THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE U.S.A. JAPANESE CONFLICT

Only nine weeks after the signing of what has been eulogised as an "historic" GATT agreement, one which was going to lead to a world of growing harmony as international trade flowed smoothly, there was a violent Japanese-U.S.A. trade explosion. President Clinton has bluntly talked of a "trade war" with some American commentators urging that the Clinton administration use "tough measures" to force the Japanese to take steps to correct what is described in terms of financial orthodoxy, as a "favourable balance of trade".

Operating under the same debt financial system as other countries, the Japanese must drive their economy in a feverish attempt to export what is massive surplus production. The Americans are striving to do exactly the same and believe they can ease their domestic problems if the Japanese would take more of their production and export less.
But the Japanese are in the grip of their worst recession since the end of the Second World War and if they heed U.S. demands can only worsen the depression and produce greater social and political turbulence. It should be recalled that a similar trade conflict between the U.S.A. and Germany in 1987 was the prelude to the world stock market crash in October of that year.

There is no evidence anywhere to suggest that the world is moving away from economic depression towards growing stability. From the U.S.A., which recently was allegedly leading a world economic recovery, comes the news that the dreaded inflation was coming back (it had never really gone away) and that the Federal Reserve will have to start increasing interest rates.
Reporting from Hong Kong, for The Australian, David Lague writes, "The euphoria over China's surge towards becoming an economic superpower is evaporating as signals emerge that Beijing cannot bring its overheated economy under control." Inflation is running at over 20 percent in the bigger Chinese cities. There is growing regional resistance to the Central Government. Eventually a type of civil war appears inevitable.

The attempt to impose in Asia and the former Soviet Empire the type of finance economic policies that have so badly damaged the Western nations can only intensify growing international instability. The advice by Prince Charles was never more important: that a nation, which wishes to survive into the future, must go back to its roots. Australia must concentrate upon regaining its sovereignty, political, economic and financial, in order to survive in a world which is becoming increasingly destabilised.

DOES PREMIER JEFF KENNETT REMEMBER?

Victorian Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett has recently been travelling abroad and calling on the International Bankers seeking their permission to pawn Victoria a little further. Press reports state that he has been assuring the International Banks and their representatives that his Government is "re-structuring" Victoria. Forced Municipal Council amalgamations, all in the name of greater "efficiency", are a major feature of the re-structuring programme.

Back in 1986 it was the Cain Government that was attempting to impose the amalgamation policy with the enthusiastic support of all Marxists. There was strong Municipal resistance to the programme, resistance encouraged by the then leader of the Opposition, Mr. Jeff Kennett. Some of the most violent public meetings of opposition to the Cain Government's amalgamation programme was in the Bendigo region. It is therefore most appropriate that the views of Mr. Jeff Kennett, as outlined in a letter to the Bendigo Advertiser of September 12th, 1986, be known.

The letter was headed, BATTLE NOT OVER, and read:
"I thank and congratulate those of your readers who actively worked against Mr. Cain's plans to force council amalgamations. But be warned, the Labor Party has not lost the war, but has merely withdrawn, to regroup and start the battle again. Next time the battle will be fought through the power of the purse. Mr. Cain and his 'ministers' will try to force council amalgamations by reducing or further 'tying' (the financial grants by the State Government to local government).
"Mr. Cain backed down from his frontal assault on councils and their committees because of public pressure and the promise by the Liberal Party to use the safeguard it was given at the Nunawading by-election to curb Labor's excesses. "The Liberal Party will continue to give rural Victoria tough leadership on all issues - now, and when we are returned to office. In the meantime I caution all municipalities not to be complacent. Labor and John Cain in particular are still out to force Council amalgamations.
"The Liberal Party, on your behalf, will continue to defend your right to live where you wish, and to be administered by the local government system of your choice. May I again take this opportunity to thank all those Victorians who gave their time to fight against 'stage one' of the Government's plans to bring about forced council amalgamations." Jeff Kennett, State Opposition Leader

Victorian League Actionists are urged to make the widest possible use of the above revealing letter.

Accompanied by Treasurer Stockdale, Premier Kennett has just returned to Victoria after yet another international tour during which the international bankers were called upon, assuring them that Victoria under the Kennett Government was a State, which should be loaned still more debt. No doubt Kennett and Stockdale reported to their financial masters on how they are continuing to "restructure" Victoria, including the Municipalities, in the name of efficiency.

A hard hit rural community still awaits the type of constructive leadership promised by Jeff Kennett when he led the Opposition. Rural schools have been closed along with rail services. Unemployment remains at a record high. Victorians continue to flee the State in their hundreds every week. History will record that the Kennett Government was an even greater disaster than the disastrous Labor Government it replaced.

DAVID IRVING IN PRISON

SILENCING DAVID IRVING

It is clear that the fortunes of David Irving have declined since he dared to publicly express doubts about the nature and extent of the Jewish holocaust during World War II. It also seems certain his imprisonment will jeopardise any chance there may have been of the Australian Government issuing a visa for Irving to undertake a speaking tour here. Although Irving won a Federal Court challenge to the Minister for Immigration's original decision to deny him an Australian visa, which obliged the (new) Minister to reconsider Irving's case, no decision has yet been announced about the visa, after five months. Although Irving was also awarded court costs, we understand that these have not yet been paid.

It is becoming increasingly evident that Irving has been singled out for a sophisticated international campaign to have him silenced. Those who have read his works must agree that Irving is a gifted writer, and an extremely, resourceful researcher. Partly because of professional jealousy, and partly through fear for their own status, the "establishment" historians miss few opportunities to disparage Irving's work. He is not "politically correct", and his research is inconveniently at odds with some generally accepted myths concerning World War II.

It appears that the first objective in the campaign against Irving is to prevent him from travelling, and several governments have already capitulated to pressures to deny him visas. Perhaps the next step is to break Irving financially, which is often the result of long, expensive court actions. It is possible that Mr. Irving's most unwise refusal to comply with the High Court order to disclose his assets may have been motivated by an unwillingness to disclose his true financial position to those who wish to silence him.

BLOCKING SUPPLY GOES BACK TO 1901

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS' RUNAWAY TENDENCY

from The Australian, February 18th
L.A. Shearer's shot at P.P. McGuinness (Letters, 15/1) about international law influencing Australia's internal law, and the role of judges, avoids some crucial issues. "While international law requires local codification to be effective in Australia, and therefore depends on a parliamentary majority being in favour, the legality of such process increasingly rests on the external affairs powers of the Australian Constitution which can be invoked by external treaty, not uncommonly made without the prior knowledge of Parliament.

"Parliament is empowered by the external affairs powers of the Constitution to make effective laws that would otherwise be illegal and unlikely to be supported by a majority of Australians.

"External affairs were perceived at the time of Federation to apply only to matters of external consequence, such as trade agreements, defence treaties and the like. "Bastardisation of 'external affairs' has very conveniently (for them) empowered governments to force otherwise illegal ideology into the Australian law in defiance of the intent of the Constitution and, in practical terms, has created powers that the Australian people would not generally endorse by process of referendum.

"Distortion of the Constitution by inverting the intent of the external powers seriously affects all Australians, not only the judges focused on by McGuinness and Shearer." (John Bradbury, Hervey Bay, Qld.)

DEBT

from Mail-Times (Horsham, Vic.), February 16th
The Premier Mr. Kennett is again overseas compliments of the taxpayer to convince Moodys, the international credit rating agency, to lift Victoria's rating to triple A. "Once lifted he can then borrow more money on our behalf to get us further into debt with the U.N. International Monetary Fund. "How far into debt do we have to go before the money lenders start calling for debt for equity swaps? "Is there anything left to swap or sell off?

"It doesn't matter which party is in power because Labor is doing the same thing in Queensland as Kennett is in Victoria but we don't hear about it in the media. "Why is the world running a deficit with itself? "Professor Hotson, economic reform committee from Canada, believes we need to look at social credit as against social debit.

Power
"Former Treasurer Dr. Jim Cairns in his book Oil In Troubled Waters states: 'Banks have got the power to create money. As well as determining the total volume of money, the banks decide also to whom they will lend. The power to create money to decide who should get it is a vast and significant social and economic power and for this reason the Labor movement has always believed it should not be a privately owned power but be exercised solely by a public or people's bank. The supply of money and its quantity could be significantly influenced by the government and Reserve Bank.' "The government has the constitutional power to direct the Reserve Bank to make debt free loans available." (Anne Pietsch, Long Gully, Pomonal, Vic.)

KEEP OUR LOCAL COUNCILS SMALL

from Diamond Valley News, Melbourne suburban newspaper, February 8th, 1994
It is of great concern to me, as a resident and ratepayer in the Shire of Diamond Valley, that our council has not bothered to consult ratepayers on our thoughts on amalgamation, or in fact the disappearance of our municipality. "After all, if we are serious on retaining our own unique identity in the Diamond valley, our elected representatives should be consulting all their constituents.

"What amazes me is that the forced amalgamation of municipalities, in fact the abolition of the States and the move to more centralised government, is a long standing socialist policy. The previous Victorian Labor Government attempted to implement the policy of amalgamating municipalities, however, because of the swell of grassroots opposition to it, with representatives from local government, which in turn had the Liberal and National Parties opposing this policy, it was stopped in its tracks. "We change government, however, and we now find that the very same socialist policies of centralised government being foisted on us by the very same people who opposed it before. However, where are our local government representatives at this time?

"Wayne Phillips, a councillor with the Shire of Diamond Valley, is also a sitting member in the Legislative Assembly on the government side for Eltham. I have noted that he has not found it uncomfortable in supporting his party in inflicting centralising socialist policies - which we voted against at the last election - on other municipalities. Will he also do it to Diamond Valley.

"We require to have government more accountable to the individual elector. This can be achieved only by having smaller units of government, not bigger. "The Shire of Diamond Valley, after many years of battle, was originally carved out of the huge City of Heidelberg. It is now a thriving municipality that reflects, at local government level, all that we as ratepayers require. Do we wish to surrender this?

"Ratepayers who believe in retaining the uniqueness of the Shire, small is beautiful and controllable should contact their local Councillor, M.L.A. and M.L.C. and express their views and demand that they fight any forced merger. (Phillip D. Butler, Grassy Flat Road, Diamond Creek, Vic.)