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Loose Cannon: 1. If Itâ•Žs Thursday This Must Be Geneva 2

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Loose Cannon: 1. If Itâ•Žs Thursday This Must Be Geneva 2 12 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW While the former has some pretensions to Michael had popped up at the Hoover being a cultural journal, the IP A Journal is Institute’s "Red Orchestra" conference on produced by Australia's first ‘think tank’ and Soviets in the Pacific. ' LOOSE post-war progenitor of the Liberal Party. This time his bedfellows were former Liberal In a recent edition of the IP A Journal Danby staffer Gerard Henderson, ‘freelance ha- outlines the "trail of disinformation'' about ranguer’ Anthony McAdam, another Lib staf­ the Fiji coup, i.e. the "left wing fantasy which fer, Colin Rubinstein, the aforementioned sees the CIA presence every time a neutralist John Whitehall and Australian writer John ICANNON or anti-American government loses office". Wheeldon. (Bavandra didn’t so much "lose office" as Just for balance, the ‘Rambo Right’ as The If it’s Thursday this must have it untimely ripped from his hands, but Age dubbed them, included Michael Easson, let that pass...) secretary of the NSW Labor Council. be Geneva The article appears well-researched. It shows All of which explains the joke doing the how the 'left wing fantasy" of CIA involve­ rounds of Melbourne: that Liberal state presi­ ACTU president Simon Crean is becoming ment popped up in many newspapers and a rare sight at HQ in Swans ton Street Whil­ dent Michael Kroger has two candidates in radio stations around the world in the days Goldstein. ing away the hours before the electors of following the May 1987 coup. Hotham call on him to represent them in Can­ berra, Simon’s diary is full of overseas trips. It is well researched. But not by Danby. So far this year the tally reads Europe (twice) In fact, a good half of the article is lifted The whacky world of with excursions to Tel Aviv and Moscow, the from US State Department press releases. USA, Fiji and Singapore. How else would Danby be able to quote ‘disinformation’ by the Press Trust of India, Geoff McDonald About the time you read this, he will be in radio broadcasts from Moscow’s world and either Geneva (ILO meeting) or Brussels domestic service, and the West Samoan Ob­ The defeat of the Building Workers In­ (ICFTU). A sudden election may see a server (for Chrissake!)? dustrial Union's recent vote on amalgamation reprise of his retreat from Moscow for the with the FEDFA saw some strange bedfel­ Hotham pre-selection. Danby's use of State Department handouts lows, among them lefties from the BLF and was demonstrated by Owen Wilkes’ Wel­ one Geoff McDonald. But the ACTU’s international connections lington Pacific Report which compared his ar­ are important. Especially to the Right, which ticle with State Department cables. McDonald, a hoist driver and FED member, assiduously cultivates Israel’s Histadrut and has an interesting history for someone who the US’s AFL-QO. Using State Department info is OK if you ac­ knowledge it. But Danby didn't Instead, he passes himself off as a rank-and-file unionist. One fragment of the byzantine deals struck at gave us a self-righteous lecture which in­ Just after the election of the Labor govern­ Congress involves ACTU international of­ cluded: "To be successful, disinformation re­ ment in 1983, McDonald was busily promot­ ficer, the Right’s Michael McLeod, reporting quires the concealment of sources". to the Right's assistant secretary Bill ing his book Red Over Black in rural Mansfield rather than to presidential succes­ Early in 1987 Danby contributed another ar­ Australia. The book describes itself as "chill­ sor Martin Ferguson. ticle to the IP A Journal on "Moscow’s South ing and almost unbelievable (sic) story of the Pacific Push”. In it he spoke of the danger of marxist manipulation of the Aboriginal ‘land But the real problem for the Right these days the Fijian Labor Party winning office and at­ rights’ movement". is that the Left is not only winning the debate tacked the Lange government’s nuclear ships but also the numbers. Both News Weekly and policy. According to Amanda Buckley in the Sydney its soulmate Social Action noted that the Syd­ Morning Herald he "has played a part in the "Vanuatu's radicalisadon will only be halted ney venue for the congress (which traditional­ intensified campaign organised by the ly favours the Right), was of no avail in by firm action," he said, "otherwise we may Australian League of Rights against govern­ bucking this trend. well have another Grenada on our doorstep." ment Aboriginal policies and Asian immigra­ Come 1991, the venue will be Melbourne - The irony for today is that the IP A Journal tion". Buckley’s interview with Mcdonald which favours the Left. Pundits are tipping was also favoured with articles by Professor reported at length his conspiracy theories that the Left will ask for more than just two David Kemp, Danby’s Liberal-endorsed op­ about Aborigines forming a separate state positions in the top five of president, ponent for Goldstein, in its Autumn 1984 and and army and "inviting in North Korea". secretary and three assistant secretaries. Winter 1986 editions. His whacky world view got him into trouble The smart money would have to favour a Michael has also been a contributor to Quad­ when he gave evidence in the 1971 federal Left woman to end the boys' domination. rant, edited by failed NSW Liberal leader ALP intervention in Victoria. Contenders include Jennie George, Cas­ Peter Coleman. As well as his contributions sandra Parkinson and Anna Booth. in the July and August '85 editions, Danby Clyde Cameron recalled "McDonald played a key role in nearly buggering it up for us" be­ But who will it be? Stay tuned. paid tribute to Quadrant's founder Richard Krygierin November 1986. cause of his wildly conspiratorial evidence against the left state ALP. Who was Krygier? Ask Humphrey McQueen Kroger’s two candidates who outlines Krygier’s long list of begging In the ’eighties, however, McDonald felt for Goldstein letters to the Congress for Cultural Freedom quite at home with the Libs. The Pilbara in From Gallipoli to Petrov. In 1966 the CCF Times (4.8.84) reported his tour of Western The dumping of large and small ‘1’ liberal was exposed as a conduit for CIA money. Australia "accompanied by Liberal Party Kal- Ian Macphee for the seat of Goldstein Other testimonials to Krygier came from Sir goorlie division executive officer Joe grabbed headlines. Less publicised is the Kerekes". campaign being run by the endorsed Labor John Ken, BA. Santamaria, W.C. candidate Mr Michael Danby. Apparently Wentworth, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Leonie Kramer and Frank Knopfelmacher. Red Over Black praises Joh Bjelke-Petersen Michael is trying to present himself as the in­ and the Victorian RSL’s Bruce Ruxton. heritor of Macphee liberalism. Assuming In May 1986, the Sydney Morning Herald there is a core of genuine liberals in reported that Danby was one of five consult­ The book, incidentally, was published by Goldstein, Loose Cannon presents a potted ing editors for Exchange, a rightwing infor­ Veritas Publishing of Bullsbrook, Western history of Michael Danby, born-again liberal. mation-sharing service. His fellow editors Australia. Veritas promotes books on "raciol- His biggest problem is his enduring ties with were: Richard Krygier, B.A. Santamaria, ogy" with the aim of assisting it to take "its two of Australia’s most conservative publica­ rightwing medico John Whitehall, and place among the sciences". tions: Quadrant and the Institute of Public Af­ Australian journalist Greg Sheridan. No prizes for guessing the conclusion oiThe fairs Journal. In March 1987 The Age reported that Testing of Negro Intelligence..
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