LIBERAL WIN BY DEFAULT

In spite of a devastating attack on Liberal leader John Howard, by Liberal Party President, John Elliott, on the eve of the Adelaide by-election, and the offer of a generally naive and innocuous Liberal Party candidate, Mr. Bob Hawke suffered a major set back at the Adelaide by-election last Saturday. Not surprisingly, Mr. John Howard could hardly contain his jubilation, as did the successful Liberal candidate, Victor Pratt. John Howard proclaimed, "It's been an extraordinary triumph for the Liberal Party - and for me personally."

The truth is that the Hawke Government lost the by-election by their own follies, one of the major ones being Prime Minister Hawke's early support for time based telephone calls. Mr. Howard offered nothing basically different on the issues concerning Australians. There were two major features of the poll result: 21% of the enrolled electors did not bother to vote at all, while the backlash against Labor was strongest in traditional Labor strongholds. It is certain that the large number who refused even to vote informal contributed substantially to the Labor defeat.

Studiously ignored by the media was the pioneer campaign by the recently formed Groundswell Movement. The organisers of this campaign, which sought to promote the concept of an Electors' Veto, as available to the Swiss, report that they are satisfied with the launching of what is planned to be an on going movement. Much valuable educational work was done. Both the Liberal and Labor candidates refused to give an undertaking to support the Electors' Veto and it was appropriate that the Communist Party candidate also refused to give an undertaking. The Australian Democrats, in keeping with their own policy, endorsed the Electors' Veto and Senator Haines has expressed her pleasure at her party's increased vote.

Prime Minister Hawke has a point when he observes that the By-election result was basically a protest vote by traditional Labor Party supporters who knew that their protest would not unseat the Hawke Government, which still leads in the public opinion polls while Bob Hawke still enjoys a high rating. If the Liberals could present polices designed to deal with the issues worrying traditional Labor voters, there would be no doubt about the end of Labor at the next Federal Elections. They could make a start by stating they trust the Australian electors to have an effective say in their own affairs via the Electors' Veto. We predict that this is going to become the major issue in Australian politics in the immediate future.

CHANGE OF ROLE FOR MR. JEREMY LEE

1987 was a hard and grueling year for League actionist Mr. Jeremy Lee, who found himself increasingly driving long distances and addressing bigger and bigger meetings, most of these organised by Christian groups. The demand on Jeremy Lee's services has reached the stage where some priorities must be established to take full advantage of increasing the impact of the League's message. Jeremy Lee has therefore requested that he be relieved of the responsibilities of Assistant National Director of the League, and, later in the year, of the responsibilities of directing The Institute of Economic Democracy. In recent years Jeremy Lee has devoted increasing time and effort to educational work concerning Social Credit and Christianity, and believes that he has opened up a field, which, from the long-term point of view, must be cultivated to the maximum.

The League of Rights, formed after the Second World War, grew out of the worldwide Social Credit Movement of the pre-war years, and was designed as a strategical move to meet changed circumstances, with the open threat of totalitarianism spearheaded by the Marxist Movement. But the League has always stressed that the future of what is left of Civilisation depends upon the implementation of financial and economic policies, which reflect Christian philosophy. Over the past eighteen months the framework of an International Social Credit Fellowship has been developed and it is now proposed to further this concept. Jeremy Lee will be one of those primarily responsible for this. He plans to make a number of special videos.

We are pleased to announce that one of the publishing events of 1988 will be a major book by Jeremy Lee, one that has long been required. A publishing company with international distribution facilities will be handling this work, now in the process of being finalised by Jeremy Lee. Jeremy Lee's lecturing activities will, from now on, be on a more selective basis, designed primarily to reach Christian groups. Those who have drawn on Jeremy Lee for books and literature should now make use of the various State League addresses.

An announcement concerning the appointment of a new Assistant National Director, and a new Secretary of The Institute of Economic Democracy, from among the League's younger ranks, will be made shortly. Other organisational changes, designed to further the planned expansion of the League, are also in the process of being made. This planned expansion will ensure that the growing influence of the League reaches new heights. Much depends, of course, on the success of the Annual Basic Fund. Once again we appeal to the non-contributors to rush their support in immediately.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Not one of Australia's "new look" trendy Trade Union leaders has pointed out to the recipients of the $6 a week wage increase, awarded late last week by the Arbitration Commission, that the major part of the increase will go to the Taxation Department, thus increasing Federal government revenue. Nor has Mr. Crean nor Mr. Kelty, to mention two Trade Union leaders, pointed out that under the existing financial conventions, the total amount of the wage increase, most of it financed out of debt finance, will inevitably flow through into higher prices, which will then be used as a justification for further wage increases, C.H. Douglas pointed out a long time ago, when he was pioneering the attack on debt finance, that Trade Union leaders generally had a vested interest in preserving a system which keeps them in futile wage increasing activities.

The debate on gun laws has created deep feelings across Australia with, unfortunately, some opponents of the virtual abolition of the private ownership of guns, making some extravagant claims. One of these is that Karl Marx advocated the abolition of the private ownership of guns in The Communist Manifesto. We mention this because of urgent requests for copies of The Manifesto. It is certainly true, however, that Communist regimes make every effort to ensure that the general population is keep disarmed. We have constantly stressed that people cannot be made more moral or responsible by passing laws and regulations. It is reasonable that individuals should reach a mature age, and be required to obtain a driver's licence before driving on the public highways. But such licences, and the registration of cars does not prevent some from driving in a dangerous manner, sometimes killing and maiming people. The registration of handguns, together with a licence to own one, has been in force for years. But this has not prevented handguns from being used in holdups and killings. While Socialist Premiers like John Cain and Barry Unsworth have gained the applause of the do-gooders, including some Church leaders, their sweeping proposals have struck a deep nerve in much of the nation, which subconsciously fears what is proposed, or deeply resents what it sees as an attack on a fundamental right. Typical of these is Mr. Ted Drane, who was the principal speaker at the recent mass rally of over 30,000 people in Melbourne. Mr. Drane is proud of his working class background, a former electrician who teaches at a Technical College, a man now pledged to destroy the party for which he has always voted. From his published views, it is clear that Mr. Drane is a sensitive man, and deplores the killing of his fellow human beings, by whatever means. But he has become an instant leader because he fears that fundamental rights are threatened. The Socialists are going to discover that there are tens of thousands of Drane's across Australia, many of them former Labor voters. So far from being Red necked "Rambos", these people in the main, represent the spirit of traditional Australia. With a deep sense of study independence and personal responsibility.

The Hawke Socialist Government is dragging Australia more and more into the African cauldron. Naturally South Africa is opposing the Marxist regime of the late Samora Machel in Mozambique, who was killed in a plane crash in recent times. South Africa is also fighting Marxist forces in Angola - another former Portuguese territory, as it, also, is a base for attacks against her. All people of goodwill are saddened by the starvation and disease in areas of the world where there are "wars of liberation", etc., taking place. These poor people are innocent victims of the ruthless struggle taking place for their lands and their freedoms; e.g. Ethiopia. Australia has much on its own plate, with, for example, calls for "freedom" by the Torres Strait Islanders; calls for a separate "nation" by militant coloured people, posing as aborigines. Australian governments (we recall Malcolm Fraser, the "hero" of Zimbabwe should heed the old English adage; viz. "People Who Live In Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones". Australians live in a racial glass house, and Australia may well draw the "stones" of Africa in the future, by our ill advised meddling.

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