Editorial:

Who defends our national interests?

Prime Minister Howard and his Minister consistently claim that 
their policies are in Australia's "national interest".

We are told that the war in Iraq and the "war on terrorism" are 
in the national interest. The subsequent "terror laws" and 
keeping refugees out of Australia are claimed to be in the 
national interest. The expenditure of an extra $50 billion on 
military hardware is in the national interest. The Free Trade 
Agreement with the United States and the US alliance is also 
promoted making the same assertion.

The policies of Howard and his government are actually in the 
interests of only a tiny minority of the Australian people. In 
what way has the war in Iraq helped the Australian people? How 
does the purchase of huge quantities of sophisticated weapons 
help to make Australia secure when absolutely no country 
threatens Australia? How will war against China or the Democratic 
People's Republic of Korea help the Australian people? How will 
the FTA help the working people of Australia when many will lose 
their jobs and some industries will be wiped out as a result of a 
flood of US imports?

The real national interest of the Australian people was expressed 
in the Australia-wide demonstrations that opposed Australian 
involvement in the war in Iraq and now oppose the scandalous 
expenditure of $43 million per day on armaments while Medicare 
and public education are starved of funds.

The real national interest is to be found in the policies of 
those who campaign for the strengthening of public education and 
public health and the elimination of university fees. All of this 
could be easily funded were it not for the huge expenditures now 
being wasted on military hardware and the preparation for wars.

The wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, to mention 
only the most recent, were all about power and the pursuit of the 
profit interests of the big corporations out to control the 
supply of oil and win military contracts.

Nationalism is also promoted and tied into the propaganda about 
"national interests". It takes the form of beefing up the armed 
forces and their supposed exploits. Howard personally attends 
every possible military parade and anniversary.

While actually betraying Australia's independence and sovereignty 
the Australian corporate ruling class and the daily media that 
they control, frequently talk about everything Australian being 
the "best in the world". They ignore or down-play the abilities 
and achievements of other countries. Information about other 
countries is largely limited to Britain and the United States.

Some years ago the then CEO of General Motors remarked that "what 
is in the interests of General Motors is in the interests of the 
US". His remark illustrates the attempt of big business to 
identify its interests with those of everyone else in the 
country.

Karl Marx quoted, as a footnote to his monumental work 
Capital, the reality of capitalist greed and immorality: 
"Capital eschews no profit, or very small profit, just as Nature 
was formerly said to abhor a vacuum. With adequate profit, 
capital is very bold. A certain 10 percent will ensure its 
employment anywhere; 20 percent certain will produce eagerness; 
50 percent, positive audacity; 100 percent will make it ready to 
trample on all human laws; 300 percent, and there is not a crime 
at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the 
chance of its owner being hanged. If turbulence and strife will 
bring a profit, it will freely encourage both. Smuggling and the 
slave-trade have amply proved all that is here stated." (Marx-
Engels Collected Works Vol 35 p748).

The cry about "national interests" coming from Howard & Co. is a 
fraud and the promotion of nationalism is a crime that divides 
the Australian people from the people of other countries. It 
breeds another crime — racism — that feeds on the idea of 
national superiority by one country over another.

The Communist Party stands for the interests of the working 
people of Australia — the overwhelming majority — and it is 
their interests that are truly national. Along with this goes 
belief in the common interests of all working people of all 
countries.