ABC remembers Malcolm Fraser and confuses refugees, immigration and population growth management (again)

The following was posted on 21 March 2015 to a mailing list of activists opposed to the United States sponsored-terrorist proxy war against the Syrian people. That war, which commenced in March 2011, has so far cost the lives of 200,000 Syrians.

Whilst Malcolm Fraser's actions against the elected Labor government of Gough Whitlam in 1975 undoubtedly harmed Australian sovereignty, he should still be given due credit for his outspoken public support for Syria and Russia since March 2004. That support for Syria and Russia flies in the face of the lying narrative fed to us by the mainstream 'news' media and nearly all of the political establishment on both 'sides' of the fence. It is no accident that, whilst they mention his opposition to South African apartheid, support for Aboriginal reconciliation and support for Vietnamese refugees, none of the mainstream media eulogies for Malcolm Fraser have mentioned his support for Syria and Russia, as is noted below. - Ed.

While the news of Malcolm Fraser’s unexpected passing yesterday may have penetrated to the rest of the world, it is unlikely that some key facts about his recent political life will do so, given that they are mostly absent from Australia’s own reporting.

Malcolm Fraser was always a Liberal, but the party that he led in power from 1975 to 1982 has now lost all semblance of liberalism, so much so that Fraser formally left the party in 2009 when the current PM Tony Abbott became leader of the then opposition. He had also become on the left of the Labor party as it also moved to the right, and became an associate of the Greens on some issues, particularly on asylum seekers.

But one of the most significant positions that Malcolm Fraser held was on Australia’s close alliance with the US, which he regarded as both undesirable and dangerous. He made this argument extensively in his last book – ‘Dangerous Allies’ – published last year. The ANZUS treaty which is often cited as a reason for Australia’s ‘obligation’ to fight in America’s wars does in fact only oblige us to come to each other’s aid should one be under attack. Not only is the US not under attack in the many wars it has created since WW2, but it is highly doubtful that the US would come to Australia’s aid if WE were to be attacked – and certainly not if we had not been performing our proper role as the US’ ‘Asian Sheriff’.

It is not simply a matter of Australia becoming involved in US wars in the Middle East, even though that support has ‘punched above our weight’ as well as giving crucial support to the US illegitimate stance in 2003 and now in Ukraine. Malcolm Fraser publicly protested when the previous government under Julia Gillard allowed US marines a base in Northern Australia. This is further to the long-time presence of spy base Pine Gap there, which the US uses for Drone attacks in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and no doubt surveillance further east too.

Gillard, like Rudd, and Howard before him, was a rusted on supporter of both the US and Israel; not only did she speak to the US congress with adoring platitudes, but she ‘stood with Israel’ in 2009 when it was flattening Gaza.

More recently the bond between the Australian government and NATO has been surely strengthened by the Ukraine ‘conflict’, as 40 of the civilians killed when MH17 was shot down were Australian. With Tony Abbott’s stance on Kiev’s atrocity being hand in hand with that of Cameron and Obama, and his ‘outspoken’ and aggressive posturing against Russia and Putin being cheered on by our deluded and sycophantic press machine and public, Australia has proved itself a vital member of NATO in spirit. Not even the Greens have spoken out in support of the rights of East Ukraine, leave alone in support of Putin, thanks to the clever psy-ops of ‘Pussy Riot’ and other Western propaganda trickery.

Equally, when Abbott volunteered to send 300 more troops to fight in Iraq – as ‘trainers plus’ there was hardly a squeak of protest – the US needed us to ‘help’. And if the US extends its ‘operations’ in Syria then Australia will be right behind; it is already a key supporter of the ‘SNC’.

All this is why I found the loss of Malcolm Fraser as a high-profile spokesman against US expansionism and militarism personally quite devastating. Following a memorable meeting with him in June 2013, accompanying Mother Agnes and Susan Dirgham, I had written to him periodically about the deterioration of Australian ‘leadership’ over Syria, and still hoped to hear his critical voice on this and other geopolitical issues; his strong support for cooperative relations with China resisting US dominance being the most significant, and of course the role China is currently playing in assisting Russia against NATO is a key one. It is to be hoped that some others may fill his role now, but I doubt it; while some say the ‘American Alliance question’ is ‘debate we have to have’, there is a persistent silence on the issue.

And the signs are not promising; not only did the government apparently choose to release a controversial report into the treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru yesterday afternoon, so that Fraser’s death would distract media reporting on it, but today there have been marches and celebrations around the country of ‘the end of the Afghanistan operation’ – ‘Australia’s longest war commitment, with 41 soldiers killed’. Forty One. It pains one to imagine the sort of rubbish being talked about ‘their sacrifice’ and what they have brought to the country; the warlord who was chief of Oruzgan province where the Australians were stationed was killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul yesterday – heralding a fierce struggle between tribal factions looking to take over Matiullah Khan’s sizeable ‘heritage’ of control over Opium trade and whatever else.

While some, particularly on the left, who were so angry with Fraser for his role in ‘the Dismissal’ of Gough Whitlam in 1975 that they simply can never acknowledge the immense good that he did in years since, there were many who did hear his message on both humanity and racism, as well as on ‘Australian independence’ and our part in Asia.