The fair question that is posed to members of the ANA by interested parties and by our critics amongst the more broader patriotic community is ‘what do you actually do’, and more broadly, ‘why do you do it’
First. it must be stated that our association is a fraternal organisation first, a political organisation second: this stems from the view that political change, pressure and lasting political victories can only be achieved with a cadre of capable men who are both of strong character and who, collectively, possess significant financial, institutional and human resources. Our first objective takes positive example from the original ANA founded in 1871: to see to the development and cultivation of a cadre of solid, capable men who are bound together in an anti-fragile organisational structure which is able to endure a changing environment, survive shocks and see to the welfare of our own men and families.
We recognise that, strategically at this point in time, our political adversaries have far greater financial, political and human resources at their disposal and as it is written in the Art of War “Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient …. If he is in superior strength, evade him.” – there is little strategic advantage to aggravating the state to attack you unless you are prepared for him, as in civil society, with the best combined legal and economic resources that can be mustered.
When the Japanese landings occurred in Papua 1942, the Australian 39th Battalion, significantly out-numbered and resourced, inevitably were compelled to retreat, fighting a number of rear-guard actions for some months as the Japanese continued to push their offensive up until September when Australian infantry had managed to dig themselves in to a position which could be defended despite the numerical imbalance, the campaign ultimately stretching out Japanese supply and making them vulnerable to Australian counter-offensive.
There is no dishonor in playing to win as the 39th did. If you are of the strategic assessment, as we are, that the Nationalist movement in Australia is in its infancy, it cannot sustain a frontal battle with the full media, state and financial apparatus that occupies our Commonwealth, and consequentially, we must rally in a defensible position, to build our numbers and resources that make available an offensive posture that does not lead to a swift defeat. As much as we might have admired a courageous 39th battalion who out of sheer determination and courage, faced down the Japanese landing at Gona and were swiftly killed and defeated – we, as likely the last generation of Nationalists with an opportunity to have an impact, cannot afford defeat, and we in the ANA do not for the sake of prestige choose to fight in circumstances where the relevant risks outweigh the potential gains of the battle.
We have seen, and nobody would dare deny that, over the last half-century of Nationalist advocacy and politics in Australia, many hundreds (if not thousands) of potentially active and committed nationalists have been lost to the cause, principally due to burn-out: the rewards of participation do not stack up to the ordinary man sufficiently to cover the potential risks and burdens, which in many ways have manifested in the form of state persecution or by private persecution by doxxing and harassment.
The recent failures of nationalism in the last few decades are a sharp comparison to the great successes of nationalism in the 19th century which organised itself in the same manner that we do; it was the slow, 50-year march of a mature and sensible Australian Natives’ Association that won back an “economic zone” that was exploited by Anglo-American financial interests in the 1860s to a proud, self-sufficient White Australia at the time of federation. It was the secure financial, legal and human resources that underpinned the ANA that enabled and supported a number of patriotic institutions both in media, industry and in parliament – something that may be learned from in this day, particularly when contrasted with the alternative discussed above.
So far, despite the admirable courage and determination of many nationalists in the last decade, there remains a significantly high casualty rate, as discussed in my other article ‘enduring the long march’. It is for this reason, and based on lessons from the past, that we organise ourselves in a way that:
- Encourages the retention of and cultivation of the best qualities of our members,
- Appeals to (and does not alienate) the recruitment of patriotic professionals who can bring significant financial and human resources to our association,
- Encourages the development of new and young leadership in our constitutional framework building lasting anti-fragility in the association more broadly,
- Raise awareness for Australian issues without assuming the role of a dancing monkey for the media apparatus,
- Builds sources of employment, housing and other charitable support to increase the endurance of our membership and the appeal to risk-averse candidates.
- Encourages the development of, and connection to, Australian culture, history, art, literature and music.
Our activities involve regular formal meetings to cultivate meaningful friendships, practice in the art of rhetoric, raise funds and consider action on issues in the local community. Further to this, our association members arrange for outdoors activities, hiking, camping, hunting, road-trips and skills and career workshops. These events all contribute to the cultivation of a meaningful sense of community and provide the framework from which we continue to grow in group identity and purpose, enduring the long march towards our organisational objectives.
Our efforts for the last few years continue to bear fruit, we can confidently say, in line with our organisational objectives, that, within this decade, every member of the ANA will be able to walk with their head held high with the knowledge that a comprehensive system of legal, financial and human resources is on-hand to support them in their public or private advocacy for Australian interests and that our organisation is both a community and a strategic bulwark to the cause of the patriotic Australian, as it once was from 1871 to the post-war period, in which tens of thousands of patriotic Australians across the country were able, in their totality, to wield a significant amount of power and influence over both the state and the media, and drive home an Australianist position.
We envisage, that by the early to mid 2030s, ANA members will be engaged in media advocacy, electoral action, industrial organising and syndicated property acquisition, all with the support of a matured and capable national organisation underpinning the security of all activities.
The critique may come that simply, ‘we don’t have a decade‘. Our suggestion here is simply this, the alternative mode of organising around the banner of aggressive street activism has been tried by many over decades and there is nothing meaningful to show for it, other than juicy news headlines. Our response simply is this: we don’t have a second more time to waste trying to revive the tried and failed road of activist martyrdom. We must lock away and secure every victory we can, grow and endure with minimum human and financial losses, our children simply cannot afford an inheritance as bad as we got from the last 50 years of nationalist organising.
As we continue to grow, our advocacy will only permeate more sectors of society, and we will continue to grow in our credibility as the representative body of patriotic founding-stock Australians. It is for this, slow, patient but secure strategy that we work every day, to secure a better tomorrow.
M. K. Grant
National Governor
October 2024.