As Author of INSPECTOR-RIKATI® & There is no Government to go to war
A book on CD About Legal Issues Confronting Australia
I did set out that without a declaration of war published by the Governor-General there was no constitutional validity to commit us into a murderous invasion in another country.
Once we disregard our constitutional constrains we hardly then can pursue our own constitutional rights.
Our American Common Law "We the People are the rightful
master of both congress and the courts - not to overthrow the
Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
Abraham Lincoln http://www.constitution.org
This applies as much to the Commonwealth of Australia, as to the USA!

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin

We all may disagree with how our neigbours may conduct their private affairs within their homes, but that hardly gives us the right to break down their doors and wreck their place and impose our demands! We are bound to follow proper legal procedures.
Likewise, with what me may deplore on another nation, we need to follow proper legal ways, as not doing so earmark us for others to do so in return to us. It will be a mere matter of time.

Being it Kim Beazley or other Member of Parliament, they all lacked the stamina to stand up against the unconstitutional and illegal war pursued by John Howard.

Kim Beazley, as former Defense Minister, ought to have been well aware, apart of my correspondence to him personally, that the murderous invasion was unconstitutional, but then again, so was the first Gulf War by Australian troops!
Therefore, the silence may be to avoid exposure of their own wrongdoings in the past as wel

Graham Young is substantially right. No Australian PM can afford the luxury of rocking the alliance, he would be clearly aware of what happenned to the one PM who dared. He was sacked out of office. Any Australian PM must be aware of his position of Regional Manager for Uncle Sam, or as President G. W. Bush so clearly
put it: "Deputy Sherriff".

So, being supine is the only path.Mr. Young's reference to "UN Action" or "Defence of the Japanese" is so much smoke and mirrors,both of those must be pacifiers - dummies to stuff into the mouths of any critic, a superficial sanitisation of an ugly, undeclared war.

A few points...

- Beazley lost Labor a distinct advantage when he endorsed the sending of troops in late 2003 (?). The Libs must have laughed with glee!

- Latham (remember him?) might have grabbed a lot of votes if he had said "Australian troops cannot pull out of Iraq now but if we are elected we will move them from the coalition of invaders to working solely under the United Nations". This would have turned our position for being dubious invaders to those genuinely rebuilding the country.

- A number of other countries have provided UN troops and later withdrawn them. Joining the UN forces would have given us credibility as well as the same opportunity to withdraw after a decent interval had elapsed.

Missed opportunities for Labor, caused by Beazley's big mouth !

By the way, where's Howard's legal opinion for invading another country? Blair is now in deep trouble over his one-page opinion from a close friend so why haven't Australian papers investigated Howard's?

cheers

Beazley went along with Operation Desert Fox, in the same contex of the current Iraqi War, this action was unilateral & proceed WITHOUT UN security council approval.
The Difference, there was a Democrat in the White House, his name was Clinton.
That's the only difference. How an action is perceived is all about which side of politics occupies the White House. Bob Brown supported Operation Desert Fox. Any Lefties care to offer any reasoning?

Dear Graham,
wouldn't it be a refreshing change if people and politicians could talk, not about the rights and wrongs of war and illegal invasions, but about getting rid of all armies, the armaments industry, the stockpiles of WMDs, and how to achieve peace between nations.

Then I guess while ever capitalism, with its infinite greed and its army of rich robber barons, drives the world, and militaristic, christian fundamentalist countries like America see themselves as on a divine mission to control the world (for their benefit of course) and Muslims see non-believers as infidels, etc, world peace will never stand a chance.

What a sad place earth is.

Humans are the main problem.

I find discussion of my research interesting. It always seems to ascribe positions on the issue to me when I am merely reporting and analysing what others say. The purpose of this research is to reflect back to Australians what they are actually thinking in a way that can't be captured by conventional polling.

It is also to then use what skills I have as a political advisor to use the research to suggest arguments that the politicians might use. Again, the purpose of this is reflective - if you have an idea what a politician might say based on the research, then when they say it you have an insight into why they are saying it and you will be in a better position to judge its real worth.