Islamic "Infiltration": Watch Out, Here It Comes
Cabinet papers revealed that in 1950, the Coalition Government planned to use the Communist Party Dissolution Bill to crack the Labor Party. From the National Archive’s summary:
Menzies might well have been genuine in his belief that legislation dissolving the Communist Party was necessary, but this did not stop him or his ministerial colleagues from revelling in the discomfort it caused the Labor Opposition.
From the Cabinet notebook itself:
Macleay: Can we not postpone the budget and concentrate on the commo bill? Within a week they [the Labor Party] may be split in two…
Why is this relevant or interesting, more than fifty-five years later? Consider the words of NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam:
“I think it highlights today why Parliament really formally needs to review the extent to which Islamic fundamentalists have infiltrated Government agencies and departments - we need to understand what’s been happening in there in recent years,” he said.
There’s nothing conservative Parties love more than an opportunity to beat their social democrat counterparts with scary ‘national security’ rhetoric. Watch out, here it comes.
EvilPundit wrote:
Kim Beazley and the state Labor leaders are also into the “scary national security rhetoric”.
Maybe you should consider the fact that it isn’t just “rhetoric”, it’s reality.
alex white wrote:
There may be a threat, but the rhetoric used by Howard and Beazley relates to their reaction to that threat. Quite simply, there are existing laws (prior to S11, 2001) that prohibit terrorism, mass murder, the planning of mass murder, bomb making, inciting violence, etc.
Draconian police powers, sedition laws and so on is pure, hysterical hyperbole on the part of the conservatives.
EvilPundit wrote:
Your description of these reasonable and necessary laws is pure, hysterical hyperbole.
alex white wrote:
Your description of these reasonable and necessary laws is pure, hysterical hyperbole.
Yawn. “I know you are, but what am I?”
I expected better than that from you, EP.
EvilPundit wrote:
So you’re allowed to use scary words, but I’m not?
Don’t make ridiculous, overblown exaggerations if you don’t want them to be mocked.
alex white wrote:
Even conservatives (both inside and outside Government) are expressing concern and dismay at Howard’s so-called “anti-terrorism” laws. The hyperbole is only coming from those who support the laws.
jason wrote:
I have a solution for terrorism - let’s make it illegal!
Yeah, that’ll take care of them :P
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