THE NUNAWADING BY-ELECTION

"The forces of popular caution and conservatism triumphed over political optimism and change in the Nunawading by-election on Saturday... - The Age (Melbourne) August 19th.

Our first comment, and one which none of the major dailies appear to have mentioned, is that all the polls were wrong. The polls we read forecast a cliffhanger result, or a slight advantage to either the A.L.P or the Liberals. This is significant to us: it means that other factors than those embraced by the pollsters were at play. Federal issues were definitely involved. The electoral result dust had not even begun to settle before the Victorian "Socialist Left" (Communist section of the Victorian A.L.P.) called for the blood of John Cain, the Victorian Premier. His crime? He lost the By-Election, and thereby control of the Victorian Legislative Council (Upper House) - meaning, the power of the Socialist Left to ram through pro-Marxist legislation into law.

From the position of the League of Rights, the result is probably as good as we could expect. "Labor" has been pulled up and given a warning. The Libs can take some heart from the result, but obviously they have to smarten up a lot before they can start crowing about storming back into office. One commentator said it was a "Steady-As-You-Go" result. That's about it.

THE DEBT DOMINO - PLAYING THE BANKERS' GAME

Jeremy Lee comments
The event, which many Capitalist leaders have feared, has now happened. The Bulletin (August 13, 1985) reported:
"Alan Garcia, the newly elected president of poverty stricken Peru, knows how to get the world's attention. Minutes after he was sworn in last week, Garcia jolted the Western world's banking establishment with a bold - some would say foolhardy - announcement. With his country sagging under a debt amounting to $14 billion - nearly $3 billion of it owed to US banks and the American government - Garcia said that, henceforth, Peru would limit the annual payment on its debt to 10 percent of his country's export earnings, a figure in the $300 million to $360 million range.

World bankers immediately began to worry that other Latin American debtor nations would follow suit and, in fact, the bankers may have cause for concern ... In Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro presided over a gathering of representatives from more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean nations at which he trumpeted his latest cure-all for Latin America's staggering $360 billion debt to Western creditors: simply don't pay it back..."

The League's journal ENTERPRISE produced by the Institute for Economic Democracy, in its September 1983 issue (No. 53) warned that the Latin American debt crisis was simply pushing debtor-nations into the hands of the Communists. The battle faced by President Reagan in Nicaragua and El Salvador was being undermined by international bankers. Fidel Castro has picked up the debt issue and is using it with devastating effect against the West.

In a 4-page interview he gave to the Editor of Mexico's daily paper Excelsior (March 21st, 1985) Castro made these remarks:
"..The incidence of the economic crisis and of the foreign debt … may be seen from the fact that each country's production has not only stopped developing but has even declined. Some countries are making truly heroic efforts to confront the situation. In 1982 Brazil exported $20,172 million in goods. In 1984 it exported $26,960m worth. In 1982 it imported $19,395 m in goods. In 1984 imports were reduced to $14,360m. In 1982, Mexico's exports were $22,091m. In 1984, $23,500m. In 1982, imports were $14,434m; in 1984, $10,00m.

Argentina's surplus of exports over imports increased from $3,000m in 1982 to $4,000m in 1984. By making great efforts to increase their exports and cut imports drastically, to levels nearly untenable for their economies, these countries obtained favourable balances of trade - Brazil, $12.6 billion, Mexico $13.5 billion and Argentina $4.4 billion. All of these balances - the results of tremendous efforts, using and practically exhausting their stocks of raw materials and possibly adversely affecting the maintenance and replacement of productive installations - have been used exclusively in all these countries to pay the interest on their debts.
As a whole, the Latin-American countries paid $37.3 billion for interest and profits in 1984 - nearly $3 billion more than in 1983 - and they received $10.6 billion in loans and investments…"

When Castro tells Latin American leaders that they are being destroyed by debt, he's telling them nothing they don't already know. His solution, stressed in the Excelsior article, is immediate implementation of the New International Economic Order. This is thus presented to such countries as a defence mechanism against the rapacious bankers of the West. Unless he offers an alternative solution to the Latin American debt crisis, President Reagan will fight a losing war against communist guerillas in Nicaragua and El Salvador, and will be seen as a military "stooge" of the bankers in the rest of South America.

Meanwhile Castro continues to successfully exploit the debt crisis, completely omitting to tell his debt-afflicted audience that the New International Economic Order is a solution devised by the Soviet Union in conjunction and complete accord with the international bankers: It is a classic example of the Marxist-Leninist use of "dialectics" to gain a long-term objective.

But what of Australia? In a situation where more than 50 percent of exports are now required to be sent back overseas to service our foreign debt, our position is very similar to such South American countries as the Argentine. Will Mr. Hawke - or his successor - opt for "Castro's solution", i.e. the New International Economic Order? What line would the Opposition parties take on such an option? They have not dared deal with the issue so far.

FROM CANADIAN 'ON TARGET' (July 29th)

More on the Keegstra affair: "Last week, just as the guilty verdict was announced in the Jim Keegstra case in Red Deer, Alberta, we observed how difficult it is today in Canada, because of the constant media mindwashing, to find an unbiased jury in any so-called 'hate' trial, and pointed out that this was the second time Mr. Keegstra, the former Eckville high school teacher, has been convicted of the same offence and again punished - contrary to the cardinal principle of Canadian justice that no one should be convicted or punished more than once for the same offence… "

"J.D.L. Threatens Keegstra: The Zionist terror group known as the Jewish Defence League headed by Rabbi Meir Kahane, according to July 23 press reports, announced that violence is the only way to teach Mr. Keegstra a lesson. Toronto JDL head Meir Halevi was quoted: 'The first thing you do when you have a Jim Keegstra or a neo-Nazi of that type, is you pounce on them physically', going on to warn that a group of "strong Jews" plan to march on Mr. Keegstra's home this coming month and not just 'play around and shout a few things'.

Here we have an avowed terrorist outfit preaching and threatening hatred and violence against an identifiable individual. Yet, press reports indicate that the Ontario Attorney General is not even considering laying charges, and the Toronto police say the threats are not specific enough to warrant charges. Just how could they be more specific? After all, they name their intended victim, the site of their crime, and the approximate date."

Is the Bible At Centre of Controversy?
Mr. Keegstra made it very clear at his trial that the most important book by far in the formation of his belief and views was the Bible. Like other evangelical Christians, he believes that those who do not believe in Christ face damnation. This, of course, is the traditional teaching flowing out of the Gospels. Most evangelicals and clerics today are too timid to apply this to any specific or "identifiable" group. But Christ himself was not. He laid it right on the line in no uncertain terms in His confrontation with the anti-Christian conspiracy of His day in language much harsher than any of Jim Keegstra's.

A re-reading of "The Man From Galilee" chapter of Douglas Reed's The Controversy of Zion ($21.50 posted), starting at page 59, is most illuminating in this connection. "Indeed, is it not legitimate to ask: If Christ were here in Canada - in body, today, would he not have been charged and tried and crucified long before Jim Keegstra? And will the Bible not finally end up on Ottawa's list of banned books? Think it over."

BRIEF COMMENTS

Some students of the international financial scene are convinced that the growing world (and particularly Third World) debt "mountain" will not bring about an ultimate collapse of the "free" world's economies, as it will continue to be written off, by such "world" agencies as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Some draw attention in support of their view, to recent legislation in the US Congress which allows the Federal Reserve Board to rescue certain American banks from defaulting nations by, virtually, transferring the massive debts to the American taxpayer. We are not in agreement with this view that massive overseas debts will continue to be "written off", thus staving off a world monetary collapse. The Financial Review (July 29th) refers to the debts of certain African nations. A former (US) State Department official says that the IMF cannot tolerate delinquencies. The IMF Managing Director, Mr. Richard Erb, says: 'any widespread delinquency would "undermine" the institution's role as the world's monetary policeman. It would also crimp the IMF's own resources: If the Fund is to stand ready to help future borrowers, it must get repaid - on time - for its loans. Resources are limited.' International debts will stay, and mount.

Clyde Holding is under pressure to press ahead, urgently, with his Aboriginal Land Rights programme. We believe that the League's offensive against Aboriginal Land Rights has thrown a spanner in the works of the Word Government mob, internationally. We have upset their programme: in fact, put it back. Hence the sudden "offensive" in South Africa! This mob is in a hurry. But time is on our side, and we furthermore have a real confrontation coming up in Western Australia.

Darwin's Last Words & Evolution
"The dying Darwin to Lady Hope: 'I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything. And to my astonishment the ideas took (root) like wildfire. People made a religion of them ... I want you very much to speak here. I know you read the Bible in the villages. Tomorrow afternoon I should like the servants on the place, the tenants and a few neighbours to gather there. Will you speak to them?' 'What shall I speak about?' (replied Lady Hope). 'Christ Jesus', he replied in a clear emphatic voice, adding in a lower tone, 'and His salvation. Is that not the best theme?' 'And then I want you to sing some hymns with them. You lead on your small instrument, do you not? If you take the meeting at 3 o'clock, this window will be opened and you will know that I am joining with the singing.'
Bombay Guardian, Bombay, India, March 25, 1916, as quoted in The Origin and Destiny of Man, Francis Nigel Lee, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co. 1974."