Menzies House

As ye sow, so shall ye reap!

How precious are we? Our once endearing trademark of “taking the mickey” and our propensity to laugh at ourselves has been hijacked and bleached to suit the bland, spiritless pests whose only industry is selective finger pointing. The Keating days of thought control, when dissidents were bullied and a compliant PC brigade apportioned scorn are returning like spores of mould on a rotting manifesto of evil.

Just weeks ago footballer Adam Goodes wailed about racism, heard around the world when a 13-year-old girl called him an ape. An ad campaign against perceived racism in which Goodes is an actor appeared on TV just days later. The free publicity was worth millions. In another ad running "Say no to racism" Goodes says “…by the way, I’m indigenous—not that that matters.” Bollocks, it mattered enough for him to make it matter. 

More recently, a bolt from the heavens. The Deity of Affectation granted the PM a miracle; Howard Sattler is sacked for his boorish question to her about the First Bloke’s sexuality. Sattler asked the question to which millions would secretly like to know the answer. And now, the nation is left hanging. Is Tim a poof, how ponderous can a question be?

Labor is blue – through and through

By Perkin-Warbeck

Come September when we spring into Spring, we will all be able to give due honour, respect and love for somebody very important in our lives.

Naturally I refer to Father’s Day, the very first Sunday in September. After all, there’s no other event in September requiring us to show deference to, or respect for, any other sort of so-called authority figure.

In my case, it has been a good few years since my dear old dad went to his maker but I still make a point of thinking kindly thoughts about him on that special day. There was a time when I would give a lot of thought to an appropriate gift and, invariably, I would select a beautiful and tasteful tie. Quite a few were, I recall, blue.

All women are equal but some are more equal than others

By Perkin-Warbeck

I bet you didn’t know that there are WOMEN and then there are women.

I have this on the highest possible authority – Emily’s List, no less – which proclaims in the preamble on its website, “A woman candidate, to be satisfactory, must be a ‘feminist’ in the best sense of the word…she should believe absolutely in the equality of status, liberty and opportunity between a man and a woman. A woman candidate that is shaky on this matter, or not sufficiently imbued with its importance to be able to speak convincingly on the matter, will do the movement towards establishing women in Parliament far more harm than good.”

Emily’s List is the ALP affirmative action crowd, the official sisterhood, comprising Labor women who presumably pass the “satisfactory” test. Prime Minister Gillard is a proud member.

A woman’s take on Gillard

Melissa McElroy, political advisor.

And didn’t Prime Minister Julia Gillard have a fine old time rallying the sisterhood at the Sydney launch of Women for Gillard when she told the wildly enthusiastic, hand-clapping, feet-stomping crowd of around one hundred women that an Abbott Coalition Government would see women “once again banished from the centre of Australia’s political life.”

There are, incidentally, more than 2.3 million women in Sydney but, hell, its quality that matters, not quantity.

I’m not sure if the adoring crowd broke into the traditional Labor hymn Solidarity Forever – I suspect they didn’t given its rather too masculine antecedents and it was written by a man after all – so, perhaps, Cyndi Lauper’s feminist anthem Girls Just Want To Have Fun would have been far more appropriate. Oops, that was written by a man as well.

Anyhow, Julia was really in her element proving yet again how wonderfully inclusive her attitudes are.

High flying Kevvie

by Odessa Koblenski

When the fiercely loyal Julia Gillard stabbed her Leader and PM Kevin Rudd in the back to take the top job, she famously issued the excuse that the government had “lost its way”.

Perhaps she was right. Rudd’s government was all over the place and since he was dumped as Foreign Minister after being dumped as PM he seems to be on a global quest to try and find out just where it went.

The disclosure that he has travelled the equivalent of more than half-way to the moon – 205,000 km and more than 45,000 km more than Julia herself – in the past year is not surprising. After all, very few people in Australia bother listening to him so he must, of necessity, journey afar to find an appreciative audience.

Back in September 2011 while he was still Foreign Minister, he created the enviable record of a new international benchmark for travel by Foreign Ministers – even more than the then US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton – and in his first nine months as Foreign Minister his travel bill was more than $1 million. It was then that Julia told him to “reign in” his travel expenses.

Sandwich attacks and other security worries

by Perkin-Warbeck

The news that our Prime Minister has been subjected to a second sandwich attack by a student while visiting a school should send shudders up the collective spines of Australia’s spooks community.

Coming on top of the news that somebody, allegedly in the People’s Republic of China, has managed to pinch the floor plans for the new multi-million dollar state-of-the-art ASIO headquarters in Canberra and that a convicted Egyptian terrorist was allowed into Australia when he arrived by boat seeking asylum, it is clear that we are plainly living in perilous times.

ASIO Director-General David Irvine admitted that this terrorist had somehow evaded detection when he arrived in May 2012 because of “a clerical error or some other mistake” despite the fact that he was the subject of an Interpol “Red Alert”. ASIO has what could be politely described as a measured approach to incidents of this kind – although they realised their mistake in August last year they didn’t bother telling the Immigration Department until February this year. One wonders if the advice was sent via Australia Post.

Perhaps they were all rather busy deciding the décor for their new offices which, might I suggest, should reflect an Oriental theme. The People’s Republic, apparently in possession of the floor plans, might be persuaded to assist in this regard

NO MORE POWER TO CANBERRA

We need to oppose Council Recognition, writes Brant Rippon

The Gillard Labor Government has announced a referendum on the recognition of Local Governments within the Constitution of Australia to be held in conjunction with the election on September 14.

As Michelle Grattan highlighted on Friday, there are those on both sides of politics that do not want to see the referendum held – at least, not on September 14. ALP power brokers think it is an ‘extra burden in an election where Labor has almost nothing going for it’.

Back on the ‘right’ side of politics, Tony Abbott has begrudgingly inherited backing for the change, which has been Coalition policy for some time. Many Coalition members and supporters have highlighted the fact that a referendum on September 14 will muddy the proverbial waters. For September 14, Coalition supporters should want the second Saturday in September to be solely a vote on Government. A vote to get the nation back on track. A vote of no confidence in this inept Labor Government that has broken so many promises and left Australians with a mountain of debt and increased costs of living. The Howard era certainly was the halcyon days.

Strategically, the Coalition will want the electorate focused on the negatives and broken promises of the Rudd/Gillard Governments, and not be distracted with a referendum. As Coalition campaign advisors have said, the Coalition should and will be 'campaigning at the election to change the government, not the constitution'.

To borrow a Boswellian phrase, the Australian Monarchist League will be 'manning the barricades' for the NO campaign. You might at first think, 'why would an organisation whose main ethos is to protect the Crown be involved in a referendum on council recognition?'

The League's mission statement is 'Australians protecting the Australian flag, the Australian Crown, and the Australian Constitution.' The primary purpose of the Australian Monarchist League is to educate and inform the Australian public on Australia's history and particularly on the Australian Constitution.

Established in Australia in 1943 as a pressure group for upholding the educational and cultural aspects of our constitutional monarchy, AML has today morphed into a significant and effective 'not-for-profit' voluntary organisation which lobbies State and Federal governments to reverse decades of 'republicanism by stealth'. We consider the appropriate recognition of our Sovereign, Royal Family and traditional institutions, the upholding of the principles of the Westminster System and the maintenance of the concept of competitive federalism on which the Commonwealth was founded, as essential aspects of our system.

The League will be opposing the referendum on two fronts:

(1) Lack of time: According to reports, the Australian Electoral Commission has indicated that it requires a minimum of 27 weeks to properly prepare the arguments for YES and NO cases. There are fewer than 15 weeks remaining to the election and the Constitution Alteration (Local Government) 2013 Bill, although drafted, has not even been introduced into the parliament. Our main hope is that the Coalition will conduct a well-funded NO case and this is what we are lobbying for. However, whatever happens, the League will be there doing its best to protect the integrity of our Australian Constitution.

We are also in touch with other organisations to co-ordinate our activities. With the shortage of time, every hand to the wheel counts.

(2) Centralisation of Power: There is clearly a divide over the referendum and whether to support it within the Coalition.   WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith said last week that recognition would "distort the federal structure, give rise to unforeseen and unintended consequences and will lead to an eventual eclipse of the states and their eventual irrelevance as a balance against the centralist power of the Commonwealth".

The Australian Monarchist League echoes Senator Smith's views. A YES vote could result in undermining the very existence of the States. It has long been Labor Party policy to erode the viability of the states by slowly centralising power to Canberra via years of scope creep, much like the 'republicanism by stealth' campaign that has existed over recent decades. It should be noted however that the Howard government was no better in regards to the 'Canberraisation' process.

The League has proceeded to lobby members of the Federal and State parliaments very successfully with a number of politicians coming out to pressure the Federal Coalition party to oppose the referendum. A leading member of the Coalition front-bench has written to the League to say: "May I take the opportunity of personally encouraging you in this campaign."

A member of the Newman Government wrote to AML saying, "I certainly note that there is divided opinion in the community on this issue. With respect, there are much more important issues at stake for the nation in this election. I cannot speak on behalf of the Coalition, however I know that I, and many others do share your view." Queensland Local Government Minister David Crisafulli said the state is not sure whether the wording would allow a federal government to go beyond simply funding. "If it comes with the ability to control, I'm scared".

At this stage, both the Western Australian and Victorian Liberal Councils have voted to incorporate a NO vote in their HTV cards on 14 September.

The League is in the process of setting up a referendum website nomorepowertocanberra.info which should be operative in coming days. We call on all conservatives to lobby their local Coalition member, Senator or candidate to not support the passage of the Constitution Alteration (Local Government) 2013 Bill through parliament.

Not only has there been a serious lack of public consultation from the Commonwealth Government over recognition of councils, but if there is one thing that this inept Labor Government has proven over the past six years is that the last thing Australians need is more power gifted to Canberra.

Brant Rippon is the State Chairman of the Australian Monarchist League’s Queensland Branch

On Gillard's Misogyny Furore

When Julia Gillard called Tony Abbott a misogynist in federal parliament in October last year, it did a severe disservice to women everywhere, writes Jack Baker.

Attempting to bring Abbott to the lowest of the low for a political stunt downplayed and minimised the seriousness of men who are actual misogynists.

A misogynist is by definition a “person who hates women”. Gillard has been read this definition several times in interviews. She has had the opportunity to clarify her remarks and explain that she didn’t actually believe Abbott hates women. Yet she has repeatedly said that she stands by her claims. As a former lawyer, Gillard knows that words are powerful. Yet she has shown a constant willingness to mislead for attempted political advantage.