An interview with Andrew Phillips, the National President of the Australian Protectionist Party. In future editions of Destiny, we hope to publish interviews with other political organisations.
1. What motivates you in politics?
The motivation to be involved in politics naturally varies from person to person and the motivation for continued involvement can change for individuals based entirely on one’s current situation or national developments.
Like all patriotic Australians, I guess the underlying motivation is love of one’s nation and people first and foremost. We all want what is best for our people, for our children and when we are faced with so-called representatives who are more concerned with personal careers and representing vested interests rather than the national interest, it is only natural to want to change the situation.
Fear is also a great motivator. When faced with the reality of economic rationalist policies, the global village cult, the activities of social engineers within our education system and one sees the effects on our nation’s primary producers, factory workers and the bleak future faced by our young in a nation continually stripped of every scrap of sovereignty and self-determination — the fear for the future compels you to do what you can for future generations.
2. Patriotic parties have been criticised before for being too one-dimensional, that they are only interested in elections, what is your response?
The criticism made against many parties on the patriotic or Pro Australia side of politics that we are too “one dimensional” or have “narrow interests”, although harsh, does bear some weight. For too long, too many on our side of politics have been content to sit and complain about our current situation- only to become motivated to do something when there is an election in the wind.
Perhaps the reason for this is the belief that election time is the only time Australians actually think about politics — when in reality it is probably the time we all start switching off and the leaflets all go in the bin. The bottom line is that our candidate, irrespective of quality, becomes just another talking head after a vote.
Those of us in the Protectionist Party are looking for another method of operation. The threats facing us as a nation are with us all the time, not once every three years. It is the intention of both APP organizers and the general membership to be active between elections, in order to get the name out there and let people know we are watching developments all the time.
APP members are committed to keeping an eye on what happens between elections, addressing the concerns of ordinary Australians through press releases, letterboxing, letters to the editor and recruiting members and supporters — all with the intent of building a solid foundation upon which to launch campaigns in both local and Federal elections.
The Protectionists are a political movement that intends to be continually active. We view elections as just one element of the overall cultural-political struggle that the movement is engaged in.
3. Are you open to the idea of politics outside the ballot box, e.g. demonstrations, local community politics, cultural festivals etc.?
Politics outside of the ballot box? Most definitely. Politics is merely the addressing of public affairs and to limit it to 4 weeks every 3 years is to ignore a wealth of opportunities.
Considering those of us involved in patriotic politics have a prime concern for the preservation of our culture, way of life and values- it stands to reason we should be networking with people with similar concerns, even if they are not involved in politics in a formal sense.
There are many cultural festivals and organizations with which we could be involved — festivals which celebrate our cultural heritage. As for local politics, it is important for our general membership and especially candidates to attend local meetings to gain knowledge of local developments and to gain a profile in the mind of the public. The lack of interest held by many for local government affairs has allowed many poor decisions to be made and the current power brokers to become complacent and develop a sense that local government (and its funding) has become their own private fiefdom.
4. Do you see co-operation between patriots as a way we can all move forward together?
I’m all for co-operation between like minded patriotic organizations. For too long we have allowed petty differences, ego and power plays to hold us back and stifle both development and success.
There should be no reason why Australians cannot be represented by a number of patriotic parties. Why should we have to belong to one organization? Although most of us agree on the major issues such as immigration, foreign control, national sovereignty and employment — I feel it is better that a number of organizations can operate in order to represent the interests of those holding minor differences and thereby avoiding the internal bloodletting which would be rampant in a faction-ridden single organization.
That said, considering we all agree on issues of national survival, there is no reason at all why we can’t co-operate. Preference allocation, dividing up electorates between candidates and supplying manpower to like-minded organizations at election time are all ways of building a sense of co-operation and mutual respect.
5. Would you and other officials be interested in attending and be guest speakers at meetings of other political parties?
I guess the answer to this question is closely tied with the previous answer. I would welcome the opportunity of officials and spokesmen from any patriotic organization to move between various organizations and meetings for speaking engagements. This is of great importance in the quest to build a sense of co-operation and reduce needless suspicion of organizations engaged in the same cause.
6. What is your vision for the Australian Nation?
My vision for Australia? To have a government that is first and foremost responsive to the needs of our nation’s people and not bound by international dictates or the whims of vested minority interests.
To have a nation where our young can leave school proud of their national identity and history, equipped with the necessary skills – both vocational and emotional – to carve a successful path for themselves in the life of the nation.
A nation where the family farm is protected, Australian food producers do not have their livelihoods threatened by the demands by foreign bodies to lower quarantine regulations and allow the dumping of cheap products onto our markets.
To have a system in place whereby Australians will know they can hold the nation’s leaders to account for their actions.
Australia is potentially a rich nation, there is no reason why we cannot be self sufficient in many ways. There is no reason on earth why our people cannot enjoy the highest standard of health care, access to at least subsidized dental care and world class education across the entire country. All that is needed is a nation-centric administration in place of the internationalist toads we have today.
In conclusion, Australians, whether they realize it or not, are also a unique people in the world. Certainly, we don’t engage in the overt nationalism we see paraded by nations such as the US, but that does not mean we are not distinct, with a common heritage from the UK and Europe we have developed our own particular way of looking at both the world and ourselves. While perhaps not being overtly religious, the nation was founded on the values of our Christian heritage and it is upon this foundation that we developed our institutions and from which stems our ethos of mateship and a fair go for our fellow Australians.
Those of us in the Protectionist Party want for Australians the right, the same right that has been accorded to any people in the world, to be themselves. To protect their identity, their geographic and political boundaries, their resources for the benefit of future generations.
We do not deny other people this right, therefore we demand it for our own.
7. In today’s economic climate, the term “protectionist” can often be interpreted in a negative light. What is your response to this and your interpretation of Protectionism?
There is indeed a misconception about the term “protectionist”. We are protectionists, not isolationists. We support fair trade over free trade, with a moderate and sensible system of tariffs which is a practice engaged in by a great number of nations around the world. Why should we drop all our tariffs while others do not, all at the expense of local producers, local industries and local jobs?
Protectionism covers every aspect of our nation. Overall, we are social protectionists. We want to protect our nation on the environmental front, on the family front — it is after all the cornerstone of a healthy society, on the threat to civil liberties and threats to our regional communities.
The overwhelming need to protect Australia does not require us to sever all ties with the outside world. Indeed, it would be counter productive and the Protectionist Party would never condone such a course of action or promote such a policy.
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