BRINGING DOWN THE IRON CURTAIN IN CANADA

"following one of the most incredible court cases in the history of the English speaking peoples, Mr. Ernest Zundel was found guilty of daring to circulate literature denying the generally accepted view of what is described as "the Holocaust". The Judge in charge of the trial, who had virtually directed the jury to find Zundel guilty, sentenced Zundel to a 15-month prison term and forbade him to speak publicly about the Holocaust.

Commenting on the court's decision and sentence, Defence Lawyer Doug Christie said that it was the first time in Canadian history that a person has been imprisoned for publishing an opinion which was found to be false in a legal forum. "Canada has now joined the ranks of Communist countries which jail those who disseminate unpopular ideas. And Mr. Zundel has joined those who were silenced by their societies, such as Socrates, Galileo and Solzhenitsyn", he said.

The far-reaching implications of the Zundel case have already been commented upon by a number of Canadians. The brilliant Jewish writer, Barbara Amiel, on March 5th, writing in The Toronto Sun, had warned of the attack on freedom of speech implicit in the Zundel trial, stating that "... the trial of Ernest Zundel was a blot on Canadian justice. Matters of politics, religion and history are not proper matters to be decided in our criminal courts. Our courts are reserved for criminal actions and I for one do not wish to live in a country where a stupid opinion is a criminal offence".

Mr. Alan Borovoy, Jewish counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said that the legal action against Zundel represents a serious - perhaps even unconstitutional - misuse of Canadian law on false news".

A widely respected columnist, Mr. Eric Margolis, well known for his sympathy concerning Jewish problems, summarised the Zundel trial in The Toronto Sun of March 28th. After noting the elation of Toronto Jewish groups, he commented: "But outside of Toronto, the view was different. I was in Mexico when the guilty verdict was made. Newspapers there headlined the story, 'Jews secure conviction of Zundel'. Even the august New York Times, a citadel of liberal Jewish thought, suggested the trial was little more than a witch-hunt.

"Indeed, it was; no matter how odious Zundel and his views. Did Toronto's Jews, who had ardently promoted the heresy law under which Zundel was convicted, not see that they were precisely duplicating totalitarian controls? ... a precedent has been set for the prosecution of heretics - all that is necessary is enough political pressure on the Crown Attorney and anyone can be charged. This is mob rule, not law. "Who next will be charged under this law? People claiming that Christ was not the Son of God? Those who say that Mary was not a virgin? Professors claiming that Germany was not solely responsible for World War II? Those who say Turkey did not kill a million Armenians - or those who say it did? ... Will Rabbi Plaut be hauled into court for saying that Israel was not given to the Jews by God? Will he be forced to produce evidence and jailed if he does not convince a jury?

"Everything about the Zundel case reeks. The law is clearly unconstitutional and should be struck down on appeal. It is a dangerous totalitarian law, one that befits Nazi Germany or Russia, not Canada. The Zundel case is the backdrop to the Keegstra trial in Alberta. Zundel's counsel has lodged an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence. The Zionist hatchet men who set in motion the Zundel and Keegstra trials have clearly opened a Pandora's box and we predict many unrehearsed developments. Canadian developments are certainly going to alert Australians to the creeping totalitarian threat with the attempt to insist that there is only one official view of history. Australians should note that Canada has a Bill of Rights!

THE TAXING QUESTION

If press reports are correct, Prime Minister Hawke is having second thoughts about tax "reform". Not even a Messiah can flaunt realities without demonstrating that he is just another ordinary politician. Mr. Hawke is under increasing pressure on the Assets Test question, and is beginning to realise that there are grave political perils associated with any taxation changes, which can clearly be seen to increase the total burden of taxation. The pragmatists in the Labor Party are afraid that the proposed taxation changes being advocated by Treasurer Keating, strongly backed by the Treasury, could prove politically disastrous.

The essence of the Keating proposals is that there should be a new indirect tax of approximately 12 percent, coupled with a reduction in direct taxation, and a capital gains tax. According to Mr. Keating and his "experts", the taxation programme proposed will lay the ground for a period of "sustained economic growth". It is not denied that the total amount of taxation collected will be greater as a result of there being fewer loopholes for the "tax avoiders".

The debate about taxation, both inside and outside the political parties, is a phony one. The essence of which is the best way to extract more taxation out of the community. There is no questioning of the false premise that taxation is the only source of revenue available to governments. Little attention is given to the increasing amount of taxation, which is used to service debt charges. The government continues to benefit from inflation, as witnessed by the latest 2.6 percent wage increase granted by the Arbitration Commission.

A wage earner with a dependent wife and two children, on the average wage of $391 per week, will receive a wage increase of $10.17, out of which the taxing master will receive a $4.70. The total money supply will have to be increased to finance the total increase in the national wage bill. It will be issued, as a debt and carry interest charges that show no sign of coming down in spite of the alleged competition which foreign banks would bring. Industry will have to try to recover the increase in debt plus the interest. Thus continuing inflation and more centralisation are guaranteed.

Total taxation could be reduced dramatically by the simple process of changing financial policy, issuing the new money created for the deficit as a credit, this applied for a start, to the complete abolition of the most directly inflationary tax, Sales Tax. Falling prices would be a genuine increase in purchasing power. But rather than challenge financial orthodoxy, the Hawke Government will attempt to impose increasing totalitarianism. More taxation inspectors will have to be employed in an attempt to police a system that increasingly forces desperate people to take every possible step to avoid the taxation monster. As there is no evidence that the Federal Opposition parties offer any genuine taxation reforms, these are only going to come as a result of a non-party grass-roots movement.

(Recommended reading: "Dictatorship by Taxation", by C.H.Douglas. Price $1.50 posted; "The Money Trick", Price $4.00 posted).

BRIEF COMMENTS

Joshua Nkomo is fighting for his life against his former fellow terrorist, Robert Mugabe, in the run up to the projected Zimbabwe elections in June. Mr. Nkomo charges that Mugabe's forces are abducting and murdering his key supporters in order to destroy his organisational base. Mugabe's supporters deny Nkomo's allegations, counter charging that he is murdering them. Such is political life in "liberated" Rhodesia. Former Prime Minister Fraser consistently claimed that the Mugabe Government was an outstanding success. Could we hear from Mr. Fraser now?

As desperate Australian farmers take to the streets again, with ugly clashes between dairy farmers and the police, it is worth recalling what the "leaders" of the primary producers were saying in the past. Writing in The Weekly Times of July 9, 1980, Mr. John Bennett, President of the Australian Dairy Farmers' Federation, claimed that Dairying had a great future in Australia. What was necessary was greater efficiency! Generally speaking, Australian primary producers have been poorly served by their establishment leaders. The looming rural crisis demands that primary producers make common cause with their urban friends and relatives to strike at the basic cause of their problems - rising financial costs. What about a national strike against government taxes, which are the major cause of escalating fuel costs?

The folly of multi-culturalism has been highlighted by some Greek leaders threatening the Hawke Government because it is alleged that US bases in Australia may be used for "spying" on the Greek Government. As usual, the ABC lost no time in featuring the Greek complaints. There is every reason for effective US surveillance of what is happening in Greece. If Australian citizens of Greek origins cannot accept that their first loyalty is to Australia, then they should give up their citizenship and even go to Greece. Australia can only defend itself if there is a common loyalty.

Another government in Africa has been changed by a military coup. President Numeiri of Sudan has had his 16-year rule ended. We wait with interest to see how quickly the new government will be recognised at the UN and elsewhere. No doubt the new rulers of Sudan will be making their contribution to that strange phenomenon known as "world opinion"!