"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
Edmund Burke
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12 July 1986. Thought for the Week: "...
perhaps I may emphasise the absurdity of talking about systems,
as if systems could run without men. Deep down below questions
of finance the fundamental issue, which is at stake in civilisation
at the present time, is that of personal responsibility. "You
cannot fight a system, you can only fight the people who put
a system into operation. You cannot fight robbery, you can
only fight robbers. You cannot fight malaria, you can only
destroy mosquitoes. One of the most pestilential features
of our present civilisation is the idea that if someone is
paid by an organisation to do an injustice, the responsibility
for the injustice lies upon the organisation and not upon
him.... The restoration of the conception of the responsibility
of the individual for his acts, whether or not those acts
are done under the orders of someone else is, in my opinion,
essential to a better and more stable world, and I would particularly
commend to your attention the habit of identifying actions
with men rather than with systems.
C.H.Douglas in Dictatorship by Taxation |
DOWN FROM THE SUMMITNothing has so highlighted the reality of current Australian politics than the fact that Opposition leader Andrew Peacock has surged past Prime Minister Hawke in the public opinion polls by simply doing nothing, except to make a few vague remarks about the necessity for a "revised" tax system, and to charge that Treasurer Paul Keating has lost credibility because his much publicised "Option C" was abandoned at the Tax Summit. Shadow Treasurer John Howard made the revealing comment that "the tax retreat is the most dramatic example yet of the absolute domination of this Government by the ACTU", the clear inference being that Mr. Howard basically supports the Keating-Treasury strategy for a widely based consumption tax. Opposition to the consumption tax proposals came not only from the ACTU, but from a wide cross section of the Australian community. Last week's opinion polls confirm our view that the Hawke Government is disintegrating. We are not concerned about that, what we are concerned about is that an Opposition, which has learned nothing, could be returned to office through default, and with no more answers than the Hawke Government. The one encouraging development comes from the rural community, which has not only severely criticised the Hawke Government, but has also left no doubt that it has little faith in the Opposition. There have been harsh verbal exchanges between the President of the National Farmers' Federation, Mr. Ian McLachlan, and Federal National Party leader, Mr. Ian Sinclair. The National Party has been told in essence that it can no longer rely upon the automatic support of the nation's farmers. Prime Minister Hawke was so badly shaken at the Canberra rally that he was forced to promise "we will prepare a package in that Budget which will significantly reduce the cost impact upon farmers". The jeers of those rallied at Canberra indicated that there is little confidence in the promises of Mr. Hawke, the man who promised to reduce the price of petrol before the 1983 Federal elections. It may be true that Mr. Hawke and Mr. Keating are so far removed from realities that they genuinely believed they could get support for their consumption tax proposals at the Tax Summit. But it is also true that Mr. Keating's reference to Ben Hur, who managed to get his chariot across the finishing line with one wheel off, carries a message, which Australian taxpayers should heed. Mr. Keating and his Treasury "advisers" did not manage to go all the way to Moscow, but they got part of the way with proposals, which, if implemented, would increase the impact of indirect taxation. There has been no suggestion by anyone, either on the Government's side or from the Opposition that the only real taxation reform would result in a REDUCTION in total taxation. A phony debate has been conducted about how to reshuffle the current crushing burden of taxation, which means sectional conflict and further social disintegration. One of the most ominous results of the Tax Summit is what appeared to be agreement that the government should introduce an identity card for all Australians, allegedly to assist with "tax reform". Even that great libertarian Senator Chipp indicates that his Senate colleagues may regard the proposal favourably. As yet we have heard no outraged cries from the Federal Opposition. The overall result of the Tax Summit confirms our view that Australia entering a completely new political situation. |
BRIEF COMMENTSBy general consent, Hitler's War, by the distinguished British historian, Mr. David Irving, is one of the most important histories of the Second World War. Unlike Establishment historians, like Trevor-Roper, Irving has always stressed the importance of examining source material first hand. He was one of the first to denounce the "Hitler Dairies" as fakes after Trevor-Roper and others had pronounced that the diaries were genuine. In an American address published in the Winter 1984 issue of The Journal of Historical Review ($32.00), Irving reveals that, in spite of his standing as a best selling historian, he has had considerable difficulties with some publishers concerning some of his books. A long awaited biography of Winston Churchill is being rejected by publishers of previous books by David Irving. Which raises the question of how many important books have virtually been censored by publishers, or by distributors. The attempted suppression of The Zionist Connection, by Dr. Alfred Lilienthal, and The Thirteenth Tribe, by Arthur Koestler, immediately come to mind. We understand that David Irving will be conducting a lecture tour of Australia in September. We will pass on to our readers any information we may obtain. Last week we reported on the latest Canadian attempt at book burning, the banning of An American Jew In Racist, Marxist, Israel, by an American Jew, Mr. Jack Bernstein. ($6 posted). Now comes the news that the Zionist totalitarians have launched a legal action against the Institute of Historical Review, which, if successful, could bankrupt the Institute, and make it impossible for any publisher to dispute the Zionist view of history, particularly that concerning the Second World War. Dr. Jack Rabin, who is fundraiser for the Zionist Melvin Mermelstein's $1 million lawsuit against the Institute, says "The case is probably the most important case involving our people...that has ever occurred in the United States. It is a case with immense legal, social and historical significance for the United States and the world". Including, we stress, Australia. The case against Mr. Jim Keegstra, the former schoolteacher continues in Red Deer, Alberta. Australians should be proud that in spite of enormous psychological pressure, two juries of their fellow Australians had the courage to pronounce their view that Marxist Union leader Mr. Norm Gallagher, and High Court Judge Lionel Murphy, were guilty of the criminal charges brought against them. Both decisions have sent shockwaves through the ranks of the revolutionaries. Prime Minister Hawke showed foresight when he dropped Mr. Justice Murphy's friend and admirer, Senator Gareth Evans, from the position of Attorney General after the last Federal elections. Mr. Hawke must be praying that Mr. Justice Murphy will have the good sense to resign from the High Court and not leave him with the highly embarrassing situation where Parliament would be required to remove the Judge from his position. The international publicity concerning the coming Summit Conference between Soviet leader Mr. Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan has generally ignored the "quiet shuttle diplomacy" of Dr. Armand Hammer, who runs the giant Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and who has played a major role in bringing the Summit about. Hammer is one of the powerful international financiers who have sustained the Soviet Union. Hammer became a friend of Lenin soon after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. Comrade Mugabe of Zimbabwe has again revealed his real self: Upset by the fact that the former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) Mr. Ian Smith had captured the overwhelming majority of the European seats at the recent elections in Zimbabwe, Mugabe has vowed to take revenge against the whites. He has appealed to farm and factory workers to expose their white employers who supported Mr. Ian Smith. Mugabe's threats, which will eventually lead to the abolition of the European electorates in the Zimbabwe Parliament, have caused widespread fear among the 100,000 whites still living in the country. The result will be a further increase in the exodus of whites, bringing Zimbabwe closer to complete collapse and a one-party dictatorship. Thousands of disgruntled Tory electors have sent a stinging message to Prime Minister Thatcher at the recent by-election in a Welsh rural electorate. There was a 21 percent drop in Conservative support. Mrs. Thatcher's "monetarist" policies are proving increasingly disastrous. Cuts in farm subsidies and public services were major factors in the shock defeat of the Tories. The Achilles Heel of all "conservative" governments is their orthodox financial policies. The growing revolutionary tide cannot be held back by any government which refuses to tackle the basic debt finance problem. In January 1980, the USA Carter Administration abrogated an American-Soviet agricultural co-operation programme following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet remains in Afghanistan and the Reagan Administration has agreed to the renewal of the cooperation broken off in 1980. The U.S.A. and the Soviet have also agreed to co-operate more closely on trade in general. While the U.S.A. (and other Western nations) spend billions on military defence, the economy of the Soviet is sustained by Western food exports and technology. |