THE BUCHANAN CHALLENGE TO INTERNATIONALISM

by Eric D. Butler
Mr. Patrick Buchanan, seeking the nomination of the American Republican Party as its 1992 Presidential candidate, has sent shockwaves right around the world. The alarm bells are ringing in the citadels of the internationalists everywhere. President George Bush and his strategists felt that while they could not ignore the challenge of Buchanan, if his vote in the New Hampshire primaries did not exceed much more than 20 percent, they had relatively little to fear. But Buchanan polled approximately 40 percent of the vote, a stunning result however it is assessed.

Regular readers of League journals have been aware of the significance of Patrick Buchanan for some time. A member of both the Nixon and Reagan administrations, primarily as a speechwriter, Patrick Buchanan is no stranger to American politics. Over the years he has built up a large national audience as a newspaper columnist and a television commentator. Buchanan is brilliantly articulating what a large number of Americans feel, not only about the state of the economy, but also about major social issues, and American foreign policy.

When the Zionist terror machine decided to launch a major assault on Buchanan, it was clear that Buchanan was regarded as a major threat to the internationalists with his "America First" philosophy. The usual political swear words are being used - "bigot", "racist", and "anti-semitic". Buchanan is a Roman Catholic who takes religion seriously. He has become appalled by the breakdown of family life and the erosion of the value system upon which the American Republic was erected. He has been extremely critical of the aggressive policies of Zionist Israel, describing the American Congress as "Israeli occupied territory". He has been scathing in his criticism of radical feminism and anti-discrimination legislation, pointing out that it is the whites who are now being discriminated against.

Patrick Buchanan has been realistic about his chances of winning the 1992 Presidential contest, stating that his major objective was to poll sufficient votes to push the Republican Party off the international path being followed by George Bush, and to lay the groundwork for the 1996 elections. But in polling approximately 40 percent of the New Hampshire primary vote, Buchanan did much better than even he had originally anticipated, and now has a momentum, which could continue throughout the remainder of the primary elections and place Buchanan and his supporters in a position to exert a major influence on the Republican Party platform.

The drastically changing American scene can only be adequately assessed in the context of the bigger world scene. The most illuminating aspect of the Buchanan challenge is the type of reaction to it, both in the U.S.A. and other countries. The Zionists are in a state of deep shock, as they and Zionist Israel will be seriously affected if the Buchanan policy of drastically reducing all American foreign aid should become a reality. A Buchanan type foreign policy would have a major impact on the Middle East.

Also in shock are the leaders of the Australian National Farmers' Federation, who have been forced to realise that in spite of sending costly delegations to the U.S.A., they have completely failed to assess the realities of the American political situation. American farmers have warmed to the Buchanan "America First" policy. Australia needs the equivalent of a Patrick Buchanan, one leading a movement with a programme to put Australia's own house in order before lecturing the rest of the world.

Typical of media reaction to the Buchanan offensive, was that of Greg Sheridan in Rupert Murdoch's national daily, The Australian, on February 22nd. Sheridan opens his comment with the statement that "The astonishingly strong vote for Patrick Buchanan in New Hampshire is a disaster for Australia". Sheridan charges that "The former speech writer for Ronald Reagan is doing his formidable best to energise every destructive force in United States politics, every force that could transform the U.S. from the leading progenitor of free trade and liberal internationalism into a mean spirited nation, turning increasingly inwards upon itself".

Other commentators have adopted the same attitude, their main concern being that Buchanan is threatening internationalism and free trade. There is no record of Buchanan saying that the U.S.A. should not trade with nor have relations with the rest of the world. But he insists that America must put its own interests first and cease trying to help police the world through New World Orders.

It was the American people who rejected the first step towards creating a World Government, the League of Nations, after the First World War. With the break-up of the Soviet Union and artificially created States like Yugoslavia, and with growing friction inside the European Economic Community, the Buchanan challenge comes at a time when the internationalists are having great difficulties with their New World Order programme. This is no time for Australians to become paralysed with fear because of what is happening in the U.S.A. Australians should regard the rapidly changing state of the world as a challenge to take control of their nation back and to adopt the appropriate financial and economic policies to make the nation independent.

THE KEATING STATEMENT

As we go to press, the much-publicised Keating economic statement has not been delivered. But sufficient has been "leaked" to the media to reveal that having imposed the depression "we had to have", Prime Minister Keating is about to embark on a mildly expansionist policy with at least $2 billion being spent. Having forced inflation down by imposing a restrictive financial policy, which bankrupted tens of thousands of Australian industries, and created record unemployment, Paul Keating proposes to ease the financial pressure with a massive capital works programme, which will "make work".
There is much important work waiting to be done in Australia, but this work will be done if Australians have adequate finance. There is enormous scope for the re-generation of farming, for conservation and re-afforestation programmes. Few would deny that the Australian transport system requires upgrading, but if Prime Minister Keating believes that the use of debt finance for public works will solve Australia's basic problems, he will be proved wrong by events.

The truth is that the Keating economic statement is primarily designed to help the Keating Government survive the next Federal elections. But Keating and his senior Ministers continue to insist that whatever they do, they will not be slowing down the programme of internationalising the Australian economy. The protection of Australian industries will continue to be dismantled. If elected the Hewson Government will continue on with the internationalist programme. But the Australian people might yet revolt, particularly if they note the Americans start to reject internationalism.

BRIEF COMMENTS

It is encouraging to note that not all young Australians have been brainwashed into believing that the Australian flag should be changed to demonstrate Australia's independence. The Melbourne Sun-Herald of February 19th reports that a survey of senior students at the Sunbury (Victoria) Secondary College revealed that 53 percent want the present flag, reflecting Australia's link with Britain, retained. But unless the case for preserving the present flag, and the heritage it represents, is put positively, the slow erosion of support for that heritage will continue until a majority do not even understand that they no longer have roots in a rich and nourishing heritage.

The Australian people have no excuse for not knowing what Dr. John Hewson proposes for them if he becomes Prime Minister. Apart from imposing an inherently inflationary Goods and Services Tax (G.S.T.) Dr. Hewson has recently told a meeting of employers in Perth that "The centre piece of any change has got to be a complete revamp of the labor market ... If I could have my way almost immediately, no more wage increases, unless they are negotiated at a workplace level".
All monopoly, including labor monopolies, are anti-social. But a direct assault on the trade union movement without dealing with the credit monopoly, and the debt issue, is a recipe for revolution. The thrust of all Dr. Hewson's statements is that he is going to restructure the whole Australian economy - why? So that we have the ability to compete internationally. The "rational" economic system sought by Dr. Hewson would not be designed to serve the requirements of the Australian people, but to attempt to gain a "favourable balance of trade" by striving to concentrate upon foreign markets. Those not dominated by the influence of the black magic known as debt finance, should be able to grasp that it is impossible for every developed nation to have a "favourable balance of trade" some must have an unfavourable balance. Real wages in Australia are now nearly the lowest in the Western world. If Dr. Hewson attempts to reduce them even further so that Australia can compete internationally, his term in office will be very short.

Germany officially announced last week that it is in a state of depression. Japan is also in a major depression and rocked with political scandals. Could we hear from those who have held Germany and Japan up as economic models to be emulated?

HOW MUCH CONTEMPT WILL WE TAKE?

from David Thompson
The abuse directed at Mr. Dennis Stevenson following his re-election to the A.C.T. Parliament last week implied that the Canberra voters were stupid for voting for such a man. A number of Commonwealth politicians actually said that voters were stupid, which simply underlines the contempt with which politicians hold electors. Stevenson's win was a nasty shock, since the polls did not show him as a serious contender; the learned pundits and electoral gurus had written him off. He was described by the press as an extreme right-winger, with links to the League of Rights, which is commonly believed to be the political kiss of death. Mr. Stevenson was rash enough to have attended several League meetings, but as he points out, he also attended meetings of the Fabians, socialists, etc.
Dennis Stevenson stood on a platform of Abolish Self Government for Canberra, proposing instead that Canberra should be governed by a city council. How did he know that this platform would provide sufficient support to return him to Parliament, while the 'numbers men' gave him no chance? Stevenson claims to have a simple but effective mechanism - he asks the people! For one day of each week, he polls Canberra voters personally, and has built up a better picture of the requirements of voters than anyone else. Despite the "League" smear, he was comfortably elected.

THE HAWKE RESIGNATION

THE QUEENSLAND REFERENDUM

R PLUS D EQUALS C

KENEALLY CASE HANGED ON GONG

from The Australian, February 21st
Mr. Thomas Keneally, A.O., Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, argues that 'Republicans are in the fullest sense Australian, since we have enough faith in ourselves and our institutions to place our primary loyalty in them"...(Focus, 15-16/2). "He continues, stating that Australians have no need to resort to 'the Tolkinesque act of the imagination such as pretending that the Monarch of Great Britain is somehow Queen of Australia'. The "somehow" resides in the fact that by the Royal Styles legislation of 1973, the Queen is legally just that, whether Mr. Keneally finds reality palatable or not. Life it would seem exists beyond fiction.

"Mr. Keneally has been appointed Officer in the Order of Australia, an award granted to him by the Governor General with the approval of the Queen, a quick check of his citation will confirm this. The insignia is suspended from a crown, the device of monarchy. "Mr. Keneally's intent in this matter may be questioned, on the one hand he is calling for the dethronement of the legal monarch, whilst on the other he accepts an honour from the very same sovereign. Of course, he is not alone here, but is accompanied by such ephemeral luminaries as Philip Adams, Max Gillies, Franca Arena, et al.

"The question of Mr. Keneally's accepting a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature may also be raised. Not only is the dreaded word 'royal' in the title but by belonging to such an august British institution the reader could be excused for thinking that Mr. Keneally is somehow indulging in a colonial cringe." (Dr.) Peter Rolfe Monks, Townsville Qld.