THE WORLD AFTER KUWAIT

By the time these comments are published, the President Bush deadline for an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait will have expired and, failing a last minute diplomatic success by U.N. Secretary General, Perez de Cueller, a major military attack on Iraq by the U.S.A. and its allies will take place. But irrespective of what happens, in retrospect the Kuwaiti affair will be seen as a major incident in an on going programme designed to drive Mankind into a "New World Order".

As the world trembles on the brink of another major catastrophe, with President George Bush sanctimoniously insisting that high moral principles are central to the Kuwaiti affair, his friend Gorbachev sends in the Red Army to prevent the Baltic nations from regaining the independence they lost when Hitler and Stalin signed their infamous non-aggression pact in 1939.
A U.N. resolution concerning an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait must be upheld in the interests of "World Order", says President Bush, blandly ignoring the fact that for 23 years the Zionist State of Israel, a creation and creature of an international Zionist power movement, has consistently thumbed its nose at U.N. resolutions demanding that it withdraw from occupied Palestinian territory.

Headed by Dr. Henry Kissinger, the Zionist lobby in the U.S.A. has called for military war from the beginning of the Kuwaiti affair. President Bush has hypocritically claimed that he would go to any lengths to ensure that the affair did not end in bloodshed. But he has persistently rejected considering the one move which would have enabled Saddam Hussein to retreat from Kuwait without the loss of too much face: an insistence that the time had come for Israel to withdraw from occupied Arabs' territories.
As events unfold, the League of Rights will be issuing a comprehensive statement on the Plight of the world and what lies ahead after Kuwait.

VALE FRANK VERNON BAWDEN

Following a short illness, South Australian State League of Rights Director, Mr. Frank Vernon Bawden, a Founding Member of the League, passed away on Wednesday, January 9th. In his eulogy at the funeral service, Mr. Eric Butler said that Frank Bawden's dedicated life of service reflected the Christian teaching that he would be the greatest must be the servant of his fellows.

"History will judge Frank Bawden as a great Australian," said Eric Butler. "He gave selflessly of both his time and substance."

League journals will carry the full text of Eric Butler's eulogy and other comments on the life of a man who was one of the major figures in the growth of The Australian League of Rights. Speaking to a packed meeting of hardcore South Australian League supporters, Mr. Eric Butler announced that Mrs. Betty Luks, who had worked closely with Frank Bawden as his assistant, has been appointed as the new State Director, with Mr. Ken Grundy, an old family friend of Frank and his late wife, becoming Assistant State Director.
Mr. Butler said that at a time of a deepening international and national crisis, South Australian supporters could express their appreciation of Frank Bawden's long years of service by closing ranks behind their new State Director. Life and death are part of an eternal cycle, and the passing of Frank Bawden will witness a renewed growth of League activity in South Australia, with an on going organic process that will carry Frank Bawden's work into the future.

YOUNG LIBERALS' SHOCK RESOLUTIONS

The Federal Liberal Party has been shocked by resolutions carried at the recent Young Liberals' national Convention in Brisbane. Resolutions were carried opposing Aboriginal land rights, and calling for the rebuilding of trade barriers to protect Australian industries, both primary and secondary, while a resolution urging a national referendum on immigration was only narrowly defeated. The Convention also passed a motion calling on the Federal Government to lift financial and economic sanctions against South Africa and to re-establish sporting links with the Republic.

In attempting to distance themselves from the encouraging commonsense from Young Liberal ranks, Opposition spokesmen have clearly demonstrated that they are basically offering more of the same disastrous policies being imposed by the Hawke Government. Shadow Treasurer Reith has been calling for a "mini-budget", cuts of $3 billion in government spending and the introduction of a consumption tax by January 1992. In the absence of any other steps, such a policy would deflate the economy even further.

One of the highlights of the Young Liberals' debate on immigration was the contribution by the South Australian President, Mr. Christie Kerr, who argued that while Australians generally were not "racist", they were "ignorant" of the benefits of immigration, and that a referendum would do nothing to dispel that ignorance. He claimed that by supporting the proposed referendum on immigration, the Young Liberals would be contributing to the Young Liberals' "slide into political oblivion." Mr. Kerr sounds like the perfect material for a place in the Liberal Party at Canberra, where he could support the totalitarian philosophies that flow out of the national capital.

THE DANNY JOHNSON PROTEST MARCH

Those who know Danny Johnson, the small businessman from Warracknabeal, Victoria, who triggered the grassroots movement which brought over 50,000 Australians to Melbourne on January 4th, are agreed that Danny Johnson acted as a type of catalyst in an increasingly tense State and national situation, even surprising himself with what he had set in motion with a letter which first appeared in the well known regional paper, The Wimmera Mail Times. The letter was a classic of its kind; it was a cry from the heart of a typically decent Australian who was fearful of what was happening to traditional Australia and its value system. The letter struck a deep chord among the hundreds of thousands of Danny Johnsons across Australia.

As the Danny Johnson phenomena gathered momentum, the cynics in some sections of the media convinced themselves that there must be some carefully coordinated movement operating behind Danny Johnson. It was quickly decided that the force behind the Danny Johnson movement was the "sinister" League of Rights, and a massive campaign was set in motion in an attempt to link the League with Danny Johnson. This campaign was a classic of its kind, and during its later stages was obviously a defensive strategy to intensify the smearing of the League to the point where it might have its impact limited as a grassroots revolt movement starts to sweep the nation.

Every attempt was made to link the League with the Danny Johnson movement, in spite of the fact that both Danny Johnson and League spokesmen truthfully said that apart from attending one or two public League meetings, there was no evidence to suggest Danny Johnson was a League supporter or sympathiser. The truth is, of course, that hundreds of thousands of Australians instinctively support the very things the League has been saying.

Danny Johnson made it clear that he thought very little more of the Opposition parties, both State and Federal, than he does of the Labor Governments. He refused to let the party politicians exploit his Melbourne rally. He indicated that there should be some mechanism for controlling politicians, obviously referring to the Citizens' Initiative, Referendum and Recall concept. Support for this concept is growing right across Australia and desperate opponents of the concept charge that everyone advocating it must be a "front" for The Australian League of Rights.

The League's position concerning, the Danny Johnson rally was spelt out clearly
Hat's off to Danny Johnson for his initiative and powerful emotional appeal to the Australian people but unless the movement gave rise to some type of a cohesive structure with a constructive programme of action, it would be but one more example of what C.H. Douglas described as "the tragedy of human effort". League actionists, who could attend what was a most unsuitable date for such a march, were encouraged to attempt to inject something positive into the proceedings, with a view to testing public reaction. At the right time the League will be issuing its own suggested programme for National Survival, and under its own label.

In spite of the media's attempt to smear the Danny Johnson march as a League of Rights affair, the attendance of 50,000, in the middle of the holiday period, was little short of amazing and indicated the mood of the majority of Australians. This was a momentous event, with the print media generally giving it the minimum of coverage. Those television stations, which covered the affair, concentrated upon trying to link it to the League of Rights. Channel 9's reporter, for example, did her best to present it as a manipulation by "the fascist League of Rights".

Articles following the Melbourne rally sought to create the impression that while Danny Johnson was obviously sincere, and had perhaps set in motion a popular style protest movement, there was the danger that this movement would provide, the opportunity for "extremists" to emerge and take over. References were made to the alleged "secret armies!' which had been set up during the Great Depression, when it was feared that Australian Society might break down into anarchy.
While the latest bout of anti-League smearing has temporarily had its effect on some people, it has also brought a growing flood of those wanting to know about the League. There are exciting days ahead.

WHY BLAME THE LEAGUE OF RIGHTS?

Some excellent letters appeared in the media following the attempt to present the Danny Johnson Melbourne March as League controlled and League orchestrated. Not all were from League actionists. But League actionist Lou Cook of Numurkah, Victoria, hit back against the Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Rowe, with the following letter in The Herald-Sun of January 4th:

"It seems the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Rowe, is trying to divert attention away from the government's poor performance by suggesting that the League of Rights is some sort of danger to the community. Who is responsible for the present state of the nation? Messrs. Hawke and Keating have admitted that the recession was deliberate, an admission that Labor cannot govern without hurting people. Who is responsible for the massive debt burden now inflicted on Victoria? Mr. Rowe's Government of course. Anyway, who or what is the League of Rights? The Labor Government members are paranoid about them. I bet they even see them under the bed! "Come on, Mr. Rowe, Labor is responsible for the present state of the economy and it is right and proper for those suffering what is nothing less than disastrous management, to vent their anger with the Government."

A SIGN OF THE TIMES?

One of the outstanding features of the Danny Johnson march was the distinct lack of enthusiasm for the Opposition parties. Victorian Liberal leader Alan Brown was abused by one irate farmer in the most lurid language. The Armidale Express of December 7th carried the headline, PRESIDENT QUITS LIBS. The story underneath read:

"President of the Armidale Branch of the Liberal Party, Dr. Phillip Smith, has resigned from the branch and the New South Wales division of the party. "Dr. Smith said that during the past 12 months he had found his Liberal beliefs increasingly in conflict with the practices and professed intentions of the Liberal Party of Australia. I have found this at the local branch level, in the New South Wales State Government and in the Federal Opposition .... Dr. Smith said his major concern about the present State Government is that it pursues centralist policies. 'It is clear they do not understand the political situation in Australia which regards the state rights as sovereign. The political situation in Australia is based on the sovereignty of states and not of the Federal Government. Centralist policies are permeating all the activities of the present State Government' "As far as the Federal Government is concerned he strongly objects to the fact that they are putting up no real opposition to the government's policy of putting people out of work... Dr. Smith believes Australia would have the best form of government if it adopted Citizen Initiated Referenda and a greater number of independents."