BRETTON WOODS REVISITED

Mr. Eric Butler reports from New Zealand, where he is conducting a nationwide lecture tour under the auspices of the New Zealand League of Rights
Sounding like a top public relations man for the International Bankers and their Marxist allies, Prime Minister Muldoon is calling for a new Bretton Woods international financial agreement. Mr. Muldoon is, of course, correct when he says that there is an international financial crisis. But what about the cause of this crisis, the astronomical debt burden, afflicting both Communist and non-Communist nations, which has reached the stage where of 21 of the major borrowing nations, no less than 75 percent of their exports go merely to service debt? Several like Brazil and Mexico, are not able even with their total exports to service their debts!

Prime Minister Muldoon echoes the carefully fostered view that the only way out of the international financial crisis is to "strengthen" the International Monetary Fund, which means, amongst other things, that the debts created by the International Bankers become the responsibility of the International Monetary Fund, which means that the taxpayers of the members of the Fund are then responsible. Mr. Muldoon is calling for an international taxing system, this to help service the international debt. This means a further lowering of living standards in countries like New Zealand in keeping with the views of the strategists working to create the New International Economic Order.

Time does tend to blur the memory, so it is understandable large numbers of New Zealanders, particularly amongst the younger generation, are surprised when told that although New Zealand was represented at the Bretton Woods conference held in New Hampshire, U.S.A., in 1944, both National and labor governments resisted signing the Bretton Woods agreement for over 15 years following the Second World War.

Apart from representatives of banking interests, the only group in New Zealand strongly supporting the Bretton Woods agreement was the Communists. This was understandable as the principal architect of the Bretton Woods proposals, including the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, was the top Soviet agent in the United States Treasury, Mr. Harry Dexter White. White was ably assisted by his good friend, John Maynard Keynes, the British economist who promoted the concept of deficit budgets and controlled inflation". Controlling inflation means, of course, controlling people.

Under a policy of expanding debt it is mathematically impossible to prevent financial costs and prices from rising. Any short term slowing of the inflation rate can only be achieved by bankrupting large numbers of business organisations. While Mr. Muldoon expresses concern about the international financial crisis, his policies intensify New Zealand's debt burden. There has been a 30 percent increase in the public debt over one year, an increase of $4,351 million. The nation's international debt has increased by 40 percent in one year, with the result that the total overseas debt now stands at $2,500 for every man, woman and child in New Zealand.
But this does not seem to worry Mr. Muldoon, who recently said, "We are passing on a burden of debt to those who come after us but what we are passing on as well are the productive assets that will far outweigh that debt".

Mr. Muldoon has not explained why a nation in increasing its assets should go progressively into deeper debt. New Zealand remains one of those small nations, with sufficient natural resources and productive capacity, which if its people can resist the offer to repeat the treachery of another Bretton Woods agreement, can give a lead in showing how to regenerate a disintegrating Civilisation. Mr. Muldoon's policies are like those of the alcoholic who believes that the answer to his problem is to increase his alcohol consumption. Escalation of the debt burden must result in increasing disasters.

JEREMY LEE REPORTS FROM QUEENSLAND

Having just concluded 30-odd meetings right round Queensland in just over a month, I can report that one question now predominates in the minds of Queenslanders - 'What does it matter who wins the State election?' Many are now grasping that the huge powers given to Canberra - right against the spirit of the Constitution - as a result of the Tasmanian Dams decision, make the State election a non-issue - unless a State Government emerges which will seize the initiative in leading a national campaign to regain the Constitution for the people.

So far no party or leader has given any indication that such a move will be initiated. There has been plenty of 'tut-tutting' about the Dams decision. But not concrete plan of action has been put forward. However, I believe this is the 'gut' issue in Queensland. I have been amazed how many are talking about the danger of international treaties. Much of this has been due to the excellent work of Mrs. Jackie Butler and her organisation "Women Who Want to be Women". Mrs. Butler has been campaigning continuously and has had large rallies wherever she has spoken. Although concentrating on one treaty - that dealing with the so-called elimination of discrimination against women - her material inevitably spills over into the whole question of the 1,500 international treaties to which Australia is already a signatory, and the future of the Constitution.

The League's Brisbane seminar - which I expected to be smaller than usual included Mrs. Butler and veteran constitutional authority Arthur Chresby, and was packed out. There were many new faces, and the audience was a young one. My meetings around Queensland were generally excellent, with heavy literature sales, and heavy sales of tapes. The marvelous work of the League's tape librarian, Ian McDonald, means that touring League speakers in Queensland now have stocks of their current address at each meeting. Sales were so heavy that I had run out of tapes in Mt. Isa, where we had a very good meeting with a number of men from "underground" present. The fast work of a key Mt. Isa supporter meant I had fresh stocks for the second half of the tour.

At one North Coast meeting the local President of the Labor Party attempted to suggest that there was "nothing unconstitutional" about the Tasmanian decision, as the High Court had authority to interpret the Constitution as it willed. He refused to give any validity to the "original intent", or spirit of the Constitution. His argument - so like the Pharisees of Christ's' day, whose obsession was the letter of the law - foundered when asked whether he would support the right of Australians to have a say on any changes. So much for "democratic socialist". It is clear the A.L.P. will not support any move to give the Australian people a say in constitutional changes - and if the non-Labor parties have the wit to pick this up, they're on a winner.

RED OVER GREEN

A feature article in The Bulletin (September 6, 1983) dealt with the training being given to 'non-violent' demonstrators such as those currently operating at Roxby Downs in South Australia:
"...The greenie guerillas of Roxby Downs all have training in techniques of 'non-violent' protest. Almost every Roxby demonstrator has been to at least one training session. But the demonstrators have rather an elastic view of non-violence. For them it includes occupying mine sites, tearing down fences and non co-operation with the police ... Training sessions in non-violence have been held in several States. In Victoria, they have been held at a camp in the Strathbogie Ranges and at Melbourne's Princes Hill High School. There have been information nights, weekend training camps and, for those not free on weekends, one-day sessions.

The blockade organisers have attempted to enlist every blockader in some training ... the two men who spoke to The Bulletin said that most of the leaders seemed to be veterans of other campaigns ... After the lectures the class split into "affinity groups" of about ten members each for the rest of the training ... The Roxby handbook describes affinity groups this way: "Affinity groups will form the backbone of the blockade so all people at the blockade must be in affinity groups; this includes service people and members of the co-ordinating group. When affinity groups decide to undertake an action, which could lead to arrest, it is also important to decide on one or two members who will not be arrested. These people will be the arrest watchers. These people will also be responsible for making appropriate arrangements about the possessions of arrested blockaders."

The handbook also has instructions on how to deal with the media and the police. On the media it says: "The media will not be allowed to film or record any meetings whilst at the blockade. Of course, they will be informed of all decisions, but their presence at meetings could be counter productive..." Counter productive? Could it be they are afraid the public just might find out what's really going on?
Those who have attended the League's in depth anti-subversion school - the most comprehensive in Australia, already know.

BRIEF COMMENT

THREE CHEERS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE OF RIGHTS

These words were written in the Editorial of the Maryborough-Hervey Bay Chronicle (September 1st). It commences:
"The much maligned Australian League of Rights is to be commended for keeping to the forefront the danger of centralist control in Australia." More follows about the Tasmanian Dam decision, the "External Affairs" power of the Constitution and international treaties. The editorialist further adds: "Three cheers for the Australian League of Rights for keeping this important issue alive, and we commend its petition seeking an amendment to the Constitution so that no international treaty can be made law to usurp State rights without being first accepted by the people through referendum..." These petitions must go ahead, and the issue of the Socialist attack on the Constitution (Federalism) must throw the full glare of the political spotlight on to the Canberra Socialists who will be seen for what they are; centralists obsessed with the pursuit of power. They must be forced into the position where the more they defend their United Nations based legislation against the States, the more will they show themselves up as centralist power-chasers.

Inevitably, there was a letter to the Editor of the above newspaper to condemn the League of Rights; and no prizes for guessing that it was from a Christian clergyman. The following letter appeared in Maryborough-Hervey Bay Chronicle (September 5th) above the name of Rev. Father Michael Scragg, Parish Priest, BIGGENDEN (Qld.):
"Anti-League. "Please, no three cheers for the Australian League of Rights, no matter what the merits of the case concerning 'centralist control of Australia', a phrase which in any case I see as loaded. "As a Christian pastor I cannot think of too many organisations in this great country as being more unchristian (printed with small "c"), un-Australian, subversive and pernicious as the infamous League of Rights. "In the Maryborough-Hervey Bay Chronicle of Saturday, April 16, page 2, you reported an exhibition in Adelaide, by the League of Rights seeking to portray the nazi holocaust (small 'n' & 'h') as never happening. "For what did Australian servicemen, and servicemen from the rest of the Commonwealth and the British Empire die? "The Australian League of Rights is well known for its incitement to racial hatred among other things, its record is well documented, its whole underlying philosophy is unchristian, unbiblical, and inhuman, and if implemented would see a flagrant violation of human rights as occurred under Adolph Hitler and National Socialism in Germany and other parts of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.
"In 1946 the Victorian League of Rights, under Butler's direction, was formed at State level and at this time Butler published "The International Jew", a violently anti-semitic work. "I quote further from a book, 'The Australian League of Rights' - a study in political extremism and subversion', by Andrew A Campbell, Outback Press, 1978. "The League's conspiratorial theories of economics and finance have also enabled it to proselytise and agitate amongst groups and sections of the community that are subject to feelings of powerlessness, political alienation, marginality and victimisation, or exhibit a generalised hostility to the system.
"As one who has a lot of respect for the Chronicle, its editorials and reporting generally, I feel I must reply to what I believe to be unjustifiable support to an organisation warranting no support in our community".

Mr. Jeremy Lee, National Secretary of The Institute of Economic Democracy, a Division of the Australian League of Rights, replied on behalf of the League:
"Father Michael Scragg, of Biggenden, who was so scathing about the League of Rights in your issue of September 5th, would do well to remember the scriptural advice - 'prove all things'. "As Father Scragg never saw the exhibition in Adelaide, he has had to rely on a brief and somewhat sensational clipping, together with Andrew Campbell's wildly inaccurate hatchet book on the League for the farrago of nonsense contained in his letter. Andrew Campbell couldn't even get the date for the League's birth correct, and in fact his material is simply a repetition of the earlier booklet, Voices of Hate, by former Communist K.D.Gott.' "The League's Adelaide exhibition never claimed the Holocaust 'never happened', but documented the fact that casualty numbers and circumstances - including the alleged existence of gas chambers in a number of camps - were badly exaggerated. These facts have been amply documented by a number of objective historians, and by Jewish sources themselves. A number of courageous Jewish authors, including Dr. Alfred Lilienthal and Rabbi Elmer Berger, have themselves come under attack for seeking to establish historical accuracy. "To insist on such accuracy is in no way to condone atrocities, as Father Scragg so improperly implies. The League has no animosity to Jewish people, and has a number of Jewish supporters. But it is strongly opposed to political Zionism.
"Father Scragg should also note that a number of League office bearers served in the armed forces against Nazism, including the National Director, Eric Butler, who was an instructor at Canungra, and at an Officer Training School in Melbourne, as well as in New Guinea. The Chairman of the League's Church Committee, Mr. Horton Davies, who was a pilot based in Townsville, flew many sorties against the Japanese.
"The League's philosophy is Christian, conservative and aimed to protect limited constitutional government with the decentralisation of power. That is why it is placing so much emphasis on resisting the attack on the Australian Constitution. How Father Scragg construes this to be 'unchristian, unbiblical and inhuman' is beyond me".