Readers are invited to submit letters to The Guardian.
Letters may be e-mailed to guardian@cpa.org.au.
Letters of 300-400 words are preferred.

Letters to the Editor:

People's concerns

The Guardian editorial (13/10/2004) rightly claims that 
a major reason for the Coalition victory on October 9 was the 
widely held fear about jobs and higher interest rates.

One may speculate that a sizable proportion of working people 
arrived at their decision on how to cast their vote, not on the 
basis of the handouts of both major parties, but on their 
judgement that the Coalition can do much better than the ALP in 
managing the economy in a way that will protect jobs and keep 
interest rates low.

This surely shows that they are concerned about the economy, that 
they have an intuitive (at least) understanding of the link 
between the economy as a whole and the outcomes that affect their 
wellbeing.

If this judgement is correct, it follows that there are 
implications for the tactics that need to be adopted by the 
radical left in order to get the support of the working people 
for radical change. We cannot hope to succeed only by appealing 
for support to get a better deal within the system.

Karl Marx tells us the way in his Critique of the Gotha 
Programme. He says "it was altogether a mistake to make a 
fuss about the so-called distribution and to put on this the 
chief emphasis".

We must not make the mistake of the Utopian Socialists, who, Marx 
said followed the capitalist economists in regarding and treating 
distribution as independent of production, and hence represented 
Socialism as turning chiefly around the question of distribution. 
This he regarded as a "backward step".

Bob Saltis
Adelaide, SA 

The lesson of the Black Saturday election is clear, to work 
harder to rid this government — before its term of office is 
over, and it does more harm.

The many rabbits Howard pulled from the hat were based on a 
strong economy, independence and the family.

Howard's double talk has become a humbug.

Our economy is far from strong, indeed our economy is weak and 
sick. Our independence has been sold to America, and too many 
families are in deep debt.

Over production has got us hamstrung.

Car yards are chock-a-block and overflowing. Electrical goods and 
other commodities are being hawked by the media or letter-dropped 
advertising leaflets to buy, buy and then get one free.

All sorts of gimmicks are used to get us to enter the supermarket 
chains with little or no cash left to fill the larder.

More attacks by Howard are not far off to hamper radical and 
people's struggle to keep a system of government to take turns at 
robbing the public purse.

Phyllis Johnson
Animus Populi, Friend of the people
Padstow, NSW 

I have attached some images of mine and a few dedicated 
comrades' efforts at a socialist revolution at our ultra-
conservative suburban Sydney high school. On our school "muck up" 
day we managed to hoist the hammer and sickle up the flagpole 
alongside the archaic Australian flag.

We also managed to erect images of the great man himself Vladimir 
Lenin all around the school inciting mixed reactions from 
students and staff. One of the many reactions we received from 
supposedly learned students was "why are there NAZI symbols 
around the school?" along with "Huh, communists; don't they start 
wars?" along with other solidly ignorant remarks.

I believe this highlights a distinct flaw in our contemporary 
education syllabus. Students are still being instilled with the 
attitudes predominant in the Menzies era. Communism has being 
automatically associated with "evil" in many young minds. This 
ignorance then as we have seen in the recent election transfers 
into adulthood and the ballot box. Society has become so caught 
up in our own selfish individual needs and desires that we have 
forgotten the harsh realities of "the other side of the fence".

Prosperity clearly breeds ignorance.

Perhaps a more open and informative high school syllabus will 
help open the future's mind to the world and of how dire problems 
and issues can be solved. This would be a welcome relief to the 
current glorification of "our federation" and "the honourable" 
Sir Robert Menzies.

NB: May 'god' help us all if George Bush is re-elected next week.

Justin Morris
Westleigh, NSW 

On October 14, four days after the election the DIMIA 
(Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous 
Affairs) forcibly deported a young Iranian man. He fled his 
country — an offence — but is also a self proclaimed Christian, 
which is a serious crime under Sharia Law in Iran.

Sister of Mercy, Anne Foale writes, "It is with a heavy heart 
that I inform you that in the lull following the Election this 
Government has deported our friend and Christian Iranian directly 
from the church service yesterday afternoon.

"While we were praying together DIMIA packed up his room. He 
wasn't seen again by his friends. M was taken to Perth, and then 
to Iran where he is most likely to face arrest, imprisonment with 
a death sentence for apostasy. His friends and other detainees 
are in shock, wailing and bewildered. I am reminded of Rachel 
crying for her children. We are crying too. We are in mourning. 
Please feel free to act."

Is this going to be the pattern for the new government? I am very 
frightened that as voters we have given permission for hard line, 
inhuman and anti-Christian policies. It is happening covertly 
without any access by the media to inform the Australian public.

Elaine Smith
West Haven, NSW

Three real winners in the federal election were the three 
untrumpeted but fully exploited policies — fear, prejudice and 
greed. Rejoice Australia.

Australia cannot continue its past decade of slipping down in its 
international standing. Of course our macho belligerents will 
say, "Stuff the international opinion. We will do what we want to 
do — with big brother behind us we will get away with anything."

Oh yeah? Big brother is not making too good a job of it in Iraq. 
And there's one little point they are either ignorant of or have 
forgotten — the unwritten but well understood principle tenet in 
foreign policy: "You have no allies, only interests — your own".

If the US thinks it is not in its interests to support us, then 
it will be "tough luck Australia, we can go it alone".

See how good we will be then.

B Appleton
Woy Woy, NSW