THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NEW ZEALAND

From Eric D. Butler, written during an intensive 17-day tour of New Zealand under the auspices of The New Zealand League of Rights

Judging by a series of dramatic developments in New Zealand since the arrival early this year of Mr. David Thompson to direct The New Zealand League of Rights, Mr. Thompson's arrival did not pass unnoticed in certain circles. The result has been a massive smearing campaign of the League with the leader of the Social Credit Party, Mr. Bruce Beetham, lending his support to the campaign. Mr. Beetham's remarks indicate that he swallowed uncritically much of the nonsense about the League of Rights, including the allegation that the League receives large funds from sinister international sources.

In view of the anti-League campaign through the media, it was not surprising that my first function in Christchurch saw a number of demonstrators attempting to disrupt the large meeting. They were completely unsuccessful as were those World Council of Churches types who came up with the usual snide questions. The Christchurch morning paper reporter managed a reasonably accurate report of the meeting, but the headline was a poisonous piece of twisting. The Dunedin meeting saw the same type of student demonstrators in action as one sees in all parts of the world. But they appeared to present primarily for the TV filming of the whole meeting.
Tactics changed at the Invercargill meeting where those attending left to find a well produced leaflet, with no authorisation, and no names or addresses, which warned New Zealanders "not to be fooled" by the League of Rights, which was allegedly exploiting crisis condition to blame either Communists or Zionists. The same leaflet was used at the excellent first League of Rights meeting in Nelson.

One of the most incredible aspects of the anti-League campaign is a letter sent out by Social Credit leader Beetham, to officials of his party, warning them against the League and insisting that they should not even be seen at League meetings! Social Credit members who support the League of Rights are threatened with expulsion. In fact, one prominent Social Credit candidate and worker learned from the weekly New Zealand "Truth" that Mr. Beetham had expelled her!

Now Prime Minister Muldoon has been drawn in and threatens that National Party members supporting the League of Rights will also be expelled. Labor Party leader, Rowling, has also contributed to the anti-League campaign. Mr. Rowling says, "The organisation (the League of Rights) hasn't been looked at yet as a proscribed organisation. It's only just come from under the stones, a place to which I suspect, it will soon return." Mr. Rowling will have to eat his words, because my current tour provides convincing evidence of escalating support for the League as desperate New Zealanders of all political persuasions look for answers to their problems.

The disastrous performance of Mr. Bruce Beetham, who, as I told one press interviewer, appeared to be determined to blow his own political brains out, merely confirms once again the warning of the founder of Social Credit, C.H. Douglas, about the hazards of modern party, power politics. Constructive suggestions have been put to Mr. Beetham that he might consider using his parliamentary position to unite men and women of good will of all parties on a limited objective finance economic policy designed to shift New Zealand off the disastrous course, which it is now travelling at an ever increasing rate. But these suggestions have been ignored.

Speaking at the opening of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Wellington, Prime Minister Muldoon painted a grim picture of the world situation, but blamed the Arabs as the major villains because they were threatening the world financial system by increasing oil prices. Mr. Muldoon made no reference to the fact that Governments everywhere are the biggest beneficiaries of rising oil prices, and that part of the explanation of the increase in Arab oil prices is inflation in Western nations.

Prior to being elected as Prime Minister, Mr. Muldoon warned New Zealanders against re-electing the Labor Party, which would mortgage New Zealander's resources to "the international money lenders." Now Mr. Muldoon is claiming that the only hope for New Zealand is to mortgage its resources to the same international moneylenders!

The country is in uproar because of massive increases in hydroelectric prices, with charges being made that these massive increases have been imposed at the suggestion of the International Energy Agency. International corporations are being enticed to develop New Zealand's vast natural resources by being promised lower energy charges than those being imposed upon unfortunate New Zealanders.

A study of the Muldoon Government's programme indicates that it is determined to fit New Zealand into the New International Economic Order strategy. But that programme is producing increasing resistance. And if that resistance can find expression in realistic action along the lines suggested by the League of Rights, it may well be that the smallest member of the old Crown Commonwealth could show the way to salvation for all members.

New Zealand is today perhaps one of the most significant factors in the struggle for the world. The potential for a real victory against the centralisers is here. The international power groups know this. Which no doubt helps to explain the mounting campaign against the New Zealand League of Rights.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Once again the history of the Eureka Stockade is being recalled. The political Left in Australia has been keen to capture this event, which took place on December 3rd, 1854, as a symbol for its existence; viz. "democracy", "freedom", "independence" etc., etc., although recently the Maoists have been playing it down a little: apparently they have not been successful in equating, through propaganda, "Eureka" with the Objectives of the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist).
As we forecast at the time of the death of Mao-Tse-tung, the new Chinese Communist Party leadership would need to phase Mao out. We said that they would be forced to do this, as the new leadership could not possibly afford to have the spectre of Chairman Mao passing judgment, even in death, on the policies of Chairman Hue and others. This has happened. With the evaporation of Chairman Mao's image and "thoughts" have come difficulties of viability to the Maoist Communist parties around the world, as in Australia. We notice that amongst the marchers who paraded in Ballarat to celebrate the anniversary of Eureka were those of "Sinn Fein Australia" and the "Australian Irish Republican Movement". The Eureka Flag has come to be accepted as a symbol of "Australian Republicanism": it is on sale at the various Communist bookshops.
We have expressed our opinion of the Eureka incident in these pages in the past, and shall not take up space with repetition. Anyone who wishes to research the real history of the Eureka Stockade incident will quickly discover that it is not the ideal peg on which to hang an Australian popular movement. Perhaps the Maoists have discovered this also.

The Common Market is still grabbing large headlines on the second and third pages of the metropolitan dailies. Mrs. Thatcher is digging in against the "Common Market Rip Off" which is costing Britain $2,000 million (TWO BILLION) yearly. Ironically, the point, which is irritating many "Eurostatesmen", now, is Britain can't be expelled from the European Economic Community under the rules and regulations of the Treaty of Rome. The realities of the Common Market Frankenstein are ever more asserting themselves.

Mr. Bob Hawke is certainly having a "dream" run of publicity with his Boyer series of Lectures and this coming at a time when he is warming up for his entry into Federal politics. We were amused by the Editorial in "The Australian" (December 3rd) which made comment upon Mr. Hawke's assertion that the unemployed youth of Australia might well be funded into "alternative lifestyles" (this phrase is really "in" - has been for some time). The Australian comments: "we can hardly afford the luxury, no matter how philosophically attractive, of establishing two societies when one is already not productive enough." The Australian might have profited from a reading from our "Thought for the Week" in last week's issue of On Target (November 30th) in which B.W. Monahan observes...."the economic problem is not the 'equitable redistribution' of an inadequate production, but the artificial restraints placed upon potential production...." More tersely, the problem is not over production; it is under consumption. It is useless for us to produce more, when we are prevented by the fallacies of the finance economic system from consuming even present production. One day man will fight his way out of the maze.