"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
Edmund Burke
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12 September 1986. Thought for the Week:
"Both international finance and the Kremlin desire centralised
world power. To both, Social Credit ideas are therefore anathema.
The late Dr. Hewlett Johnson, Red Dean of Canterbury, once
asked Molotov, U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister, what the Kremlin
thought of the Douglas proposals and received the reply: 'There
is nothing in the world we fear more'"
Quoted by Eric de Mare, in his book, A Matter of Life & Debt |
THE LONG DARK CLOUD OVER NEW ZEALANDMr. Eric D. Butler reports from New Zealand
where he is currently conducting an extensive three week lecture
tour under the auspices of the New Zealand League of Rights "While American military strategists are concerned about the New Zealand Labor Government's anti-nuclear policy, the finance economic policy being pursued meets with warm approval in Wall Street citadels of international financial policy. Salomons, the New York investment brokers, have issued a special report in which it says that New Zealand's economic problems are less serious than those of Australia. Salomons state that, like another New York investment firm, Standard and Poors, it gives New Zealand a strong and 'improving' credit rating. "The Salomons report praises the economic policies of the Lange Government, stating that they are better than those of the Hawke Government. Which means that the New Zealand Socialist Government is prepared to screw down the New Zealand standard of living to a lower level than Mr. Paul Keating feels he can match? Salomons predicts that the Lange Government will win the next two elections as a result of its policies. In spite of rising unemployment and continuing high inflation - probably 16%, measured realistically the Lange Government may well survive, probably because of the failure of the National Party to offer any reliable alternative. It declines to abolish the G.S.T., stating that it will merely 'review' it. "At this time of rapidly developing crisis in New Zealand it is highly significant that the Soviet Union has launched a major offensive in the Pacific with a visit to New Zealand by the Soviet Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Mikhail Kapitsa, who has suggested the possibility of a New Zealand-Soviet bilateral agreement. "Prime Minister Lange has had the good sense to reject any suggestion of an exchange of security information between Moscow and Wellington. But New Zealand continues to export heavily to the Soviet Union; mainly primary production. "Clearly, the future of Australia is closely linked with what happens in New Zealand." |
THE NEW RIGHT"The Government's attack on the New Right over the past two weeks has only fuelled its fire". Sunday Telegraph, September 7th. Firstly, we don't see anything "new" about the New Right. Its proposals and objectives, which we have read, seem to us to be a reaction, more than anything else, against the abuses of union power; the pursuit of Socialist, Humanist, ends for commerce and industry (and for the individual). We think the pressure of frustration has been building up over the last few years (even before "Labor" was tipped into power in March, 1983) in all the echelons of commerce and industry, and this is coming to a head as an economic recession threatens, and the Hawke Socialist Government is in palpable decline. It is more than possible (indeed probable) that the higher echelons of commerce and industry know that a recession, at least, is on the cards, and that this is now the time to launch a conservative "offensive": that is, when economic survival may well be the uppermost thought for most. "Straws in the Wind." The restriction of the Work practices issues, alone, could provide plenty of explosives for demolition purposes. This will be a headache for Mr. John Howard. He is now looking good, as Brothers Hawke and Keating are on the skids, and this should continue. He would be right to worry that the "extremism" of the New Right could alienate those wavering Labor voters presently prepared to "change sides". No doubt Mr. Hawke will make this issue a major one in his attacks on the Opposition, with some degree of success, at least. Well, what impact will the New Right have on the overall economy of Australia in the present economic world conditions? In our view; none at all! Perhaps the New Right thinks that its policies will make for a more efficient, manufacturing, Australia (it couldn't think outside these terms): however, the basic economic and social problems will still be there, and some of them will be magnified. If commerce and industry are to be made so much more efficient, then many "passengers" in the work place will be made redundant. The New Right also wants to slash that bloated, plethoric, public service (with which we wouldn't argue .. O.T.). All this must mean rising unemployment: lower salaries if all the "Whitlamesque" trappings (e.g. 17½% holiday loadings) are abolished and this, in a society hooked on Health, Education, and Welfare. If the expected recession comes (as we think it must) - well, it's not too much to say that the ingredients for revolution in Australia will be ready for the match. It will be interesting to observe how severely the Communist Party condemns the New Right. If we were trained Communists, we would be welcoming the coming of the New Right in Australia; and we understand Communist theory better than most Communists! Let us make ourselves quite clear. We are not necessarily condemning the New Right. What we do claim is that in the utterly fallacious finance economic climate of our age; many of those policies of the New Right will be the torch to the "tinder-dry" social conditions brought about by decades of centralised political and financial policies, which have stripped ordinary men and women of the means of economic security. |
BRIEF COMMENTSThe Hawke Government has not "thought through" its Fringe Benefits Tax ("Farewell Bob Tax") More and more, the anomalies will surface as the Tax continues. We now read of an elderly pensioner; a lady employs a live in housekeeper to care for her. She is crippled, and can't care for herself. She will be taxed 46 cents in the dollar for the various "perks" she provides for her housekeeper! This sort of anomaly will be repeated thousands of times, shortly, through the length and breadth of Australia. No doubt Socialist Brother Keating has feathered his nest. His chances of continued "eminence" in the Treasury don't look too bright to us. What do you know? The Hawke Government will restore up to $30 million for teaching English, and as a second language to migrant school children. We don't know whether Mr. Al. Grassby would approve of this. Oz, you know is made up of people who speak some innumerable languages, and who profess umpteen different religions, BUT we are all "the family of the nation". Al Grassby is very proud of that term: perhaps he invented it himself. We are not sure whether Al would like those migrant children speaking English! Now is the time to read, or re-read "The Camp of the Saints", by Jean Raspail (a Frenchman). With Tamils now being found at sea, and seeking entry into a Western nation, this is the very type of situation foretold by Jean Raspail in this book as far ago as 1973. The great Solzhenitysn is quoted: "As seen from the outside, the massive upheaval in Western society is approaching the limit beyond which it will become 'meta-stable' and must collapse." The Camp of the Saints price $4.50 posted from League bookshops. The terrorism and the hi-jacking continue, as we insisted they would in our issue of May 2nd, viz, "Raid on Libya a Blunder." There were some readers at the time that thought that the U.S. raid on Libya would put an end to Arab terrorism. We again predict that it will intensify. For a better understanding of the Middle East cauldron, Censored History, by E.D.Butler ($2.00 posted from League bookshops) |
GAG ON RACIAL TOPICSThe National Director, Mr. Eric D. Butler, replies to the attack on the League of Rights by the Rev. James S. Murray The Australian 14/8): this reply published in The Australian (28/8) under the above heading:"As I make it a practice rarely to read James S. Murray's column on religion I did not read his unsubstantiated and hateful attack on the League of Rights (14/8) until it was brought to my attention. "As a movement, which accepts the Christian law of love, the League of Rights deplores all manifestations of hate, particularly when it expresses itself in abusive graffiti concerning migrants. "Mr. Murray's charge that it is 'demonstrable' that some of the graffiti he mentions has been 'inspired by the League of Rights', is a manifestation of the very hate he claims to deplore and is a slur on thousands of decent, law abiding, Australians. "Along with the majority of Australians, as witnessed consistently in public opinion polls, League of Rights supporters disagree with the current Immigration policy. "Their basic reason is the evidence from South Africa, the United Kingdom, West Germany, France, India, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United States, that multiracial and multicultural societies result in increasing tensions and ultimately in violence. "Whatever one thinks of some of the features of Japanese society one cannot deny that the policy of maintaining a homogeneous nation has resulted in relative social stability. People of common sense learn from the mistakes and the successes of others. "The use of hackneyed political swear words like 'racism' appears to be designed to make it impossible to have a civilised and meaningful discussion on a major public issue, immigration. Mr. Murray creates the impression that he does not like civilised discussion." |
COMPULSORY VOTINGThis information from the South Australian House of Assembly Hansard. Mr. S.G. Evans (member for Davenport) speaking on the 'Electoral Act Amendment Bill":"This is a quaint Bill, a small Bill, its objective being to bring in voluntary voting. Because it is so simple, I know that the House will have no difficulty handling the Bill. Considering the problems that compulsory voting has caused individuals over the years, and the costs incurred by the State, one realises the benefit of returning to voluntary voting. This goes back to Queensland where in 1915 the Denham Government, a Liberal Government, was on the skids and decided that one way of trying to save itself was to bring in compulsory voting. That in fact failed and, subsequently, in the mid-1920s, the Commonwealth went to compulsory voting. Victoria followed in 1926, New South Wales and Tasmania in 1928 and Western Australia in 1936, it was not until the early l940's that South Australia took to the system of compulsory voting - the last State to do so. "So, politicians forced on the people of Australia and I speak now only about South Australia the legal obligation to go along to a polling booth to cast a vote. Parliamentarians were conscious of the fact that people could not he forced to vote and that all the Parliamentarians could do was to force them to go along to a polling booth, register, and take a piece of paper. People are not compelled to take a piece of paper in the case of the Legislative Council, because that is not compulsory (in South Australia O.T.) it is a voluntary act. Although people are handed both papers at the same time, they do not realise that if they so wished they could hand back the Legislative Council Paper and say, 'I am not interested - although if that occurred it would cause the Electoral Department all sorts of confusion. "I believe that we have a system that we should do away with. I realise that it is Liberal Party policy - it was before the last election - to go to voluntary voting, so I look forward to at least that support on this proposition. I suppose that as Parliamentarians we must decide whether voting should be a duty, an obligation, a right, to decide who governs the State or the country. Is it a duty? Yes, I would argue that it is a duty, but it should be a moral duty; it should not be a legal responsibility to do that, but one could argue it is a moral duty …" |