Exclusive Brethren: Let's Party like it's 1099

Hi, and welcome back to The Murwillumbah Institute in 2007!

I've been bludging for the past month or so, and travelling around New Zealand. Nothing like beautiful places to distract you from the fiercely fought culture war that continues.

Big news in New Zealand while I was there seemed to revolve around the publication of a book named "The Hollow Men", by NZ researcher, Nicky Hager.

Well, sort of. It was an important enough book to lead to the resignation of the leader of NZ's opposition, one Don Brash. You would think, then, that this book, and the corruption it exposes at the hands of the opposition party, would be the most important news going in NZ. Well, you would think that, if you didn't understand how important Rugby Union is to the Kiwi's. Don Brash's shameful resignation took second place in the news that night to an argument within Aukland City Council about where to build a new Rugby stadium.

Those Kiwi's not distracted by Rugby issues would have heard that Nicky Hager managed to acquire a file of e-mails sent to and sent by Brash and other National Party figures. Brash's resignation came about because of the links the book shows to New Zealand's far-right, and the secret policy agenda that Brash courted as a result of these covert links.

For example, controversial American neo-conservative Dick Allen gave Dr Brash the following advice on defending his radical ideology, if he should make it public:

‘Never mind if you are called extremist or anything else... that is so easily countered with the simple statement [that] these views represent the mainstream of New Zealand values and thinking.’

But Brash's resignation was most likely due to his association with the shadowy religious cult known as the "Exclusive Brethren" (EB). Numerous requests for meetings to discuss policy issues, with the EB's never afraid to point out that they'd been tirelessly campaigning for Brash, and reminding him of their hefty seven-figure campaign contributions to his fund.

The EB's have been shown to have been involved in political campaigning on behalf of the right-wing parties in Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada. They play dirty, using such dignified tactics as calling people gay, distributing false information to the electorate under false names to vilify moderate and left-leaning parties, and sending thugs to public meetings to intimidate candidates they don't like.

The Howard Government in Australia has rewarded them through a special allowance in their new Industrial Relations legislation, allowing members of the EB's to ban union's from their businesses. The government has also given special funding to EB private schools, and allowed these schools to be unaccountable to standards usually attached to education funding. The EB's have been well rewarded for their thuggery on behalf of the government.

Fortunately, the consequences of their efforts have brought this cult out into the open, and allowed them to be exposed for what they are - an abusive cult. One of the strange things about their political involvement in that they themselves are prohibited from voting and participating in the political process. Explain that one. But they get stranger, and thankfully, due to their public involvement, some of their abusive activities toward their members and ex-members has been exposed.

They have been guilty of covering up wide-spread child abuse, and abusing entire families. They have attempted to get special privileges from the Family Court, so as to prevent ex-members of the cult from spending any time with their children, which would have allowed them to legalise their abuse. Then, there's the seperatist conditions members are forces to live under, which include not being allowed to eat with non-believers, not using computers or watching movies, and, as one girl was recently told, "You cannot love Christ if you wear pants...".

Such things would never have come to light if the EB's hadn't thrust themselves into the political process. Chances are that they'll return to their covert ways to try and protect their abusive lifestyle, and drop out of political involvement, like cockroaches that scatter when the lights are turned on.

So the question is, will the Australian government, which proclaims concern for the welfare of children and families, do something about this abusive cult, or will they continue to court them, simply because the abusers agree with their social and economic policies? The Howard Government still regards them as "genuinely Christian Australian citizens", and has accused Bob Brown of being a fascist for asking that the cult be examined because of it's abuse of children and families.

So, who really cares about family values?