THE KEATING CRINGE

Prime Minister Paul Keating's behaviour in Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea has been a disgrace. One of his own Federal Labor colleagues, Mr. Graeme Campbell of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, has summarised the Keating performance by accusing Keating of "hollow nationalism" and "cringing before Asian opinion in order to curry favour with a fashionable elite in Australia. His idea of independence is to merely denigrate Britain and British connections and distort for his own purposes - how easy and how shallow". Graeme Campbell has summarised the situation perfectly.

If Paul Keating knew anything about Asian psychology, he would know there is something called "face". But Keating knows nothing about the realities of the Asia of which he says that Australia is part. No Asian leader would find it conceivable that he should visit another country and use his visit to publicly state that he thought his country should tear itself away from its constitutional and cultural roots, even to start replacing national symbols like the flag.
So far from demonstrating Australia's alleged independence, Paul Keating demonstrated to the Asians that he is prepared to grovel in order to gain access to the economic mess of pottage, which he feels that Asia offers.

While it is elementary commonsense that Australia should have the best possible relations with Asian countries, there is no need for Australia to act as if its future depended upon Asia. The whole of Asia could sink beneath the sea tomorrow, and 17 million Australians could easily survive. With the centre of world economic activity certainly starting to move towards the Asian area, it is imperative that Australia adopts a realistic approach to what is happening. Australia will best earn the respect of Asian nations by demonstrating that it has no intention of turning its back on its European and Christian heritage. By putting its own internal affairs in order, particularly its economic affairs, Australia could free itself from the mad worship of "export drives", and thus be in a position to trade with Asian nations on a sensible basis.

The sudden decline of the Japanese economy has once again demonstrated the folly of any nation making its internal economy dependent upon exports. A genuine nationalism, not the spurious kind being offered by Paul Keating, would express itself in a movement to rediscover and to regenerate the nation's roots, which are certainly not in Asia. Australia should at the same time quietly set about building up its own military capacity, making it clear that this was primarily for defending the nation's independence, not for aggressive purposes.

Australia is today in a unique position, the only European nation in the Asian region. By remaining true to its own heritage, Australia can be a light to Asian nations, which, if they continue to operate under orthodox financial rules, will be increasingly in great difficulties as they follow down the same disastrous path, which the European nations have already taken, and with such disastrous results.

It is probably true, as Victorian R.S.L. leader Bruce Ruxton says, that the larger than usual turnout for this year's Anzac ceremonies was a reaction to the Keating repudiation of the nation's traditional heritage. But much more than this is required. There must be an ongoing educational programme designed to instruct the whole nation on what its true heritage really is. The League of Rights is committed to play a major role in this vital task.

CAN DR. JOHN HEWSON SURVIVE?

The fact that the Federal Liberal Party felt that Dr. John Hewson was the best leader available after its defeat at the last Federal elections, reflects seriously on the Liberal Party as a genuine alternative to the Labor Party. Both parties are wedded to the internationalist dogma. In spite of the fact that the Wills by-election showed quite clearly that there is a growing revolt against the abolition of protection for Australian industries, these have been told that they must learn to compete on a "level playing field", which is tipped against them.

The Opposition parties are becoming increasingly divided as Members of the National Party express their concern about the Opposition parties supporting the Keating policy of continuing with a programme of abolishing protection for Australian industries. Dr. John Hewson is even more doctrinaire about the abolition of industry protection than is Prime Minister Keating. John Hewson is dogmatic that all protection must be abolished by the end of the century.

Even sections of the media sympathetic to the Opposition parties, are starting to question Hewson's dogmatic attitude. For example, the Melbourne Sunday Herald-Sun of April 26th asks the question in an editorial, ".... Dr. Hewson must decide what is more important for Australia - his passion for an economic ideology or to form the next government." On present indications, it is far from certain that Dr. Hewson will be forming that government.

While Dr. Hewson is rigid in his defence of his economic rationalism, which includes the General Services Tax, and the proposal to abolish the right of the unemployed to obtain social welfare payments after nine months, he is not so definite in his attitude towards the Nation's basic heritage. While Hewson sees no reason to change the present Australian flag, he is far from convincing on the subject of the Monarchy and Republicanism.

His performance on the ABC T.V. programme, Foreign Correspondent, on Saturday, April 25th, was extremely wishy-washy. He declined to provide a definite answer to George Negus's persistent question, "Are you a Monarchist?" The best that Negus could get from Hewson was that he thought the Constitutional Monarchy was serving Australia well at the moment and then went on to talk about "change" and that he favoured an on going debate on the question.

The Liberal Party still has to state clearly where it stands on the erosion of Australia's sovereignty by the misuse of the External Powers section of the Federal Constitution. As yet the Liberal Party has failed to take any stand against the international programme threatening Australia' s existence as a free and independent nation.

BRIEF COMMENTS

The execution by gassing of convicted American murderer Robert Harris further demonstrated the absurdity of the propaganda concerning the alleged mass gassing of Jews and others in Poland during the Second World War. There was considerable preparation necessary for the gassing of Harris in an airtight chamber, with Harris buckled in a special chair. Harris took some time to die (this resulting in considerable criticism of this relatively slow form of capital punishment) and there was a further lapse of time for the death chamber to be cleared of the deadly cyanide gas, and those removing the body had to wear special protective clothing. But the "Holocaust" story has large numbers of the people, thousands, passively allowing themselves to be pushed into structures, which were subsequently demonstrated to have been dangerous for everyone in the vicinity if used for gassing. At the end of each gassing, unprotected workers allegedly entered the structures and took the bodies out. It is now stated by Polish and Jewish scholars that the Auschwitz death toll was between one and one and a half million, with 90 percent of the victims being Jews. The latest figure is a further reduction of the adjusted figure of four million. British historian David Irving says that the real total of those who died at Auschwitz was far less, with most of the deaths the result of disease.

Phillip Adams has been right on the AIDS cover-up, perhaps because his daughter is a doctor who frequently is "up to her elbows in patients' blood", observing that "In some medical emergencies there's no time for rubber gloves and there's significant risk of being cut or jabbed in a procedure. Consequently, I can be but worried about her civil rights, as opposed to the patient". Adams has consistently stressed that homosexuals are the major carriers of the HIV virus and has criticised programmes like the Grim Reaper, which have caused unnecessary fear among non-homosexuals. Adams also says, "I remain to be convinced that Magic Johnson (the American basketball star) became HIV-positive through heterosexual intercourse", quoting an American sportswriter as saying there were rumours that Johnson had engaged in homosexual activities. But no one was following this up because it would not suit the homosexual lobby, which has consistently sought to draw attention away from the homosexual community and the spread of AIDS.

Federal Minister John Dawkins is now boldly proclaiming his Republicanism. He is saying that the abolition of the Union Jack (essentially a religious symbol: the union of three Christian crosses) "could" play a key part in Australia's "full transition" into the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Dawkins is sure that the dreadful Union Jack carries with it our (Australia's) attachment to Britain, and yes, even Europe. It's got to be "Asia-Mania" now! The Keatings and the Dawkins and their ilk are most shallow people, who skim along the surface of major issues, like dragonflies over water. We have said more than once in these pages that the Keatings could, and probably will, go down with their Republicanism (the backlash). The large turnout of young people on Anzac Day suggests to us that these young ones are harking back to their roots. They know that our Nation is sick; that there is no hope at all from our politicians; the mass media are sick (the "entertainment" pages of the print media are now excursions into pornography; day after day). Are these young Australians pondering on the self-sacrifice and bravery of their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, who readily laid their lives on the line for their country? Solzhenitsyn has recently remarked upon the failure of material possessions to support a belief in nationhood, and a loyalty to it. Only a spiritual faith can do that.

GREENHOUSE: SIZZLING. HOT. LUKEWARM

from The Australian, April 21st
"Your lead story Global Warming May Lower Sea Levels (The Weekend Australian, 18/4) quotes Dr. John Church of the C.S.I.R.O. as claiming that increased snowfalls in Antarctica may lead to a fall in sea levels, rather than the rises previously predicted. "However, only last September Dr. Church, representing the C.S.I.R.O. Oceanographic Division, predicted in a verbal submission that sea levels would rise by about 20cm by the mid 21st century. "Since the earlier doom laden predictions of 7 metre rises, the numbers have been tumbling to l.5m, then 50cm, then 20cm last year, and now an actual fall in sea levels. The predicted temperature rises from greenhouse warming have also been tumbling, from earlier predictions of 10 degree rises, to more recent predictions of only 1 degree. "In short, the burgeoning greenhouse 'industry' and the greenhouse warming theory which feeds and justifies it is finding itself in a theoretical quagmire of conflicting predictions. It is now high time to call 'time out' on the whole affair, and defer any hasty actions, treaty signings, or other economically damaging commitments, until the whole issue is reviewed by an impartial public body, such as a parliamentary committee or special commission. "The science of greenhouse has become so political that the scientists and institutions involved are rapidly losing credibility in the eyes of the tax-paying public." (John L. Daly, Hadspen, Tasmania)

Our Comment: READ John L. Daly's book, The Greenhouse Trap (Why the Greenhouse Effect Will NOT End Life On Earth) - Facts * Myths * Politics). Price: $20 posted from Box 1052J, G.P.O., Melbourne, Vic., 3001.

LACK OF ENGLISH HITS HARD