The Dalai Lama has made controversial comments
about refugees in the past. They need to be taken
in context. He's a refugee himself. He led thousands of
followers from Tibet to India in 1959 after the Tibetans
protested against Chinese limits on their autonomy. This
83+ year old continues to live in exile in northern India
today. His comments are understandable - concerning the
loss of his own country.

The Dalai Lama was speaking at a conference in Malmo, Sweden.
He also added "Receive them, help them, educate them ..."
He was speaking in the aftermath of a divisive election in
Sweden in which a far-right party, Swedish democrats, made electoral gains although they were beaten by the country's
centre-left coalition.

He also said that Europe was morally responsible for helping "a refugee really facing danger against their life."

Context is important.

The White Australia Policy - formerly - Immigration
Restriction Act of 1901 - was the government policy
that effectively stopped all non-European immigration
into the country and that contributed to the development of
a racially insulated white society. It remained a
fundamental government policy into the mid 20th century.

Abraham Lincoln stated on the subject of conservatism -

" Ïs it not adherence to the old and tried, against the
new and untried?"

Tradition is a cuddly word that has often been used to
soften concepts of prejudice and discrimination. Things
like the "traditional"view that white people are
naturally superior to black, et al. And there are many
other "traditions."

Just because in this country a few people still subscribe
to a certain view under the umbrella of "tradition" and
"conservatism" does not mean that these views are
acceptable to the vast majority in this country.

The soaring rates of hate crimes that we see around the
world and recently in New Zealand - things cannot continue
according to the outmoded "traditions" that are no longer
acceptable in the 21st century.

cont'd ...

Benjamin T. Jones argues in his article that the
dictation test was undoubtedly political spin to
justify a racist agenda. A century later, similar
charges have been levelled at the " stopping deaths
at sea" defence, which is used to justify the
current harsh treatment of pre-dominantly non-white
asylum seekers.

As a policy white Australia is gone. But as an
ideology it arguably lingers on.

There certainly is a minority who want to reclaim an
imagined idyllic Australia of yesteryear with its
white monoculture.

An overwhelming majority, however, agree with our
Prime Minster and most MPs - multiculturalism is
her to stay.

Get used to it.

Before I leave this discussion (for me it's now run its
course) I'd just like to add this small offering:

" We can discuss the Dalai Lama
And the flaws of Barack Obama
We can dissect the many sages
Locke, Marcuse, and Hobbes for ages

We can inspect the ammunition
By Hanson, Anning, and Bernardi's ambition
So many topics are ours to explore
From the past, the present, the future, and more

But one thing is clear from this paraphernalia
That's the love we all have
For this brown land
Australia!"

Foxy wrote a poem- thanks.

Everyone enjoys a good poem.

I found the thread to be a fantasy, knowing no current threat from any communist or socialist country exists
Too find it to be Trump like in its effort to manufacture a problem that no longer exists
Some of us fall for overstated or pure lies, hence the Trump Presidency
Ignoring the very real threat, far right extremism.
And Trumps supporters ability to turn common sense on its head, create non existent threats to support non existent saviors,is dangerous

Maybe we should stop with pie in the sky BS.

Q: Why do we have African gangs and Syrian refugees?
A: Because Israel initiated a civil war in Sudan to divide the country in 2011, and was part of the coalition of forces intent on removing Assad with the help of US trained IS proxies from 2012.