking certain questions of the United States to put Australia in a better position to be able to make a final decision one way or the other. If a decision is made it will obviously be very fully debated in this Parliament."

Senator Dame Margaret Guilfoyle referred the question to the Treasurer.
Bankruptcies:
Mr. Moore, the Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs, in reply to a question, disclosed that the number of bankruptcies over the past six years were as follows: 1974-5...1252/ 1975-6...1243/ 1976-7...1270/ 1977-8...1752/ 1978-9...1986/ 1979-80. .2530.

Representatives:
May 14th. Mr. McVeigh (Minister for Housing and Construction) : ...
"The Government is interested in maximising home ownership for all Australians. The most recent statistics indicate that the number of loans made available in Australia in the last twelve months to December 1980 totaled 240,345. That is an all time record for Australia. We have one of the highest levels of home ownership in the world - 71.9% of Australian families own their own homes (we are sure that the Minister meant to say, "either own, or are paying off their own homes".... On Target). The honourable member raised the matter of a deposit gap. One can readily understand the difficulty of a person saving for a deposit. However, let us analyse the facts. Only 30% of the Australian homebuyers are single income families. So 70% of the people purchasing homes are from two income families. Obviously, it is easier for two income families to save a deposit for a home. It must also be remembered that if finance is to be made available to home purchasers it is necessary not to isolate funds for home ownership. I fully support the initiatives announced by the Treasurer in this Parliament at the end of last year. They had the net result of attracting such funds to home ownership as to enable the totality of funds allocated last year to be a record."

Senate:
April 30th. Senator Puplick:...
"In the event of the State of New South Wales requesting the Federal Government to assist it in abolishing all appeals from N.S.W. courts to the Privy Council, would the Federal Government be prepared to do all within its powers, especially those available in placitum (xxxviii) of Section 51 of the Constitution, to facilitate this long overdue and widely supported legal reform? Would the Federal Government be prepared to assist NSW even if other States did not wish to be associated with such changes? Would not a refusal by the Federal Government to assist in such an endeavour be interpreted both as a reflection on the competence, authority and status of the High Court of Australia and as an unwillingness to give real meaning to the term 'co-operative federalism'?

Senator Durack:
"Some time ago the NSW Parliament requested the Commonwealth Government exercise the Constitutional powers that are available to it to abolish appeals to the Privy Council from NSW. The Commonwealth Government had also had requests from the Victorian Parliament and the Tasmanian Parliament to exercise similar powers in relation to other matters where those States are still suffering under constitutional restraints - what we call residual links with the United Kingdom, other than links with the Crown. At a Premiers' Conference nearly two years ago this whole subject was discussed and the Standing Committee to Attorneys General was asked to look at the whole question of residual constitutional links with the United Kingdom, other than links with the Crown. The Standing Committee has been doing that and at its meeting on 10 April last it finalised a report for the Premiers' Conference which will take place at the end of June.
"The view that the Commonwealth Government has taken all along in relation to this matter is that it wishes to see a resolution of all these problems affecting all the States and it wishes to do so in the one exercise. The Commonwealth Government's policy is quite clear. We wish to see the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council and we make no bones about that. In fact, I reiterated that as recently as on the occasion of the retirement of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. The reason we have not been prepared to act on the request of one State is that we believe this matter relates very fundamentally to constitutional structure. There is also some doubt as to how far we can act on one State's request if other States say it affects them, although this is a legal argument under the Constitution. From the point of view of policy, we have felt that it was desirable to see whether we could get a resolution of these problems affecting all the States, and to do it all in the one exercise.
"As I have said, the Premiers' Conference two years ago took the same view and referred this question to the Standing Committee. When the Premiers' Conference gets this report…. at the normal Conference to be held at the end of June - it will, of course, have to be decided by the Premiers whether it is possible to resolve this matter in one package, or whether other more limited steps are necessary. As to whether the Commonwealth Government will act on the request of NSW alone, and so on, we have reserved our consideration until we see whether this exercise we have embarked upon can be successful. I do not think there is any doubt whatever - as I said, it has been confirmed by the Premiers - that the attitude the Commonwealth Government has adopted is the preferable course."