NEW ZEALAND MOVES TOWARDS ADOPTING C.I.R.

Eric D. Butler reports from Auckland, N.Z., after participating in the Annual New Zealand League of Rights Seminar
"As it is almost certain that the National Party will win the coming New Zealand elections, possibly in a landslide, it is significant that rank and file pressure inside the National Party has forced Leader, Jim Bolger, to retreat from his previous position which required a high percentage of electors to be necessary in order to successfully petition for referendums. Clearly Mr. Bolger is attempting to create the impression that he is moving towards adopting the Citizens' Initiated Referendum without, in fact, intending to make it a practicality.

"But while it becomes clear that a Bolger Government would have no uncompromising opposition to the Citizens' Initiated Referendum and Recall concept, Mr. Bolger now asserts that there must be provision for governments to consult more with the people. He now supports the concept of referendum, but without the result being binding on the government. This is called 'indicative referendum'. "When it becomes obvious that the C.I.R. is necessary to tackle the Nation's basic problems the pressure for the adoption of the C.I.R. will become explosive. At this stage Mr. Bolger will have to make further moves or be swept away. "There is no doubt that the C.I.R. issue is starting to dominate New Zealand politics."

THE MYTHS OF 'EDUCATION'

"How can we improve our education system and our schools? Everyone seems to have their own theories as to how this can be done, but very few rely on any real evidence." - Padraic P. McGuinness, in The Weekend Australian, October l3th-l4th

We do not always find ourselves in strong agreement with Mr. McGuinness; however, this time there is no doubt in our minds that he has "struck" gold. He refers, specifically, to a recent publication put out by the Brookings Institution, a U.S. "think-tank". No, the name of the publication is not mentioned. You can be as sure as it is possible to be that our Socialist Left pollies in Victoria, and all the humanists and loyal Marxists who infest Victoria's Halls of Education, would not want to know about it. They have their Humanist, Marxist ideologies, and they will go to their graves hugging their fallacies.

A few facts:
a) the spending of more and more money on "education" doesn't guarantee anything;
b) matters for which teachers strike, e.g. poor libraries, teacher-pupil ratios, various facilities - don't mean much.

What is important is discipline, an acceptance of the importance of learning, well planned classroom work, regular homework. The elderly in Australian society recall these requirements. The number of qualifications degrees, do NOT necessarily make a good teacher. Much post-graduate attainment is a waste of time and money. It may swell the pay packets of these degree seekers, under the system, but the kids will not be taught more proficiently, overall.

Many theories which are popular with teacher unions are dismissed as rubbish. School "tone" (a necessity) is higher in schools that are truly independent, with no great education department bureaucracy flattening them down from on high. The greater the choices of parents, and the greater the freedom from external constraints, generally, the better educational outcome for the students. Parents should have the right and the freedom to choose the school for their children. A reduction of teacher numbers by as much as 25% would be a good thing. Schools must have the power to select and dismiss staff; get rid of the dead wood. A reliable guideline is, "fewer but better teachers".

MANY A SLIP.

from Jeremy Lee
A small, fanatical sect of Jewish fundamentalists may have upset a loaded applecart in the Middle East. Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, has been attempting to swing Arab support behind his cause by linking Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank with his own occupation of Kuwait, insisting that both should be linked in any future negotiations. It is obviously an argument which Israel's Zionist leaders would like to see dismissed before it becomes the subject of debate. To date President Bush and his advisers have refused to consider any connection between the two issues.

Hussein's propaganda, aimed at fellow Arab States, did not seem to be getting anywhere. Recent events in Jerusalem have changed all that. Gershon Solomon, leader of a sect known as the Temple Mount Faithful, stated his movement aimed to lay the foundation stone for the rebuilding of the Temple. The site for the rebuilding happened to be a revered Muslim shrine - the Al Aqsa Mosque. Palestinians, moving to defend this site against the anticipated desecration, ran into the gunfire of Israeli security. The 21 dead and 140 wounded Arabs have forced the West - including the United States for the first time - into a position which many leaders would rather have avoided - a strong and united condemnation of Israeli atrocities.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir attempted to minimise the incident by claiming it had been organised by Baghdad but, in the words of The Bulletin (October 23rd) "quickly backed off under fire from the Israeli press". It is clear that Israel is desperate to see a quick military finish to Saddam Hussein. Whatever his blackest attributes - and they are many - he has the potential to rally the Muslim world, if not behind a figure, at least behind a cause. The self-indulgent sheiks and monarchs in a number of gulf kingdoms who have used vast oil earnings for their own investments are now shivering with apprehension at an Arab leader with the potential to fire their erstwhile servile populations.

In early September, Israel stated that if the West did not take a military offensive they might have to do it themselves. President Bush faces a dilemma. The boycott does not appear to be succeeding. A report in The Financial Review (October 18th) expressed amazement at the volume and variety of foodstuffs in Iraq. There has been a bumper grain harvest, and fresh dairy products, fruit and vegetables are freely available. Saddam Hussein can hardly fail to have noticed the escalating financial crisis in the West, fuelled by escalating oil prices by the West's own embargo. If President Bush succumbs to Zionist goading to "strike first" the end results may be very different to what the instigators expect.

STIFF 'RACE' LEGISLATION IS SNEAKED IN

from David Thompson
The Commonwealth proposes to dramatically strengthen its racial discrimination legislation by sneaking amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act through the Parliament by tacking them onto the tail end of legislation to change the Bankruptcy Act. The new changes, which are designed to increase the Government's chances of bringing successful prosecutions against "racists", have been introduced by the Attorney General, Mr. Duffy.

According to "The Australian's" legal editor, David Solomon, the two proposed changes are extremely complex, and are designed to outlaw "indirect racial discrimination". The changes to Section 9(1) would make it illegal to impose a "term, condition, or requirement which is not reasonable" and which impairs the enjoyment of any human right or fundamental freedom by people of that person's race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. While this could have far-reaching consequences no examples of the application of the changes are given.

The second change is equally significant. According to Solomon: "Previously it (Section 18) made it clear that a case of racial discrimination was illegal only when the dominant reason was the race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin of a person." Now, however, it will only be necessary to show that the race, colour, etc., was only one of the reasons. "And," said Solomon, "not only is it no longer the case that the racial reason has to be 'dominant' - in future it will not even be necessary to show that it was a "substantial reason", "to achieve a conviction".

WHY THE CHANGES?
If all that seems difficult to follow, it simply means that the "race discrimination" legislation will cast a much wider net. With whom is it designed to deal? Schoolchildren teasing their peers? Not likely. If a nudge is as good as a wink, it is designed to deal with the League, and other grassroots movements, which reflect the burgeoning frustration of traditional Australians with the imposed policy of artificial multiculturalism. Together with new State anti-vilification legislation now being presented, it proposes to make it illegal for Australians to protest about what Professor Geoffrey Blainey has warned will divide Australia into a gaggle of tribes. That is, you are to become a criminal if you oppose multiculturalism and the radicalisation of Australia's immigration policy to provide a pro-Asian, anti-European bias. The portents for the future are ominous. Step up the distribution of the October "Intelligence Survey".

'SUNDAY' COVER STORY ON GREENHOUSE

by John Daly*
The "Sunday" programme on Channel 9 today (21/10/90 New Zealand) made the Greenhouse Effect its cover story. It gave the standard doom version of the issue, and presented greenhouse warming as an inevitability. The reporter, Justin Murphy, visited me in Tasmania complete with film crew, and interviewed me at length for this cover story. When the story went to air, there was no mention of the dissenting case, and the interview with me was omitted. As was an interview with Dr. Roger Braddock, another dissenter. Channel 9 thus left the public with the impression that contrary evidence did not even exist. Is this Censorship?

Interestingly, one of the questions Murphy asked me on camera was whether it was inherently "dangerous" for me to raise doubts in public about global warming, in case this might undermine the public and political will to act against it. Such a question implies that it is acceptable to exercise censorship against dissenting views, on the grounds that such views are 'dangerous'. Who, then, decides what is, or is not, dangerous? Channel 9? The Government? Such abuse of information control is the first step to totalitarianism.

Those who monopolise the megaphone of the electronic media have no right to set themselves up as unelected self appointed arbiters of what is, or is not, "dangerous" information. Channel 9's decision to give only a one sided view cannot be defended on the basis of ignorance, since I gave them copies of scientific papers showing the contrary case, including a list of names of eminent dissenters, especially in the U.S.A. They cannot plead lack of footage, as they had 20 minutes of footage in the interview with me. They cannot, claim my views were "not important enough" to warrant air time, as they spent a bundle in sending Justin Murphy and a film crew from Sydney to Tasmania just to do the interview two weeks ago.

Perpetuating Lies
Is it just sour grapes on my part? Easy to believe that, maybe, but the fact remains that Channel 9 made an editorial decision to present one side of the argument as "fact" and exclude the other side altogether. In this way, the electronic media can perpetuate lies indefinitely, even if they are unaware of doing so. Another media outlet reporting on greenhouse will now be influenced by what the "Sunday" programme did, and set in motion a self-perpetuating process of endless doom wishing. The ability of the electronic media to influence public perceptions is truly frightening.

* John Daly is the author of the authoritative book, "The Greenhouse Trap", which successfully debunks the 'greenhouse' theory by taking apart the scientists' own statements. Invaluable material, available from League bookshops for $17.00 posted.

THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE POLITICIAN

from Edward Rock, Chairman of The Christian Alternative Movement
The Prime Minister, Mr. Hawke, has invited Archbishop Hollingworth to confine himself to the "mysteries of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost", while others such as himself would deal with the unholy trinity of economic policy - monetary policy, fiscal policy and wages policy. It is to be hoped the Archbishop will point out that no man, or any policy pursued by man, operates in a moral vacuum.

The Archbishop had offered a very mild criticism of the current interest rate policy describing it as a "blunt instrument" by which the moneylenders demand excessive proportions of the individuals' income, thus exacerbating poverty. It could be further pointed out by Christian leaders that knowledge and understanding of the Holy Trinity will lead to right policies. Such an understanding would quickly establish the correct role of money, government, and the distribution of purchasing power.

Had Mr. Hawke been the astute politician he likes us to think he is, instead of savaging the Archbishop he may have enquired of him what policies governing the trinity of wages, fiscal and monetary control would emanate from the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost? That would have put the ball firmly back in the Archbishop's court, and perhaps forced him to face a basic question regarding money the modern church refuses to tackle, that money is merely a symbol representing reality, and that God will always supply the reality and those who will accept the responsibility to release it for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

All men (governments) have to do is to ensure the just and impartial distribution of the symbols which represent God's reality to ensure both the freedom and security of both producer and consumer, with the firm understanding that an increasing part of God's reality is that producers are a declining percentage of the consumer population, therefore monetary distribution should start with each individual member of society.

The consequence of adopting such policies emanating from Father, Son and Holy Ghost, would be an increase in understanding God's purpose for mankind, and a parallel decline in the corrupting power of men who reject the authority of God. The destruction of the life forces within the nation would cease, and the desert created by the philosophy of death - socialism - would be replaced by renewed, decentralised growth throughout the length and breadth of the nation.
The fruit of that spirit, which comes from Father, Son and Holy Ghost. (Those Christians who feel urged by their Faith to work for Christ's Kingdom in this life, may like to make contact with the Christian Alternative Movement, 15 Simmons Court, Greensborough, Vic., 3088.)

DEFENDING THE RIGHT

CHILDREN'S CONVENTION