IS THE COMMONWEALTH A VIABLE IDEA?

by Jeremy Lee
As Commonwealth leaders gather on Queensland's Sunshine Coast it's worth asking what brings such a diverse group of leaders together? After all, Malaysia's Dr. Mahathir is not Australia's greatest fan. Zimbabwe is still a member, and South Africa, after a period in the wilderness when Dr. Vervoert led the country out, is back again. Nigeria will be there, as will Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, Canada and Great Britain. All have tacitly accepted Her Majesty the Queen as the Commonwealth's head. The only other international 'club' with such diversity is the United Nations, but any similarity stops there.

The United Nations is an international government in its own right, with armies, courts, finance and banking departments and binding rules which it enforces on members. The Commonwealth is none of those things. It is a "club" for sovereign countries that meet periodically to compare notes, criticize each other, share research, express opinions - but goes no further. Non-interference in each others' affairs is implicit in the few rules. The United Nations currently has no allegiance to any religion or faith, save universal secular humanism. It has a rather weird shrine in the United Nations building in New York which acknowledges no god, but is available for meditation. The Commonwealth, on the other hand, is led by a Queen who was enthroned in a Christian service which recognizes God the Creator, the Redeemer Christ Jesus and the Royal Law in the Scriptures.

Again, implied in this service is the idea that rulers are servants, not masters, and that truth and freedom can never be imposed on subject peoples. All Commonwealth members were invited guests at the Queen's coronation. Many of them don't act up to the standards expressed in the coronation service - but they do see it as an ideal towards which they should aim. The United Nations is on the other course, that of power, money and might. It has a General Assembly, largely for PR purposes, but the real power lies in the Security Council, the UN Agencies and increasingly in the UN peacekeeping forces with their blue berets and white vehicles. A huge range of treaties, ratified by national governments without any reference to their constituencies, conflict more and more with local and customary "common" law, and threatens to displace them. Power is increasingly 'imposed' from an international law-and-enforcement organization, rather than being derived from local and regional communities whose aspirations and culture vary widely.

With such power at its disposal, the UN itself has increasingly become the plaything of the huge vested interests that patronize it. Required policies are fashioned in world forums, and politicians at national level are bought and sold in the process. Voting is often bribed or coerced by aid programmes.

It may be that the "global governance" idea will prevail for a time, and the alternative Commonwealth concept languish in the doldrums. But rampant power creates its own destruction, and there may come a time when the Commonwealth becomes an increasingly attractive alternative. It may not be very apparent at the moment; but it never is until the titan crumbles and the light of truth shines through the rubble. It may be, too, that some members will leave, on account of racial differences, refugee problems and cultural diversity. But original members such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Britain herself will be forced to turn to each other as a power-corrupted world disintegrates round them. Little wonder there is such a concerted effort by the power hungry to get rid of the Queen herself and all those associated with her.

GOVERNMENT WITH TICKETS ON ITSELF

The AC Nielsen Media International's AdEx report has provided details of the ten biggest advertisers in Australia. Heading the list - surprise, surprise - is the Commonwealth Government, followed in order by Coles Myer, Telstra, Nestle, Village/Time Warner, Toyota and, in 7th place, the NSW State Government. The Commonwealth spent a cool $150 million, about half-a-million every working day; just to tell us what magnificent ways it has devised to spend our money and, by implication, why we should keep voting for it.

Every Government in Australia now has a staff of 'spin-doctors' to shape its public image. It would be unkind, of course, to call them propagandists. New South Wales spent more on selling itself than Qantas, General Motors Holden and Unilever. What the total figure is when the rest of the States are added in is anyone's guess. The Commonwealth, despite this advertising budget, is dispensing with the real and valuable material it once provided. For the first time the Pocket Year Book is not appearing, and the Commonwealth Year Book is now such a price - over $80 - that few can afford it. Presumably that too will disappear, on the grounds that there was "insufficient demand".

It would be possible for the Commonwealth to print off a really useful guide to government services, together with a range of statistics from unemployment to foreign debt, from budget figures to defence, voting and taxation, hard-bound with photos, which would rank in usefulness to the Telephone Book with its Yellow Pages, for about one-third of the current amount it spends on advertising. AND distribute it to every household in Australia! What's more, it could include as an appendix the Constitution, so that we no every household in Australia has access to it.
The assumption is, of course, that the Government is open and honest, and wants you to have as much information as possible, rather than hiding its performance from prying eyes.

TAX-PUNTING

Further to the sad news that the Coalition Government has managed to lose $3 billion plus of our money betting on derivatives, a few accountants are speaking up. The Australian (26/2/02) said:
"The exclusion from the federal budget of almost $4 billion in currency losses incurred by Treasury was as shonky as the bookkeeping practices of US energy giant Enron or failed insurer HIH, accountants said yesterday ..... 'The method in the budget is a violation of generally accepted accountancy practices. It's generally accepted that you should recognize exchange gains or losses in the period in which exchange rates change. You don't wait for settlement,' said Jeffrey Knapp, technical consultant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants .....
"The swaps were entered into over more than a decade as part of a strategy to borrow money cheaply in the US, but it went disastrously wrong when Australian rates converged with US rates and the dollar slid from about US80 cents in 1996 to US51 cents last year. Budget papers show the portfolio is now a $3.8 billion liability that gets $189 million worse every time there is a 1-cent decline against the US dollar ....."

The Treasury Casino scorecard over the last seven years looks like this:
1995 - $864 million profit;
1996 - $651 million loss;
1997 - $2.1 billion loss;
1998 - $599 million profit;
1999 - $838 million loss;
2000 - $1.9 billion loss;
2001 - $200 million loss.

We suggest that Mr. Costello should confine his Treasury officials to "two-up", with a $20 limit! More seriously, the loss figure could have saved Ansett and got another airline flying alongside it. If people like Alan Bond, Larry Adler and Jodee Rich face criminal charges for a little "creative accounting", should not the same apply to Peter Costello and his Treasury cronies? Or does government service offer immunity?

QUEEN PUTS HER DETRACTORS TO SHAME

Her Majesty arrived in Adelaide, disembarking with her usual dignity and decorum. She was met by an equally dignified Governor-General. The slavering media rat-pack was waiting to pounce on any hiccup which could be turned into more sensation and crowd frenzy - but were thwarted. There were no armed guards with crew-cuts and dark glances running in front of a bullet-proof car that sped like some armoured hearse pass the waiting crowd. Instead, the Queen, as is her custom, started meeting with her well-wishers along the route. You wouldn't see that in many republics! Peter Beattie, the urbane Queensland Premier, announced that he would treat the Queen and her representative with courtesy. How awfully nice of him! After all, he himself is a Minister of the Crown, and - presumably - has taken the oath of loyalty to her.

Dare we say it? There is a swing of sympathy towards the Governor-General among ordinary Australians, who are getting a little tired of the never-ending gossip tidbits and the personal attacks. There is an innate sense of "fair go" among ordinary Australians. Kipling's words are apt: "If you can keep your head, when all about you Are losing theirs, and blaming it on you ...."
(While we're about it, don't miss Diane Teasdale's Press Release in the On Target Bulletin)

THE MIDDLE EAST REVISITED

Much attention is being given to a Saudi Arabia proposal for peace in the Middle East. The proposal suggests that, in exchange for a united Arab support, Israel's borders should return to the pre-1967 situation, with the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem being given to the Palestinians. Sharon's Likud claims to be interested, and is sending envoys to Ryadh to discuss the merits of the idea. Perhaps we are over-sceptical, but the idea has been on the drawing-board for a long time. It has always been spurned by Israel, which has continued to build settlements in the occupied territories, thus fanning the hatred of the Palestinians. If Prime Minister Sharon was to accept such a proposal it would be the greatest volte face since 1948, when the State of Israel was founded amid such controversy, with the creation of over 1 million Palestinian refugees from their homeland.

Eric Butler's small but quite prophetic booklet, "Censored History", written in the mid-seventies, made this point (p.32): " .... Moderate Arab leadership would accept the permanency of Israel as an independent State if conquered Arab territory were returned, the Palestinians provided with a guaranteed State of their own, and adequately recompensed for territories taken from them by the establishment of Israel ...."

In the unlikely event of Sharon changing course, what a lot of bloodshed and heartache could have been saved if Israel had seen sense 30 or 40 years ago! ("Censored History", $7.50 posted, from League bookshops)

ATTACK ON GOVERNOR-GENERAL, ATTACK ON OFFICE OF G-G

by Betty Luks
The hounds are out in force and they are after our Governor-General. Not because he himself has committed some unpardonable sin, but because he is 'fair game' for the sanctimonious, hypocritical, media presenters and republicans who are out to discredit the Office of Governor-General through its present incumbent.

This is another aspect in the battle to retain our Constitutional Monarchy - which is a big stumbling block to the plans of the One Worlders. The tactics are to continually snipe at the G-G, sow doubt in the minds of the public as to his integrity and this in turn weakens the Office of Governor-General.
I watched the ABC programme The Australian where Dr. Hollingworth presented his case and my overall impression was of an honest, decent man who had left some things undone that should have been done, at the appropriate time. In all my years I have only met one 'perfect' person, that being my husband. How did I know he was perfect? Because when I once asked him what he was like as a boy he replied in all seriousness that he was 'perfect'! In which case, will all the other persons whom I have not met but are also perfect - please stand up.

I know there are those who honestly examine themselves will be reminded of the many things they left undone that should have been done - which they regret. They will remain seated. But, we all get on with life, being assured that He who is perfect forgives us and we - as our Queen said in her speech - seek Christ's teaching and examine ourselves before God, which provides us with a framework in which to live.

***

Please set aside time to write letters of support to the Governor-General and also flood the talk-back programmes and 'letters to the editor' columns of the newspapers with support for him.

BUSH PLANS TO ATTACK IRAQ 'IN MAY'

by Betty Luks
The Adelaide Advertiser, 4/2/02, reports that according to an Israeli defence 'expert's' prediction, US President George Bush would launch an American attack against Iraq in May, along with the other nations identified as part of the 'axis of evil'; Iran and North Korea. Now this is the man - along with Tony Blair of the UK - who has been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Words have certainly changed their meanings: 'war' means 'peace' and 'peace' means 'war'. The fellow who nominated these two war-mongers, Norwegian politician Harald Tom Nesvik, believes the influential pair meet the Nobel Prize criteria which decrees "the winner shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses."

Maybe they do qualify after all
Fraternity between nations. They have bombed and obliterated most of the Afghanistan people's homes and infrastructure, and they, in turn, are feeling very 'fraternal' towards the Americans. Hoping the Americans will help them rebuild their land.

Abolition or reduction of standing armies
They have qualified for that criteria. There's nothing left of the Taliban army. Mind you, Bush is planning to build up his standing army. But of course that one will be for 'peace'.

Promotion of peace congresses
If 'peace' means 'war' then they are busy promoting by endless 'peace congresses' around the world, the next phase of their 'world order' attacks - on Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Yes, I think these two do qualify for the Nobel 'Peace' Prize.

WE'RE ALL RACISTS NOW

Race - the final frontier by Derek Turner - An abridged version taken from https://www.right-now.org/latest.htm

Derek Turner says that EU proposals to ban 'racism' have implications for free speech - and mean that Europe would be banning itself.

Monomaniacs and reverse racists now routinely describe all Western institutions and traditions, and all white populations as 'racist'. Any institution, profession, group, sub-culture or academic discipline that is made up largely of white people is now considered to be ipso facto 'racist'- however hard the persons concerned try to follow every politically correct chimera. And of course, as with the West generally, there is some truth in this charge; every institution, tradition or profession reflects the ideas, prejudices and histories of its founders. For example, lawyers who most resemble the founders of the legal profession culturally will generally tend to do better within the profession than those without that inbuilt advantage.

In this country alone, the following institutions and groups have all been described as 'racist' in the recent past: . the monarchy, . the House of Lords, . the House of Commons, . the Church of England, . the Catholic church, . the defence forces, . the Lord Chancellor's office, . the Crown Prosecution Service, . the prison service, . the Conservative Party, . the arts establishment, . the theatrical profession, . the nursing profession, doctors, the NHS as a whole, . teachers, university lecturers, public schools, . the legal profession, . the media, . the police, . the construction industry,. the environmentalist movement, . people who live in the country, . working-class whites, . and yet more.

In last year's Parekh Report, all of Britain's history was found wanting in this way, and it was suggested that we casually "jettison" it. Similar processes are at work in all Western countries. Everyone is denouncing everyone else for racism - although the Commission for Racial Equality, being a publicly-funded body, sensibly refuses to investigate most allegations of Labour racism.

Council of Europe condemns Labour
It is wryly amusing to record that even Tony Blair's special advisers and the Parliamentary Labour Party have been described as institutionally racist. The BBC's own director-general described his largely ultra-Leftwing colleagues as "hideously white". Bradford's Asians were so concerned about the racism they believed existed within the Bradford Labour Club that they set the building alight during last summer's riots, and their political allies had to be rescued by firemen. The Council of Europe has condemned Labour for making public debate take on "an increasingly intolerant line with at times racist and xenophobic overtones". The Liberal Democrats have not escaped either, with local activists in London, Liverpool and Sheffield being accused of stirring up racial antagonism. Even the Commission for Racial Equality has been accused of racism, because 70% of its staff are non-white in a country that is over 90% white.

The European Commission has itself 'anti-Semitic' and 'racist'. No doubt Anna Diamontopoulou, the European Commissioner responsible for the Commission's race initiatives, has been, or soon will be, condemned or racism for daring to suggest that Muslims should "respect our values" (11).

The 'thieves' are falling out as the PC revolution devours its own.

The Right proven right
The second major paradox is that these laws are being proposed at a time when some on the Left have begun to realise that their Rightwing opponents, whom they have long demonised, were right about race all along. As the head of the Leftwing think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research put it bluntly, "We will look back on the year 2001 as the year when the story of diversity and tolerance was exposed as a fiction." This year, we have seen the unusual spectacle of Labour MPs, and even the Home Secretary, calling for mandatory language tests and loyalty oaths for immigrants and saying that British Asian women should be strongly encouraged not to import husbands from Asia. At the time of writing, Radio 4 is trailing a forthcoming programme on the theme "Is it time for racism to become acceptable?" Of course, these are merely straws in the wind, but it does look like the wind may be changing.

Reality cannot be ignored for ever
The debate has clearly moved on. We are moving into an era when many more Westerners, even financially insulated ones, will realise that restricting immigration and opposing multiculturalism is actually not blind prejudice at all, but merely commonsense. There will be rearguard resistance yet for many years to come, as the financial and emotional vested interests struggle to retain their comfortable, oracular status, but there can be no doubt that the days of multiculturalism are over.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

BASIC FUND

CANBERRA CSC

Betty Luks will be addressing the Canberra CSC on Thursday, March 14th. The title of the address will be "Australian Women on Line and our Constitutional Monarchy". For further details phone (02) 6282 2243.

SYDNEY CSC

The next meeting of the Sydney Conservative Speakers' Club will be held on Tuesday, March 26th, commencing at 7.30pm. The guest speaker will be our own Mr. Jeremy Lee and the title of his address is "Reaping What We Have Sown". Cost of attendance is still $4.00 which includes tea or coffee at the conclusion of the meeting. For further details please phone (02) 4358 3634

INVERELL FORUM

TRIAL BY MEDIA

Among, we expect, a host of others, On Target has received the following Press Release

TRIAL BY MEDIA: "NEW WORLD ORDER" POWER BROKERS BRING THE REPUBLICANS TO AN ALL TIME LOW

When Governor General Peter Hollingworth expressed his honest opinion on the scandals within the Church, I had to admit that maybe the man has what it takes to be a good Governor General. I cannot see how the Governor General is responsible for the problems the victims of this scandal now have. For anyone to suggest that the young girl was the only victim in this drama contradicts what is being taught to most of our young people in the school system, on TV, and in the many glossy magazines available. As a former researcher and spokesman for the "Concerned Parents Association of Australia" I was familiar with the work of Wendy McCarthy, (a friend of the victim) her book for children on peeing and pooing comes first to mind and in particular her work within the "sex education" industry.
When Wendy and Margaret McDonald penned the article for the "Parents" magazine in June/July of 1982, did they consider how many young girls would be influenced to fantasise about seducing the local Minister? When they wrote: "There is much written about the evils of pornography. As feminists we are angry if it stereotypes women as sex objects and portrays them as passive victims of male sexuality."

They may not have been referring to an under-age female, but in the article they talk about: "A popular assignment choice for students in a Human Sexuality course is to visit a sex shop and/or see a 'blue' movie. Students are encouraged to attend with their partners. Whether they are offended, shocked, bemused or titillated seems irrelevant when we discuss it later - what is important is that they have been given permission to explore previously forbidden territory in an attempt to learn more about themselves and the society they live in."

In the 80's the Concerned Parents Association removed the Liberal Minister for Educational Services, Norman Lacey, from the Victorian Parliament because parents were appalled by the content of Health and Human Relations. The degrading sex courses continue, still luring young people into sexual activity with the information that if they use a condom, they'll be OK. In fact one current "show bag" of sex information being distributed to schools contains a rubber penis to use for demonstrations. A real class act!

If we are to tackle the problem of "child sex abuse" we must first be honest about the responsibility we all have to young people. The problem of child sex abuse is a real and growing one and will destroy our young people if we do not, as mature adults, accept the powerful nature of human sexuality and returning to a more dignified way of educating our youth on this issue. By continuing the current level of encouragement to our youth to be sexually active we are inviting trouble. To suggest that the Media care at all for the sexually abused in our society is a sick joke at best.
Diane Teasdale, Shop 18, Safeway Plaza, Shepparton. 3630. Phone: (03) 5831 4258 - Tuesday, February 26th, 2002.