JUVENILE POLITICS

"School children have suddenly become big business in the game of politics. This year, more than 5,000 secondary school students will go to the polls at the state election in May or June. And with the voting age now 18, this year's fourth-formers have suddenly become the following election's voters." - David Brunton, Herald, education writer, The Herald March 6th.

A basic requirement for responsible government is responsible voting. There is no evidence whatever that there is an increase in responsible voting by lowering the voting age. But there is, unfortunately, plenty of evidence to confirm the view that the trend to more political "gimmicks" is intensified. After the British "pop" group, The Rolling Stones, recently visited New Zealand, the sheets slept in by members of this group were auctioned for thousands of dollars. Insurance companies insist upon young drivers paying higher premiums than older drivers. They have hard figures to prove that all drivers are not equal! Some people may remain juvenile all their lives, but as a general rule most people become more responsible as they grow older and have more experiences. In a few years time, the young fans who squandered their money to buy sheets used by their idols will wonder why they were so foolish.

Juvenile politics is the logical outcome of reducing the voting age. The Victorian Liberal Party is the latest to decide that it must "get with it". Victorian Liberal Party supporters are being encouraged to wear T-shirts and jumpers carrying the slogan, "I'm a Dicky Bird". Another slogan is "Hamer Makes it Happen". In keeping with this "new look" approach to the coming Victorian State Elections, the Victorian Liberal Party has, according to The Age's political reporter, Mr. Ian Day, taken "a major step to cast off its conservative image and move with the Premier...to a new quality of life approach to politics." To use one of the most hackneyed political clichés, the Victorian Liberals are preparing "to move with the times". And, of course, they will be "going forward".

Commenting on the party's new draft platform "Dicky Bird" Hamer said, "With this platform you will chart the course of party policy for the future. It is radically different from the present platform in form, content and approach." Premier Hamer said that the message of the new platform is "that people matter - and in Australia today it is increasingly the young people who matter most of all. There are more and more of them, for one thing but chiefly because this is our land; it is their heritage."
The politician eager to get votes is naturally concerned about those with the most votes. So are the commercial hucksters most concerned about younger people - primarily because they have incomes and few responsibilities.

With the greatest respect to Mr. Hamer no section of the population matters anymore than any other section. Every individual, irrespective of age, counts. The wisdom of age is just as important as the enthusiasm of youth. There can be no real improvement in the "quality of life" while present policies of financial, economic and political centralism are persisted with. One of the encouraging signs of our times is the increasing number of young people who are starting to realise that juvenile political "gimmicks" are designed to help manipulate them like so many zombies. They are discovering the suppressed information about history, economics and politics that reveals a potential heritage of which they are at present being denied. The major reason why the Victorian Liberals, perhaps relying upon the Country Parry, should be re-elected at the coming State Elections is because this will ensure some continuing break on the centralism of the Whitlam Government. Power divided is a very safe principle. It is much more important than "Dicky Bird" T-shirts.

A LIBERAL PARTY INNOCENT ABROAD IN RED CHINA

"The Chinese Government will subsidise many Australians who want to visit China, Victoria's Minister for Tourism, Mr. Byrne, said yesterday. He said, "Chairman Mao said that China does not want to make a profit out of tourism. - The Australian, March 5th.

The kindest comment we can make concerning Mr. Murray Byrne, Liberal Parry Member of the Victorian Legislative Council, is that he is so naive that he does not understand that Chairman Mao does not need to worry about making a financial profit out of tourists like Mr. Byrne, who can be relied upon to return to Australia to work as unpaid propagandists on behalf of a criminal power movement whose members seek ultimate world domination. An article by Mr. Byrne in The Herald, Melbourne, of February 27, sounds like a propaganda piece from the Peking Government, and reminds us of the picture of the "instant" experts provided by George Watt in his China 'Spy', undoubtedly one of the most realistic reports yet to appear on Red China. Mr. Byrne had a whole week in Red China.

Even the erratic Francis James did make the revealing comment upon returning to Australia, that it was almost impossible for the Western European to understand Chinese thought patterns. But based upon his guided tour of one week, Mr. Byrne was able to offer the following comments in his Herald article:
"The standard of morality is stunning...The Chinese carry out contracts and promises in detail…To me it is remarkable that in a single generation China has cleaned itself so thoroughly..." Mr. Byrne apparently has never heard of Communist morality! But we would hope that he is sufficiently well-informed to recall that Chou En-lai was prepared to break a wheat contract with Australia if this would assist Mr. Whitlam to become Prime Minister. As for the Communist clampdown on drugs, we would suggest that Mr. Byrne might make a study of the record of Red China's use of hard drugs to obtain foreign credits and to undermine the youth of the West.

Mr. Byrne informs his readers "Every Chinese at every opportunity is exhorted to defend his nation..." We presume that Mr. Byrne has heard of the Korean War and the decision of the large numbers of Chinese prisoners of war taken by the Americans and allies. But just in case he is a little weak on history, we point out that rather than return to Red China, the overwhelming majority of prisoners decided to go to Taiwan. And if Mr. Byrne cares to have a talk with any of the thousands of refugees from Red China in Hong Kong, he will find that they lack his apparent faith in the Peking criminals.

As might be expected, Mr. Byrne is most enthusiastic about "the largest, and probably fastest-growing market in the world." Mr. Byrne does not reveal how Australians are to be paid for exporting increasing quantities of production to Red China. In spite of the agricultural communes Mr. Byrne writes so glowingly about, the Red Chinese have to rely upon Australia and other Western nations to provide them with sufficient food. The Australians could, of course, extend massive credits to the Red Chinese in the same way that the international financial groups in the USA have provided credits so that the American production system can be used to industrialise Red China.

Mr. Byrne probably does not realise that he and similar useful innocents are advocating that Australia and other Western nations work to build up their enemies. It is possible that Mr. Byrne is so gullible that he believes that the Communists have all suddenly changed their spots. Australians who wish to survive as a free, European nation should make it clear that they completely reject this dangerous nonsense.

THE GROWING CULT OF TERROR

"London - The Palestinians of Black September have been described as the exponents of the politics of despair. The latest dreadful exploit in Khartoum is another revelation of just how bad a counsellor despair can be." - from David Holden of the London Sunday Times in The Age, Melbourne, March 5th.

At a time when Israel was under widespread international attack because of the shooting down of a Libyan civilian airliner, it was an act of madness for the Palestinian guerrillas to murder hostages in cold blood in Khartoum. But this very act of madness draws attention once again to the problem of basic causes. The growing use of terror as a political instrument is not peculiar to the Palestinian refugees. The Viet Cong used terror tactics in a most calculated manner in the Communist assault against South Vietnam. Only recently African terrorists, trained and equipped by the Communists, have murdered Rhodesians in cold blood. These terrorists are described as "freedom fighters", with the Australian Government providing moral support for them in the United Nations. The African terrorist attacks were too much even for Rhodesian Church leaders. Rhodesia's two Anglican Bishops, Bishop Burrough and Bishop Wood have protested to the World Council of Churches for its continued support of movements employing "naked terrorism" methods. Terrorist activities in Rhodesia have resulted in Rhodesian Presbyterians demanding that the Presbyterian Church withdraw from the World Council of Churches.

The use of the atomic bomb on a Japan already suing for peace was a major act of terror, as was the Allies' bombing of the defenceless German city of Dresden when an unknown number of civilians were killed. The Second World War saw a massive reversion to barbarism. And the creators of the State of Israel were leading exponents of the use of terrorism. The Palestinian terrorists are the end result.

Born and bred in the refugee camps resulting from Zionist terrorism, and desperate to uphold a cause, which they put ahead of their own lives, they believe that Zionist terror can only be met with equal or greater terror. It is often overlooked that Zionist terrorists blew up British women and children in the King David Hotel, murdered Lord Moyne in cold blood in Egypt and used terror to drive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of their own country. A major act of terror was the shooting of the UN representative, Count Bernadotte. Zionist terrorists were amongst the first to use letter bombs.

Members of the Black September movement are desperate Palestinians who hear all kinds of talk about agreements between Israel and neighbouring Arab States, but who wait in vain to hear some suggestion of a measure of justice for the Palestinian refugees. The Arab Governments of Egypt Jordan and Lebanon have agreed through United Nations resolution 242 on the necessity of recognising Israel in exchange for certain border adjustments and a compromise on Jerusalem. But it can be said with certainty that no Middle East agreement can be stabilised that does not grant some degree of justice to the Palestinian refugees. If Israeli leaders will not offer something, then the desperate criminal acts of the Palestinian terrorists will continue.

A number of outstanding anti-Zionist Jews have over many years attempted to draw attention to the basic cause of the Middle East problem, warning that the ultimate benefactor must be the Soviet Union. But the Zionist propaganda machine has smeared them as "anti-Semites". However, at long last a glimpse of the truth is starting to break through. All civilised people must unite in protesting against the use of terror tactics, irrespective of who the terrorists are. Those who call themselves Christians have a special responsibility to ensure that their opposition to terrorism is not selective. And they must draw attention to basic causes.

FINANCING "INDEPENDENT" ISRAEL

"The Israeli Prime Minister, Mrs. Meir, launched a drive last night to raise $252 million in Israeli bonds...The drive will operate throughout the U.S. this year." - The Herald, March 5th.

Some poorly informed anti-Communists suggest from time to time that Australia should model its defence programme on that of Israel, the claim being made that Israel has provided an inspiring example of what a small nation can do to preserve its independence in the face of external threats. But the truth is that if it were not for the massive financial, economic and military support provided from outside, most of it from the U.S.A., Israel would collapse in a matter of a few months. Special tax concessions are given to American Jews buying Israeli bonds. Tremendous psychological pressure has been applied to force reluctant American Jews to buy Israeli bonds, on some occasions "anti-Semitic" campaigns being whipped up to create fear.

The Nixon Administration continues to adopt a strong pro-Israel policy, even though it has been revealed that the USA is becoming increasingly dependent upon Middle East oil from the Arab nations. This dangerous situation was foreseen years ago by leading American Jewish expert on the Middle East, Alfred Lilienthal, who warned of the inevitable results of blind American support for Israel. Soviet strategy is directed towards gaining control of Middle East oil. Australians might ponder on the strange fact that while Mrs. Meir is raising funds in the USA, ACTU President Mr. R. Hawke arrives home from a visit to Israel proclaiming that he has been promised adequate funds by the Israeli Trade Union movement to finance an ACTU housing cooperative scheme. We understood that the Whitlam Government is opposed to unnecessary foreign capital being brought into Australia. It would be instructive to learn why Israeli finance is necessary for Australian housing.

OPERATION EXPOSURE