The police state and world domination

Certain recent developments separated by vast distances, but 
tied together by the same objectives, help define the current 
political situation in terms of the triad which invaded Iraq.

As the Blair Government in Britain was putting a version of the 
US Patriot Act before Parliament, US President George W Bush was 
announcing plans for new military bases around the globe. And in 
Australia, the Attorney-General was trying to increase the powers 
of the secret police.

All three moves are being carried out in the name of the "war on 
terrorism" while they are in fact hostile acts for the repression 
of ordinary citizens and whole nations.

If passed, the provisions of the Civil Contingencies Bill will 
abolish many democratic and civil rights in Britain. They include 
giving the Government the power in the event of an "emergency" to 
suspend all or part of the Human Rights Act without the need of 
Parliament's approval. The Government would also be able to order 
the destruction of property, order the evacuation of an area, 
place a ban on the movement of individuals and prohibit 
assemblies, that is, protests, meetings, marches etc.

Sweeping powers

"Emergency" is defined as any threat to the environmental, 
political or economic stability of the country. The sweeping 
powers include any event that "causes or may cause disruption of 
the activities of Her Majesty's Government".

In practice this means a crack-down on any dissent and opposition 
to the actions of the Government. There is to be "order" by the 
elimination of hard-won freedoms and the creation of a de facto 
police state.

In Australia the Howard Government is pushing for even more 
powers for the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) 
which has already been granted draconian measures for 
surveillance, arrest and detention. The new powers would allow 
ASIO to interrogate suspects who need an interpreter, for 48 
hours instead of the current 24 hours; allow ASIO to confiscate 
passports and prevent people who have been interrogated or who 
witness an interrogation, from divulging details of it under 
threat of a five-year jail term.

For PR purposes Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has slightly 
toned down some of the police state measures in this current 
proposed legislation because some Government MPs, their eyes on 
next year's election, were nervous about public reaction to the 
measures.

Five years

But suspects and their lawyers will still face the five-year 
sentences if they disclose information, and other third parties 
such as journalists and friends and families of suspects can also 
be jailed for five years if they are warranted to have 
"recklessly" released "sensitive" information.

In concert with these fascist-like measures US President George 
Bush announced in a national broadcast last week: "Beginning 
today, the United States will intensify our consultations with 
the Congress and our friends, allies and partners overseas on our 
ongoing review of our overseas force posture.

"We will ensure that we place the right capabilities in the most 
appropriate locations to best address the new security 
environment. High level US teams will begin consultations in 
foreign capitals in Europe, Asia and elsewhere."

This means that consultations have already been concluded, deals 
struck and the wheels put in motion for the setting up of new 
military outposts.

In Australia, authoritarian rule sits side by side with the 
setting up of new US military bases in Western Australia and the 
Northern Territory, springboards for pre-emptive strikes and 
conflict in Asia.

During the past two years new US bases have also been established 
in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia (former Soviet republics), 
Bulgaria, Romania and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.