Eric D. Butler

The Labour-Socialist Road to Serfdom (1949)

A HANDBOOK OF ANTI-TOTALITARIANISM

The Labour-Socialist Road to Serfdom (1949) by Eric D. Butler

From The Introduction

This booklet is designed to outline briefly the manner in which the Australian Labor Party—it is really a Labour-Socialist Party— in its attempt to attain its socialisation objective, has consistently brought forward legislation for overcoming the major barrier to complete Socialism in Australia: the written Federal Constitution. It is hoped that the information provided in this booklet will prove of value to all anti-totalitarian campaigners.

The basic feature of Socialism is the centralisation of all power—political, economic and financial—into one set of hands. Socialism in practice means the centrally Planned State. But the centrally Planned State cannot be operated unless the planners compel all individuals to subordinate their policies to the central policy. This necessitates coercion of the individual: Manpower Control.

The more central planning a community accepts, the less liberties and rights the individual has. The fundamental issue confronting the Australian people today is whether they are prepared to accept the centrally Planned State and Manpower Control, or whether they will fight for the decentralisation of all power in order that the individual may, in voluntary association with his fellows, gain genuine independence. This issue must be made clear to all electors. A brief examination of the Labour-Socialists' legislative programme over the past seven years leaves no doubt that, unless halted, Labour-Socialism will eventually destroy the Federal Constitution and create the Monopoly State in Australia.

If the Labour-Socialists are to be defeated, it is essential that all sections of the community take their place in an overall campaign •designed to show there is a common totalitarian policy being advanced by all major legislation. Bank Nationalisation, National Health Schemes must be thoroughly exposed as means to an end—the complete centrally planned economy—rather than as ends in themselves. This does not mean that every section immediately threatened by nationalisation should not make its own special contribution—the public expects this. But if the Labour-Socialists are to be defeated, the overall campaign must deal with fundamental principles and show how those principles are being violated. Every individual in the community—particularly the wage-earner—must be clearly shown how complete socialisation in practice will affect him as an individual. Thorough exposure of the totalitarian policy underlying all Labour-Socialist legislation is urgently required.

Downloads and Links

Previous Post Next Post