The following articles were published by The Guardian, newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia, in its issue of February 25th, 2004.
Reproduction of articles, together with acknowledgement if appropriate, is welcome. The Guardian, 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, Sydney 2010 Australia. Editor: Anna Pha Communist Party of Australia, 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. Sydney. 10 Australia. General Secretary: Peter Symon Phone (02) 9212 6855 Fax: (02) 9281 5795 Email CPA [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Guardian [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscription rates are available on requests. Editorial: Who defends our national interests? Prime Minister Howard and his Minister consistently claim that their policies are in Australia's "national interest". We are told that the war in Iraq and the "war on terrorism" are in the national interest. The subsequent "terror laws" and keeping refugees out of Australia are claimed to be in the national interest. The expenditure of an extra $50 billion on military hardware is in the national interest. The Free Trade Agreement with the United States and the US alliance is also promoted making the same assertion. The policies of Howard and his government are actually in the interests of only a tiny minority of the Australian people. In what way has the war in Iraq helped the Australian people? How does the purchase of huge quantities of sophisticated weapons help to make Australia secure when absolutely no country threatens Australia? How will war against China or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea help the Australian people? How will the FTA help the working people of Australia when many will lose their jobs and some industries will be wiped out as a result of a flood of US imports? The real national interest of the Australian people was expressed in the Australia-wide demonstrations that opposed Australian involvement in the war in Iraq and now oppose the scandalous expenditure of $43 million per day on armaments while Medicare and public education are starved of funds. The real national interest is to be found in the policies of those who campaign for the strengthening of public education and public health and the elimination of university fees. All of this could be easily funded were it not for the huge expenditures now being wasted on military hardware and the preparation for wars. The wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, to mention only the most recent, were all about power and the pursuit of the profit interests of the big corporations out to control the supply of oil and win military contracts. Nationalism is also promoted and tied into the propaganda about "national interests". It takes the form of beefing up the armed forces and their supposed exploits. Howard personally attends every possible military parade and anniversary. While actually betraying Australia's independence and sovereignty the Australian corporate ruling class and the daily media that they control, frequently talk about everything Australian being the "best in the world". They ignore or down-play the abilities and achievements of other countries. Information about other countries is largely limited to Britain and the United States. Some years ago the then CEO of General Motors remarked that "what is in the interests of General Motors is in the interests of the US". His remark illustrates the attempt of big business to identify its interests with those of everyone else in the country. Karl Marx quoted, as a footnote to his monumental work Capital, the reality of capitalist greed and immorality: "Capital eschews no profit, or very small profit, just as Nature was formerly said to abhor a vacuum. With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10 percent will ensure its employment anywhere; 20 percent certain will produce eagerness; 50 percent, positive audacity; 100 percent will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300 percent, and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged. If turbulence and strife will bring a profit, it will freely encourage both. Smuggling and the slave-trade have amply proved all that is here stated." (Marx-Engels Collected Works Vol 35 p748). The cry about "national interests" coming from Howard & Co. is a fraud and the promotion of nationalism is a crime that divides the Australian people from the people of other countries. It breeds another crime - racism - that feeds on the idea of national superiority by one country over another. The Communist Party stands for the interests of the working people of Australia - the overwhelming majority - and it is their interests that are truly national. Along with this goes belief in the common interests of all working people of all countries. ************************************************** -- Visit the proposed Leftlink web site at http://www.leftlink.net/ -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Sub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
