Is Australia headed for the international scrap heap clinging to a puppet role beneath a bellicose bully in Washington?
This country's elected officials in a strange pig headed arrogance insist, "Whatever you do, the people musn't be heard, ignore their rejecting our seedy alliance with George W. Bush!" - Look ask yourself! Does our relationship with America help the lucky country any more? What do we gain with George? Maybe "In bed with America" now means it is the most stupid way to antagonise and jeopardize Australia's security?
Our export income isn't earned out of America, mostly its China - for stuff we dig out of the ground, and with Japan, includes agricultural products, its healthy. How much does America contribute to our broad economy? Aside from corporate buy-up of Australian assets its questionable. Today a risky high percentage of American overseas board rooms have cornered our resources, leading to shifting of income offshore with attendant tax avoidance.
Most segments of the economy we must ask, "Could we soon look at a decline in business activity, higher unemployment, in spite of current rosy statistics?" I think the answer is yes! Ultimately our standard of living will be hurt if Canberra's alliance with American hegemony is not slackened. Sold behind a tag of 'free trade', globalisation... a rush to force labour in competition against low wage countries, theft of public utilities by privatisation, and a strategic oil reach by preemptive imperial warfare out of Washington?
Australian travelers overseas today are as unpopular and vulnerable as USA passports. Might Australia regain international respect and desire for alliances and trade if we subscribed to independance from Washington's influence? Our bellicose 'friend' is seen across the globe as an ugly embarrassment, Washington struts the world as a threat by its bullying. The blinkered push for USA as Number One translates into every other nation scrambling and worried if they fall out of line.
The US has turned to become despicably inhuman by its stenchful targetted abuse against human rights. The abuse of the USA government against Australian citizens and foreign nationals, without evidence of wrong doing, is justified by Bush and Howard behind their mutually admired global "War on Terrorism". Inventing "non-combatants" detained like animals, incarcerated by a dictatorial military and insane White House, behave as the world's worse emerging dictatorship each year. Australia's complicit policy of a sub-servient relationship with Washington demonstrated in weakness that forces us to ignore support of our own citizens. The silence of Howard's cabinet must be invigorated, it thats possible, fom appeasement with Washington to asserting a right to our independence.
Bombs, killing, destruction and civilians murdered in preemptive attacks against Afghanistan and Iraq. Today Iran sits in the American cross hairs of preemptive warfare. Who draws Australia's military into acting alongside such a Nazi mirror? This is not the Australia which I stand, someone is taking this country into a frightening policy of arrogance and imperialism - behavior the White House is known for under the Bush administration.
Our economy to be shackled with a flawed USA-Aust Free Trade agreement. That benefits America and hurts Australia, ignored job opportunities and negative economic impact will strike our independence along social and cultural priorities. Its true the USA is struggling with economic and military overstretch. With an unpayable current account, rocketing trade deficits, a decimated manufacturing sector, failing employment and borrowed wealth. The public and corporate sectors of America have lost respect in accountability, a falling US dollar guarantees an economic implosion. We are seemingly stuck with the same USA/IMF whacky ideas in Canberra. The question is will the officials in office fend off the potential nation wrecking down the road - through distancing Canberra from Washington?
Could Australia gain a positive, inspired future from talking with new alliances instead of the USA model we've become so accustomed? An adjustment of our nation building focus, over empire, by a rewire to develop trade and cultural agreements with near, powerful and smaller Asian neighbours, as well as potential partners from the Eurozone - superior to our secondary alliance with the United States - it would do a great deal of good.
Australia can free itself from puppet like behaviour alongside a rogue USA administration. We inherited hanging onto this now uneasy alliance from Liberal and Labor politicians driven along party lines. It feels like time to quit the abuse of Australian voters as faithful old mutts in this outdated chirade?
The Australia/USA alliance over the long view will suffocate our growth, potential wealth and respect. Some useful thought outside of John Howards and Kim Beazley's "Old Australia ties with America" model wouldn't be a bad idea. If these leaders and their party's weren't stuck like honey to a pot, perhaps we would shake off the bad sticky feel from the past half a dozen years. Shaken up hard enough our sticky alliance with Washington could be repealed, rehashed and replaced to consider Australia's independance. Such a direction could go some way to build pride in what this country still stands for that counts!
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