Paul 1405
I didnt say I was alive when the leftist wharfies decided to block supplies to our troops
when the Japanese started coming down through the Islands.

I said I knew of it. My dad who was a teenage lad at the time and is 87years old now,
remembers it.
I'll tell you how I knew of it, I grew up in a staunch labour, leftist, working class family.
and sitting around at dinner parties or familly gatherings, years after the war, the leftist
in the gathering still angrily blamed the Americians, saying, "we would never have been attacked" if the Americans hadnt but an oil embargo or "trade restrictions" on the Japanese.
I believed it too, until in later years I read about the Japanese invasion of China in the late 1930s and how they killed just as many chinese as Hitler did jews, a staggering number in the millions. And that was the reason America imposed certain trade saction on them.

It made me realise, that the extreme left, cherry picked out historical details to suit their anti-American, communist, anti-capitalist, thinking. Its like a fanatical idealism, like a religious zeal. I often wonder also, why the millions of Chinese killed, was ignored, whereas the millions of Jews killed, is carried on about in movies and documentaries over and over again. I learned from it, to always look up and find out the real story, or the whole story, because humans filter things and proclaim things on limited information that suits their own thinking.

And that is why the left wing wharfies, at the beginnings of the Japanese threat, blocked supples, but as Australian deaths started to rise and the Japanese attacked Darwin, Townsville and Sydney with planes and submarines in Sydney. The left had to get serious about defending themselves and Australia, so they left their blaming it on America til after the war. Having sat round at social gatherings listening to them they still believed that America started the war with the Japs by blocking oil and trade.

Chinese Whispers: a fun wireless parlour game that people of all ages can enjoy.

~ Chinese Whispers Part 1: The Second World War, In Which We Give the Fascists A Jolly Good Thrashing ~

One of the key defining features of Communism is their commitment to internationalism. A Communist's commitment to Communism takes precedence over ties to nation state, religion, or anything else that might get in the way. It's very cult-like in that respect.

Before the war started, Chinese and Russia both succumbed to the red menace. But it wasn't such a menace in those days - that concept didn't kick off until the Cold War, which comes AFTER the 2nd World War.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. When war kicked off in Europe, the Germans and Russians had a non-aggression treaty, and Australian Communists were opposed to the war. If any interference with the war effort occurred, it occurred during the period that Germany and Russia were at peace.

But in June 1941 Hitler decided it would be a brilliant idea to invade Russia (two things not to put on your bucket list: invading Moscow during winter, and invading Afghanistan at all) and as a result they joined the Allies against the Axis. So from that point on, until the end of the war, there was no motive for Communists to interfere with the war effort. Their comrades were allies of the British Empire, so there was no conflict of interest.

It was after the alliance of the Ruskies with the Allies that war kicked off in the Pacific... I still don't really trust the Japanese. I reckon they're up to something. But by that point it was the British Empire, including her dominions like Australia - but let us not also forget the noble sacrifices of the other Imperial colonies, such as Indians or Canadians. Did you guys know that James Doohan, the Canadian actor who played 'Scotty' on 'Star Trek', served with considerable distinction on D-Day?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doohan

Took six bullets for his country, and went on to be the finest engineer Starfleet has ever seen. Quite a career. But I digress...

By the time we were at war with Japan it was the British Empire and her dominions, the USA & the USSR - that's us, the good guys, the Allies. And in the opposite corner we have the Dagos (Italians), Slopes (Japanese) and Krauts (Germans). They're the Axis, the bad guys. The Communists are all on our side because the Russians are within the Axis, and the Chinese view the Japanese as imperialist aggressors. Long story short, we give the Axis a damn good thrashing in Europe and the USA nukes Japan. Twice, just in case the first one didn't send a strong enough message...

So, war over. And what have we learnt from history at this point? Well, we've learnt that fascism is a very bad idea. And some of the smarter people, as well as the Japanese, have learnt that nukes are a very bad idea. It will take some time for that message to filter through. But we're still fairly good mates with our former Allies, and it won't really be until the Cold War kicks off and revelations about the horrors of the Stalinist regime emerge that people really cotton onto the idea that Communism is daft.

So be sure to tune in next week for 'Chinese Whispers Part 2: The Cold War, In Which We Show The Commies Who's Boss'. Highlights include the partition of Germany, the Korean War, the Vietnamese War, the role of Democratic Labour Party in domestic politics, the collapse of the Berlin wall, and a lot more whining about nukes.

Cheerful, the "left" did not believe that America started the war with the Japs by blocking oil and trade. Your relatives and their friends sitting around at dinner parties or family gatherings, years after the war, believed that. You extrapolate from your observations at these family gatherings etc, which is only hearsay on your part that what they said must have been a fact, and must have applied to all of the "left". It may have been the case, but like ALTRAVE and his anecdotal evidence from a relative who spent some time in New Guinea during the war its not proof, its the opinions of a few, or in AlTRAVE's case the opinion of one. Questions could be asked, like at the time of making these claims were these people drunk or sober, what was their mental state etc. Again i will say, what you claim to be a universal fact, may well be true, but you can not supply evidence to support that claim. My old Granny use to say "eat your crusts, it makes your hair go curly." Because she said it, didn't make it a fact, or should I believe what Granny said must be a fact, because Granny said it.

Thanks Toni, I enjoyed reading your post, with its touch of humour. I've have refrained from putting forward the many opinions my 'Old Man' (1912- 1987) shared with me, about that period of Australia's political history. It makes today politics look positively boring. As I said to Issy the old bloke was a "Lang Man", so his opinions were always coloured by his loyalty to Jack Lang, the 'Big Fella' was respected like a god by his devotees, my father included. If you wanted an argument just question the actions of Lang with Dad. Give you an idea of politics in those days, after his sacking by the Governor, Lang was able to pull a crowd of 250,000 to a political rally in Moore Park in 1932, then he promptly lost the election. That would be equivalent to a Turnbull or Shorten pulling a crowd of 1,000,000 today, they would be lucky to pull 250 on a fine day, 25 if it rains.

A bit of a short read;

http://www.sydneyharbourbridge.info/jacklang.html

There was a close link between conservatism and fascism in Australia in the 1930's. My claim that the founder of the Liberal Party 'Pig Iron' Bob Menzies was a pseudo-fascist, are well founded.

A small correction:

//The Communists are all on our side because the Russians are within the Axis//

Should obviously have been:

\\The Communists are all on our side because the Russians are within the Allies\\

Oops. Bit of a cock-up, that one.