E.D. Butler (1916–2006) was an influential Australian nationalist and founder of the Australian League of Rights, known for his opposition to international financial power and his advocacy for national sovereignty.
In The Planned Surrender of Australia, E.D. Butler warned that Australia was gradually losing its sovereignty to foreign powers and international financial institutions. It was back in 1989 that he argued that the country’s policies were increasingly dictated by external interests rather than by Australians themselves, leading to an erosion of economic independence, democratic control, and national identity. Butler urged Australians to resist this trend, advocating for economic self-reliance, protection of local industries, and a focus on national welfare over global obligations. His message was a call to safeguard Australia’s future by rejecting foreign influence and prioritising Australian autonomy.
The speech is almost Australia's equivalent to George Orwell's 1984 but tailored to Australia.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Butler witnessed rural struggles that shaped his distrust of centralised banking and foreign influence. He warned against what he saw as Australia’s surrender to globalist policies.
Through speeches like The Planned Surrender of Australia, Butler argued that foreign interests threatened Australia’s independence. Though controversial and often criticised for promoting divisive views, Butler remained a dedicated voice for economic independence and national self-determination until his death.
Butler was born in rural Australia and spent much of his early life immersed in the struggles and concerns of the Australian countryside. Growing up during the economic hardship of the Great Depression, he saw firsthand how rural communities were affected by financial policies and centralised banking, experiences that fuelled his lifelong suspicion of financial institutions and international capital. He also developed a deep connection to the land and its people, which later influenced his nationalist outlook.
After the outbreak of World War II, Butler joined the Royal Australian Air Force, where he served as a pilot. Following the war, he returned to Australia, where he became increasingly involved in political activism, particularly around issues affecting rural communities and small businesses.
He was a fierce opponent to Fabians and a great supporter of Bruce Ruxton and Professor Blainey.
In 1946, Butler founded the Australian League of Rights. Under Butler's leadership, the League opposed what it saw as the erosion of Australian sovereignty through globalism and centralised power. He viewed global banking systems and international organisations as threats to national independence, often framing these issues in moral and patriotic terms. Butler argued that Australia’s future depended on defending its independence, supporting local industries, and resisting the influence of foreign powers.
Throughout his career, Butler was a prolific writer and speaker, delivering speeches like The Planned Surrender of Australia, in which he warned against Australia’s alignment with global economic policies. His publications, such as The Enemy Within the Empire and The Money Power versus Democracy, expanded on his fears that foreign interests, particularly international finance, were undermining Australian society.
In The Planned Surrender of Australia, Butler argued that Australian policies were increasingly being dictated by foreign banks, corporations, and institutions, rather than by elected representatives accountable to the Australian public.
The speech’s title, The Planned Surrender of Australia, reveals Butler's perspective that this loss of sovereignty was no accident but a deliberate, orchestrated effort to weaken the nation’s self-governing capacities. According to Butler, Australia’s leaders were complacent or complicit in handing over control of the country’s resources, industries, and policies to global financial institutions, sacrificing national interests for international approval or economic gain. He called for the Australian people to resist this trend and reassert control over their nation’s future by supporting policies of economic independence, local industry protection, and political sovereignty.
Butler's critique extended to what he saw as a growing dependency on foreign capital and imports, which he believed would erode Australia’s ability to operate autonomously. He feared this would lead to a future where Australia was economically beholden to other nations and had little say in its own affairs. His vision for Australia’s future was one of self-reliance, where the government prioritised the welfare and interests of Australian citizens, safeguarded local industries, and exercised caution in its interactions with international bodies.
Although Butler's views gained support among those wary of globalist policies, they were controversial and often associated with far-right nationalism. Critics accused him of fostering isolationism and xenophobia. Nonetheless, his speech The Planned Surrender of Australia remains a significant reflection of the concerns held by certain segments of Australian society about the balance between national sovereignty and globalisation, and about the potential consequences of international entanglements for a nation seeking to define its own path forward.
As one of our commenters said recently " In the wider scheme of things Australia's value to the real outside world is its natural resources. Its politicians are nothing more than cosmetic dressing at summit meetings. We cannot be taken seriously because there are no shining lights in this land of appeasement born on indifference
and apathy. A country cannot stand by watching a tsunami of culturally different people flood and swamp ...and watch those we elect paralysed because the very word racism puts the fear of hell into them. Unless we as a people are actioned, instead of parroting bravado, the thing that we fear most of all will engulf us, like it or not. "
The gold in this article is the video and for those who wish to delve deeper, the PDF is a book well worth downloading and reading at some stage. The first few pages are of interest but I confess to not having read the entire piece. I have, however, listened to the entire speech and found it a chilling reflection on what we were warned against but failed to prevent.
I would also add that he refers to Geoff McDonald and his book Red Over Black which we featured here some time ago. Towards the middle of 1981 Geoff McDonald delivered an address to a group of defense-minded citizens on the Communist strategy behind the movement seeking to establish a separate nation for Aboriginals in Australia; later released as a “Threat Assessment” paper. You can view the videos here.
Patriot Realm - a place for Conservative thoughts and discussion - Red Over Black
My conclusion:
- Who really runs the country - elected leaders or unelected bankers and treaty negotiators?
- When does "global cooperation" become national surrender?
- Can a nation survive indefinitely if it produces nothing, imports everything, and borrows to pay the difference?
