What is the Australian Labor Party playing at?

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Iraq War

Contrary to many expectations, the war in Iraq was not the popularity disaster for Howard that it seems likely to be for Blair. In fact, contrary to omnipresent mantras, the population was not overwhelmingly opposed to the war in Iraq once they understood the issues. Since then, the part of the war in which Australia participated was a great success, and the troops have come home, and in some cases redeployed to other theatres (eg the Solomons). Although no Weapons of Mass Destruction have yet been found, all but 26% of Australians say Howard thought he was telling the truth when he said Iraq had WMDs - after all many of the experts believed the same thing. In any case, the Australian populace was always more swayed by the humanitarian side of the argument for war, and that has not been diminished: Iraq was, indeed, ruled by a Stalineque dictator who systematically terrorised and tortured his population, he is gone thanks to us, and almost all Iraqis seem happy to see the back of him.

So why does the ALP continue to bring up the issue?

Richard Butler the new Governor of Tasmania

Continuing on the topic of WMDs, former chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler is an interesting case. As recently as November last year, Butler was railing against Iraq's obfuscation and its secret weapons programme. Once the war ended, he made a 180 degree turn and attacked the Howard Government for making the same claims. Just what does Butler think? Is he the right man for the job of Governor of Tasmania, a position recently handed him by Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon, an ardent Republican like Butler.

Butler's immediate announcement that he would do away with most of the symbolism of the role, and even refuse to pledge allegiance to Her Majesty, despite the fact that he will be directly responsible to her, make it difficult to assess his motivations in accepting the dignified post of Governor of Tasmania. His appointment must be seen as part of the dishonest campaign to establish republics by stealth, given that the 1999 Referendum provided a clear message that the majority of Australians in the majority of states are not interested in changing their system of government.

Royalty, Romance and... Republicanism?

The recent announcement that a Tasmanian lass, Mary Donaldson, is to marry the Crown Prince of Denmark, and that an Australian will therefore most probably be Queen of Denmark, has sent ripples of excitement through Tasmania. I spoke recently to a Tasmanian lad who went to the same school as Miss Donaldson, (Taroona High) and he was very enthusiastic, despite his left-leaning politics (he's a Bob Brown supporter).

The magic and romance of this fairytale marriage of an Australian into Europe's oldest monarchy has captured the Australian imagination. Contrast this with Richard Butler's cynical and petty humbug, or indeed with that of the Victorian Government, which made a point of removing the crown from car number plates, or New South Wales, where the Government has repeatedly tried to legislate to remove all symbols related to our monarchical constitutional heritage from all Government buildings. Continuing up the coast, we come to Queensland, where the Government has asked the populace to kindly give HRH Prince Harry some space... he is too popular! For a charismatic leader and man of the people, it's interesting to note that Republican Peter Beattie is not mobbed by fans in the streets of Brisbane!

Scrooges in the Senate

Of course, while Prince Harry is here, Opposition Senators are attempting to launch a plebiscite, in which the electorate will be asked to sign a blank cheque for politicians to write a new, Republican Constitution (presumably stripped of any offensive traces of mystery, romance or history).

On both the Iraq War and the Monarchy, the ALP seems determined to focus on issues the public is not concerned about - to make issues of non-issues.

Can there be any rational explanation?

Selected Sources:

The Australian: Tasmanian to Wed Danish Prince

CNN: Poll at the time of Australia's deployment of troops to Iraq.

CNN: Richard Butler interviewed 25 November 2002: "What they have put together in accepting this resolution, and now in this new statement, is a classic piece of Iraqi propaganda, a big smoke screen, lots of claims that aren't true, and avoidance of the central realities that I pointed out to you a moment ago. They know exactly what weapons they've got. They know exactly. They can write it accurately on a piece of paper, if they choose to."

NewsCorp: Butler's change of heart
In 2003 Butler said Howard "pumped up beyond reality" the case for war, but in December 2001 Butler said Saddam has "a stockpile of uranium and in three years without inspection, I've seen reports, he's recalled his nuclear weapons design teams and Lord knows what he's been able to acquire on the black market."

SBS: Controversy over Tasmanian Governor Pledge

ABC: Butler Foregoes Excellency Title

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