By Cliff Reece
Indigenous Minister Linda Burney together with hate-filled racist Senator Lidia Thorpe and communists like Thomas Mayo and Marcia Langton together with activist Noel Pearson are leading the charge, vilifying everything relating to British colonialism.
Thorpe’s insane outburst at a Melbourne rally said it all when she screamed out to a cheering crowd: “This is a war! They are still killing us! They are still stealing our babies! They are killing our men! And they are still raping our women!”
She was referring primarily, of course, to British people in the early days of the nation we now call Australia. However, by using the word “still”, her remarks clearly also include many of the non-indigenous people living in Australia right now – and presumably not just the Brits. She quite openly insulted all migrants to this country.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t killed or raped anybody – or stolen anyone’s children. And I know quite a few people who can honestly claim the same. 😉
It’s clear that in her twisted mind – and those of many others of her ilk – she believes that the early British settlers killed, raped, and stole indigenous babies on a massive scale. There is no mention, of course, of the hundreds of settlers who were raped and killed by indigenous people. History shows that the blame for wrongdoings should be equally shared between both indigenous and non-indigenous people.
It’s also clear that whilst there was violence and deaths on both sides, it was on a much smaller scale than Thorpe and others claim. Furthermore, it was never British Government policy or practice in Australia.
In 1788 when the First Fleet arrived with the first settlers, Governor Arthur Phillip was under strict orders “…….. to endeavour, by every possible means to open an intercourse with the natives, and to conciliate their affections, enjoining all our subjects to live in amity and kindness with them. And if any of our subjects shall wantonly destroy them, or give them any unnecessary interruptions in the exercise of their several occupations, it is our will and pleasure that you do cause such offenders to be brought to punishment according to the degree of the offence.”
That is why the claim in the Uluru Statement from the Heart is so ridiculously wrong when it states, “We have never, ever ceded sovereignty.” The reason for that is simply because there never was a war over sovereignty between the British and the indigenous people. Thorpe and others should reflect on that fact.
The activists even target British missionaries who were the first to step in when they saw the level of abuse of women and children within the indigenous population. Much the same happened in relation to the so-called ‘stolen generation’. Most of those ‘stolen’ had been subjected to domestic and clan violence similar to what is still happening today on a major scale within some indigenous communities. For example, in Victoria, Aboriginal children are 8.5 times as likely to need protection and 22 times more likely to be in out-of-home care.
In my view, no-one should feel guilty for past deeds by those missionaries or other early settlers because their intentions were honourable and they provided meaningful help to many of the indigenous people. However, as you’d expect in any society, there were some who were far less than honourable but they were very much in the minority.
It needs to be taught in our schools and universities that rather than being evil colonisers, the British people – together with migrants from many other countries – have brought many benefits to the indigenous people. It certainly hasn’t been all downside as falsely indicated in the Uluru Statement.
It should also be acknowledged that Britain was the first European nation to stop slavery. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1834 abolished slavery in the British colonies. They also took action against slavers from other European countries as well as Arab traders who, together with African tribal chiefs, instigated slavery in and from Africa.
Also worthy of recognition is the fact that 56 independent countries comprising 2.5 billion people are proud to be part of The Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth). Most of these countries were former colonies or dependencies of Britain and they have all chosen to remain associated with Britain.
Doesn’t that suggest that despite all the undoubted trauma caused by colonialism they have maintained a high level of respect for the British in much the same way as the British people look back on the Roman occupation of their country?
We also shouldn’t overlook Hong Kong. Do the Hong Kong people look back with hatred towards the British because their city state was once a colony of Britain or do they consider that situation to be far more preferable to the one they are now facing living under the tyranny and brutality of Communist China? Ask them and see what they say.
Given all of these facts, why is there so much vitriol in the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
As Sir Henry Parkes, the father of Federation, said: “At some time we must unite as one great Australian people”. Unfortunately, the Voice will not unite us – it will divide us. It must, therefore, be defeated at the coming referendum by sensible people voting ‘No’ to changing the Constitution to include the Voice and all that goes with it, as indicated in the 26-page Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Most non-indigenous Australians have a genuine sense of goodwill towards indigenous people and a sense of regret – but certainly not guilt. No-one should feel guilt for past deeds over which they had no control.
If you are interested, the British-Australia Community organisation has produced a video which explains the British-Australian situation very succinctly. It can be viewed via https://britishaustraliancommunity.com.au under ‘BAC’s Voice video’ heading.
Cliff Reece is the retired Principal of consulting firm Crisis Risk Management, former Executive Director/CEO of the National Safety Council of Australia (NSW/ACT) and divisional manager with KPMG.
Originally published at: https://richardsonpost.com/cliff-reece/32981/australia-pushback-at-activist-lies/
I agree wholeheartedly
I will be a no voter