For months Howard has been trailing in the opinion polls. Whilst he realises that the only poll that really counts is the Federal election itself, he knows he is on the nose with middle Australia and must do something urgently. He's throwing them a fist full of dollars in the form of reduced tax. To look good and to win back the grey vote he's also giving money to pensioners.
Another vote catching gambit is racism. In the nineties, he used the �children overboard� scandal. It worked by creating fear of migrants and won votes for the Liberals. In 2007, Sudanese are being targeted.
Kevin Andrews has announced a cut back in Sudanese refugees. He claims it's now safer in the Sudan for these mainly Christian refugees from the southern region known as Darfur. He says they hang around in gangs here and have trouble assimilating in Australia. At the moment it's a bit safer in Darfur, but only temporarily. Murderous gangs could strike at any time. For many, moving on may be the only alternative to death.
His claim of Sudanese gangs here is, frankly, a racist beat up. In Australia there are plenty of youth gangs of many ethnic groups (including Anglo) who congregate, sometimes for crime, but more often simply to be among friends. White Australia can be an alienating place especially if you come from a foreign country. Of course you prefer to mix with your compatriots. In no way does this suggest that young Sudanese don't want to fit in. Frankly we don�t care if they don�t want to. We fully support their right to maintain their own culture.
Mainstream television stations, Channels Seven, Nine and Ten are party to this racist attack. ABC TV show Media Watch exposed this news item as not only an exaggeration but an outright racist lie. Their headline news was to expose the �shocking truth� of a Sudanese gang attacking a liquor shop in Noble Park, a suburb of Melbourne. The problem was that not one of the youths present was Sudanese. Neither the police nor the shop manager saw the attack as a race issue. The commercial networks made it so to assist their Liberal mates.
One politician gaining from this campaign is the notorious racist Pauline Hanson. She warns of the threat of AIDS if Africans are allowed into this country. Once again Howard aids the fascists.
The good news is that the campaign isn't working. A mass public meeting in Wagga Wagga sent a strong message of opposition to Howard on this issue. We on the left must not be complacent. We must send a strong message to both Howard and all racists that every ethnic grouping is welcome in this country.