[Shasta-plus] FW: [USGP-COO] US Green Party News Circulator for 3/7/03- 3/14/03
Peggy Lewis
pegola@greens.org
Sat, 15 Mar 2003 00:51:55 -0800
-----Original Message-----
From: nathalie-usgpcoo@greens.org [mailto:nathalie-usgpcoo@greens.org]On
Behalf Of Andy Parx
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 3:49 PM
To: glwilliams@surfbest.net
Subject: [USGP-COO] US Green Party News Circulator for 3/7/03- 3/14/03
US Green Party News Circulator for 3/7/03- 3/14/03
For more Green Party news go to http://web.greens.org/news/
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1) NEW ZEALAND: CLARK'S GATEKEEPER BEHIND GREEN-SKEWED ROADS BILL
2) AUSTRALIA: LESSER OF TWO EVILS?
3) NEW ZEALAND:GREEN MP SAYS WAR NOT THE ANSWER
4) AUSTRALIA: AND IN THE GREEN CORNER ...
5) CZECH REPUBLIC: GREENS DO NOT WANT WAR IN IRAQ, SUPPORT CZECH REPS EU
ENTRY
6) REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA: LEADER OF GEORGIAN GREEN MOVEMENT TO TAKE PART
IN CONGRESS OF EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF GREENS
7) AUSTRALIA: ACTIVE MUM RIGHT TO FIGHT
8) AUSTRALIA: GREEN EYES HEAVYWEIGHT
9) AUSTRALIA: SOCIAL REFORM IS THE KEY
10) ENGLAND: COMMENT & ANALYSIS: LETTER: FAIRTRADE FOR ALL
11) IRELAND: RADON WARNING IN WATER SUPPLIES 'IGNORED'
12) NEW ZEALAND: GOVT SHAKY ON SUPREME COURT IDEA
13) AUSTRALIA: NSW: GREENS TURN A DEEPER SHADE OF GREEN
14) ENGLAND: THE MOST EXCITING THING TO HAPPEN TO CHESTER SINCE THE
ROMANS ARRIVED; (ACCORDING TO CITY COUNCIL LEADER PRICE)
15) AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIAN PM HECKLED BY TOMATO-THROWING PROTESTERS AT NZ
PARLIAMENT
16) GERMANY: LATE GERMAN REICH PRESIDENT VON HINDENBURG TO RETAIN BERLIN
HONOR
17) MEXICO: VIOLENCE MARS MEXICAN STATE ELECTION THAT COULD SET TONE FOR
UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL, PRESIDENTIAL RACES
18) AUSTRALIA: THE TRAGEDY OF 'GREEN' PREMIER'S EMPTY PROMISES
19) AUSTRIA: LOWER AUSTRIAN GREENS AFRAID OF LARGE TRANSIT ROUTE FROM
CZECHREP
20) AUSTRALIA: BEATEN AND LEFT FOR DEAD BY A MACHINE
21) NEW ZEALAND: MAN PUSHES FOR INCOME FOR ALL
22) IRELAND: GOVERNMENT TO DEFY RESISTANCE TO FOI CHANGE
23) CALIFORNIA: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR- GREENS AND GOP
24) WASHINGTON D.C.: DANNY THE RED SPEAKS
25) AUSTRALIA:ANTI-WAR KIWI MPS SNUB HOWARD
26) SCOTLAND: SAY NO TO GM
27) NEW MEXICO: BILL MAKING IT TOUGHER ON GREENS PASSES HOUSE
28) IRELAND: DEMAND FOR MORE WOMAN TDS;
29) NEW MEXICO: ANTI-GREEN BILL: FEAR AND LOATHING
30) ENGLAND: GREEN BATTLE AGAINST ESTUARY ISLE AIRPORT
33) NEW ZEALAND: ROADS BILL SPLITS CABINET; ROB HOSKING
34) NEW ZEALAND: A PERNICIOUS DOCTRINE
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1) The National Business Review (New Zealand); March 14, 2003
NEW ZEALAND: CLARK'S GATEKEEPER BEHIND GREEN-SKEWED ROADS BILL
by Rob Hosking
Parliament
The government's Green-influenced Land Transport Management Bill has
again raised questions about the role of Prime Minister Helen Clark's
chief-of-staff, Heather Simpson.
As The National Business Review revealed last week, the cabinet is split
on the bill. A small group of ministers - believed to include Finance
Minister Michael Cullen and Transport Minister Paul Swain - have been
privately urging business groups to raise a firestorm of criticism
against what is seen as a law that would be highly detrimental to
economic growth.
The bill was largely written by the shadowy Ms Simpson, who is seen as
having more power than many cabinet ministers, in close consultation
with the Green Party before the 2002 election.
At that point Labour expected to be heavily reliant on the Greens after
the election - like most others, it did not foresee the rise of United
Future - and Ms Simpson is regarded as being sympathetic to the Greens.
United Future describes the bill as "too Green" but has not made its
position any clearer than that.
The bill removes economic efficiency from the list of criteria for
deciding how to fund roads and instead includes social, cultural and
environmental issues. It also removes decisions on funding from
Transfund and gives them back to the cabinet - essentially politicising
the whole process.
The current standoff is not the first time business has run afoul of Ms
Simpson's behind-the-scenes power.
The government's telecommunications reforms in 2001 were partway through
and included a determination not to require mobile telephone operators
to allow new competitors to use their cell sites.
Partway through the process the government made an abrupt U-turn. The
first thing mobile telephone company Vodafone New Zealand knew of this
was when its executives fronted up to a meeting with the communications
minister, Mr Swain, and found Ms Simpson riding shotgun on the whole
affair.
Vodafone executives were told that they would have to allow competitors
to use their cell sites: specifically, an alliance between South
African-owned Econet and the Pan Maori Trust would have access.
The government had already provided spectrum to the Pan Maori Trust at a
discount rate.
The affair caused considerable tension between the government and
business - not only were Vodafone executives incensed but Telecom chief
executive Theresa Gattung sent a blistering letter to the Prime
Minister's Office, saying the way the affair had been handled threatened
relations with the whole sector.
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2) Penrith Press; March 14, 2003
AUSTRALIA: LESSER OF TWO EVILS?
On the front page of one of Sydney's major newspapers on March 2 was the
revealing article as to the Greens Party policies which included the
controlled availability of drugs such as ecstacy and speed sold in
licensed drug shops and licensed drug addicts to receive free heroin
under strict supervision.
The Labor Party always receives the preferences from the Greens, but
would they think twice about receiving votes from a political party
which advocates such dangerous and radical drug reform when the majority
of the public would be incensed at the very thought?
The Labor Party would not in the past even contemplate accepting any
votes from the likes of One Nation who we are all asked to believe are
racists no-one ever convicted mind you. The lesser of two evils perhaps.
Peter Townsend
South Penrith
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3) The Southland Times (New Zealand); March 14, 2003
NEW ZEALAND:GREEN MP SAYS WAR NOT THE ANSWER
by Karen Arnold
Green Party foreign affairs spokesman Keith Locke is optimistic a United
States-led war on Iraq could still be averted.
Mr Locke was in Invercargill yesterday to address an anti-war meeting
organised by the party last night. It was one of a series he has held
throughout the country.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's support was looking shaky and any
delays to the start of the war added to the hope it would not go ahead,
Mr Locke said. Mr Blair was under enormous anti-war pressure in Britain.
A veteran peace campaigner, he said violence was not the answer.
While most people believed the reason behind the threat of war was
Saddam Hussein's failure to comply with the United Nations weapon
inspections, it was in fact driven by the US desire for control of the
region's oil fields, he said.
"(Saddam Hussein) is a threat to his own people, as is any dictator. The
question is, how do we assist democracy. The best approach is not
invasion," Mr Locke said.
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4) The Australian; March 13, 2003
AUSTRALIA: AND IN THE GREEN CORNER ...
by Lee Rhiannon
Greens' NSW MP Lee Rhiannon replies to Peter Verwer's column in last
week's Primeopinions
Property developers and politicians have an intriguing relationship --
intriguing because the general public has no idea what that relationship
is.
All we know is this. First, state politicians have enormous influence
over planning and development. Second, developers make very large
donations to political parties.
A Greens Party investigation of Australian Electoral Commission records
shows that the property industry is by far the largest donor to NSW's
two major political parties.
Between 1998 and 2001, developers, real estate agents, construction
companies and architects collectively gave more to the Labor and Liberal
parties than the combined total from the media, advertising, PR,
pharmaceutical, tobacco, alcohol, retail, club and hotel, manufacturing
and entertainment industries.
That's quite a relationship.
Long-time independent MP Ted Mack is unequivocal about this: "Political
donations are bribery. No company gives $100,000 without expecting
something in return."
In this space last week, the Property Council's Peter Verwer argued that
the Greens wanted to practise "political apartheid".
Not at all -- the suggestion of improper influence hasn't come from the
Greens. Property industry donors have brought that focus on to
themselves, by making such large donations to governments that have such
a material and direct bearing on the donors' profitability.
Mr Verwer has another beef with the Greens. He reckons we're one of the
groups creating regulatory chaos for developers, who want to get the
monkey of bureaucracy off their backs so they can build green
developments all by themselves.
The evidence from Australia's cities suggests environmental regulation
is necessary to push developers in the right direction.
As it stands, the planning process is opaque, arbitrary, and heavily
skewed in favour of the developer. Communities get inadequate
consultation opportunities, and weak planning
laws in NSW allow developers to hold sway.
Mr Verwer complains that developers face inconsistent and confusing
regulations. So does the community at large. Spot rezoning allows
developers to unexpectedly breach development norms for an area. And
supposedly binding decisions in the Land and Environment Court can be
arbitrarily overturned by government.
The industry, the environmentalists and the government should work
together. Let's get consistency on both sides of the equation.
The Greens want to strike a balance between prescriptive planning (such
as controls for floor space ratios and height) that gives the community
certainty, and performance-based planning (such as design principles or
character-based statements) that encourages innovation and best practice
design.
Lee Rhiannon is a Greens MP in the NSW Legislative Council.
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5) Czech News Agency (CTK) National News Wire; March 13, 2003
CZECH REPUBLIC: GREENS DO NOT WANT WAR IN IRAQ, SUPPORT CZECH REPS EU
ENTRY
Prague -- The Czech Greens Party does not want the Iraq crisis to be
solved by war and says that the U.N.
armament inspectors' mission should be extended, chairman of the
extra-parliamentary party Miroslav Rokos told journalists today.
He announced that his party supports the Czech Republic's EU entry and
said the Greens would stage their own information campaign before the
mid-June referendum. Rokos said the opinions on Iraq and the EU are in
accordance with the Federation of European Green Parties (EEPG).
"In cooperation with our European colleagues we are preparing a joint
information campaign which should be a contribution to a positive result
of the referendum of the Czech Republic into the EU," Rokos said.
The Greens would like to get into the European Parliament in 2004, when
the Czech Republic is to be admitted to the EU.
"The European Union is a unique opportunity to solve serious problems
which are beyond the forces of particular states," EEPG secretary Arnold
Cassola said.
These problems include migration and unemployment, introduction of a
more friendly farming and industry.
Cassola took a stand against a unilateral military action without a U.N.
mandate as a means of Iraq's disarmament. He said that European Greens
called on European government to respect the will of Europeans who in
their majority do not wish a war conflict on Wednesday. They have also
initiated a petition which has already been signed by 450 MEPs, he
added.
The Czech Greens Party has about one thousand members. It is not
represented in parliament, but has its members in local self- rule
authorities.
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6) Economic News; March 13, 2003
REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA: LEADER OF GEORGIAN GREEN MOVEMENT TO TAKE PART IN
CONGRESS OF EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF GREENS
Tbilisi. International Congress of European Federation of Green Parties
"East-West Dialogue" will take place in Kyiv on March 17 of 2003.
Georgian delegation will participate.
The leader of Georgian Party of Greens Georgiy Gachechiladze provided
this information to journalists. The man heads the delegation. In his
words, about 400 delegates from 26 European countries and three CIS
countries (Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova) will participate in the
arrangement.
Georgiy Gachechiladze noted that the Congress would not be devoted to
ecological problems only political issues will also be discussed.
Georgian delegation will raise questions connected with development of
democratic processes in Georgia and coming autumn parliamentary
elections.
Georgiy Gachechiladze claimed that the Congress had been expected in
Georgia, the Federation of Greens had been ready to provide means. The
idea was not realized due to organizational problems. The official
expressed hope that the Congress of European Federation of Green Parties
would take place in Georgia next year.
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7) Fairfield Advance; March 12, 2003
AUSTRALIA: ACTIVE MUM RIGHT TO FIGHT
A working mother of four, Lee Grant will stand as the Cabramatta Green
Party candidate in the State Election.
Living in Bonnyrigg for 10 years and the western suburbs for her whole
life, Ms Grant said her partner and family have given her some insight
into the wide range of issues confronting different age groups in the
community.
Involved with different local groups, instrumental in highlighting the
rights of residents when confronted with development, Ms Grant said she
also wanted to highlight the difficulties the disabled face.
"The things we take for granted are not so simple for the disabled," Ms
Grant said.
"I work for wheelchair-accessible taxis and have a great admiration for
the wonderful disabled people that I have contact with daily.
"It's difficult to comprehend what they go through just to get to work,
school or to go out, things we take for granted."
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8) Fairfield Advance; March 12, 2003
AUSTRALIA: GREEN EYES HEAVYWEIGHT
Smithfield Green Party candidate Johnn Sergio Fonseca, in his first
foray into politics, will challenge current MP Carl Scully for the
Smithfield seat.
Mr Fonseca said he had never been a member of a political party, mainly
due to their hollow promises and lack of understanding, or interest in
discovering what was happening at a grass-roots level.
Some of the major issues concerning Mr Fonseca are the environment,
public education and social equality.
"The Smithfield electorate is divided by a large industrial area and an
ever sprawling suburbia, which often collide due to opposing interests,"
he says. "Environmental pollution is a major concern in this area.
"Local initiatives have to be developed to ensure that industries become
cleaner and contribute to the improvement of the local environment."
"This electorate has a large percentage of people of non-English
speaking backgrounds who are often marginalised or unable to fully
participate in the mainstream society.
"Additional support needs to be put in place to ensure that access and
equity principles are applied to all members of the community." Mr
Fonseca identified public education as a major issue.
"Most of the high schools in the area are classified as disadvantaged
schools, with large numbers of students attending those institutions
without appropriate resources when compared to more affluent areas," Mr
Fonseca said.
"We have a long road ahead if we want to make a difference, there are
major challenges ahead, but the electorate needs to send a clear message
to politicians in power, they are accountable to their constituencies,
they have not been elected to follow party policy or platform, they have
been elected to be responsive to their local communities and they need
to be reminded that no one is indispensable.
"I believe the Greens have consistently tackled the issues that mattered
and have not compromised to the detriment of the communities they serve.
"Give the Greens a chance and be part of the change."
Mr Fonseca believes he has potential solutions to the following issues.
* Public education: Reduce public school class sizes. Increase funding
to schools and TAFE.
* Social justice: Increase funding for public housing, disability
services and public hospitals. Improve community infrastructure
* Clean politics: Ban campaign donations from large corporations to
political parties. Keep infrastructure in public ownership.
* Clean air and water: Support local businesses and attract clean green
industries to Smithfield.
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9) Fairfield Advance; March 12, 2003
AUSTRALIA: SOCIAL REFORM IS THE KEY
Cabramatta Green Party candidate Lee Grant said she decided to contest
the State Election because she was committed to public health and
education.
"Governments, whether State or Federal, I feel, must have social reform
as a central policy," she said.
"I have been involved in, and advised on quite a few different local
action groups, which have helped residents fight developers to save
their own communities.
"One of which resulted in a win in the land and environment court."
Ms Grant said if she had to choose four issues that were important to
her, they would be:
* support for the anti-war campaign;
* implementation of drug reform and harm minimisation policies;
* increase funding for public health.
* commitment of resources to public education.
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10) The Guardian (London); March 12, 2003
ENGLAND: COMMENT & ANALYSIS: LETTER: FAIRTRADE FOR ALL
At a time when Tesco earns 10 times more in an hour than the average UK
farmer does in an entire year, reform of agricultural retailing is
clearly urgent: the answers will not be found in pitting the interests
of north and south against one another.
Dr. Caroline Lucas, MEP
Green party, London
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11) The Irish Times; March 12, 2003
IRELAND: RADON WARNING IN WATER SUPPLIES 'IGNORED'
by Dick Ahlstrom, Science Editor
Local authorities around the State have largely ignored a warning to
have their mains water supplies tested for the presence of radioactive
radon gas. No more than eight of the 70 to 80 authorities written to
last November responded to the warning issued by the Radiological
Protection Institute of Ireland.
The institute yesterday said it had not the resources to test all or
even a large fraction of the estimated 150,000 private water supplies
across the State for radon gas. This follows a call yesterday from the
Green Party for extensive national testing for radon gas in drinking
water supplies. On Monday the institute published a report showing that
a small fraction of homes in Co Wicklow were using private wells
contaminated with unacceptably high levels of radon gas. This raised the
possibility that wells in many other counties known to have high radon
levels in soils could also exceed drinking water radon levels set by an
EU directive....
...The Green Party yesterday called for "extensive testing for radon
nationally" following the release of the institute's drinking water
study.
Evidence of unacceptably high radon levels in Wicklow drinking water was
"very disturbing" according to Mr Sean Power TD, chair of the Dail
Committee on Environment and Local Government.
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12) Global News Wire; March 12, 2003
NEW ZEALAND: GOVT SHAKY ON SUPREME COURT IDEA
Wellington -- The Government's plans to scrap ties with the Privy
Council and replace it with a local Supreme Court are receiving a cool
reception from its potential allies.
United Future's justice spokesman Murray Smith said Parliament needed to
look at wider issues than those being considered by MPs examining the
Supreme Court Bill.
Mr Smith said the select committee considering the bill should run a
wider inquiry at the same time. If this did not happen then United
Future might consider not supporting the bill. United Future would also
not support the bill unless the Government accepted any changes the
party requested.
The Government needs support from other parties to pass the law. The
Greens are still considering their stance.
Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said there were a number of issues they
were looking at closely. These included the placement of overseas judges
on the Supreme Court and the initial appointment process. National, ACT
and New Zealand First are all opposed to replacing the Privy Council as
the final court of appeal.
Mr Smith said United Future was extremely concerned'' that such a
substantial constitutional move was being made without wide debate and
in the face of numerous concerns.
The inquiry should look at:
* whether the right of appeal to the Privy Council should be abolished,
maintained or extended;
* if the Privy Council links were abandoned should New Zealand look to
form an international court for itself, other South Pacific nations and
Commonwealth countries;
* if there was a new final court of appeal what shape should it take and
could the Supreme Court be adapted to fit that role; and
* what has given rise to the number of Court of Appeal decisions being
recently overturned by the Privy Council and how could the proposed
Supreme Court address those factors.
If the Select Committee agreed to the inquiry and if there was broad
support for the Bill from submitters then, subject to select committee
modifications or changes United Future felt needed to be considered, the
party would probably support the Bill,'' Mr Smith said.
The United Future MP claimed Green MPs were looking for trade-offs'' on
this and other legislation. He noted the genetic engineering moratorium
would probably be lifted about the same time that Parliament was likely
to debate the Supreme Court Bill.
Mr Donald said Mr Smith was talking rubbish and the Greens considered
each issue on its merits.
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13) AAP Newsfeed; March 11, 2003
AUSTRALIA: NSW: GREENS TURN A DEEPER SHADE OF GREEN
by Krystyna Pollard
Sydney -- Jack Mundey was green long before the Greens party was even
formed.
But now the former unionist and environmental campaigner is joining the
Greens in NSW and says he feels like he is coming home.
Mr Mundey, former secretary of the powerful NSW Builders Labourers
Federation (BLF), was the instigator of Australia's first green bans,
which blocked the redevelopment of key sites in Sydney in the early
1970s.
He said today he was joining the Greens in the lead-up to the NSW
election because the two main parties had failed to protect the
environment.
"I suppose in some ways I've been green before the Greens," Mr Mundey
told reporters.
"I chose this time because I think I can make a contribution ... and all
I'll be doing is continuing what I've been doing for the last 35 years.
"I feel at home coming into the Greens."
The BLF enforced Australia's first green ban on a Hunters Hill site in
the early 1970s.
The bans differed from the traditional black bans in that they sought to
protect heritage and environmental values.
>From 1971 to 1975, the BLF placed green bans on more than 40
developments worth an estimated $5 billion.
Mr Mundey said it was not the first time he had joined a political
party, having formerly been a member of the Communist Party of
Australia.
But he never joined the ALP, he said.
"You've got to stop somewhere."
Mr Mundey said he would help the Greens with their campaign, but would
not be seeking a leading role in the party formed in NSW in 1984.
"All my life, everything I've been in ... I've always taken an active
part," he said.
"I don't think I'll be an armchair critic ... they won't have to worry
about me grabbing leading positions, but they won't have to worry about
me sitting back on the benches too much, so I should make the perfect
member."
Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon said Sydney would be a very different place if
it wasn't for the work of Mr Mundey and the BLF.
"He effectively saved Sydney and he also established a whole new way of
working," she said.
"Jack also gives us a most important link with the origins of our name -
the Greens.
"The fact that the Greens' living legend is now in the Greens is
something that we're very proud of."
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14) Daily Post (Liverpool); March 11, 2003
ENGLAND: THE MOST EXCITING THING TO HAPPEN TO CHESTER SINCE THE ROMANS
ARRIVED; (ACCORDING TO CITY COUNCIL LEADER PRICE)
by Rachel Newton
The biggest face lift in the history of Chester city centre is set to be
approved tomorrow .
The city's planning board is due to consider a pounds 200mblueprint to
transform the quiet Northgate quarter into a vibrant centre for
shopping, socialising, living and working.
The full scheme has been recommended for approval by planning officers.
Council leader John Price said the plans were "the most exciting thing
to happen to Chester since the Romans arrived".
He said: "It contains elements of yesterday to blend in with Chester's
historic character and more importantly, elements of tomorrow."...
...The plans are supported by the city's heritage watchdog, the Chester
Civic Trust, but have met with fierce opposition from the Chester Green
Party. Members have branded the scheme "disastrous" and claim it
resembles a prison complex.
Spokesman Klaus Armstrong Braun said: "It appears it considers only the
profits of the developer, the land owner and shopping retailers rather
than design merit.
"We insist the council abandons this disastrous concept so that we can
completely rethink an entirely new and appropriate proposal." Chester
Green Party claims the current plans would create a "claustrophobic
atmosphere" with little open space and believes the design is out of
place with existing architecture.
It is urging the council to follow the recent example of Liverpool which
held a design competition for its Fourth Grace....
Councillor Armstrong Braun, a member of Saltney Town Council, said: "In
any city worth its salt such a project of this magnitude would be
subject to a design competition. Such an important regeneration should
be judged by experts and the people before diving in on a proposal."
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15) Agence France Presse; March 10, 2003
AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIAN PM HECKLED BY TOMATO-THROWING PROTESTERS AT NZ
PARLIAMENT
Auckland -- Around 600 anti-war protesters whistled, thumped drums and
set fire to flags outside New Zealand's parliament Monday as Australian
Prime Minister John Howard met leaders inside.
The protesters, who included three Green Party MPs, also hurled tomatoes
onto the steps of the parliament building in a show of anger over
Howard's unstinting support for US-led military action against Iraq.
Green MPs boycotted the state luncheon for Howard hosted by Prime
Minister Helen Clark after branding then Australian leader a
"warmonger". Howard meanwhile reiterated his stance on the issue,
warning Monday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would likely provide
weapons of mass destruction to international terrorists if he was left
unchecked.
"One day you will have the fatal cocktail of these weapons being given
to international terrorists," he warned.
Howard is expected to commit Australia to joining a war whether or not
the United States and Britain get UN backing for military action at a
Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
Australia has sent 2,000 soldiers to the Middle East to join more than
250,000 US and British troops for a possible invasion.
The New Zealand government has said it will only support military action
if it is approved by the Security Council.
Howard has been in New Zealand for the past three days for trade talks
to mark the 20th anniversary of the Closer Economic Relations (CER)
agreement between the neighbouring nations.
While the war against Iraq has hovered over the visit, Howard and Clark
have agreed to disagree over the issue.
A Sunday Star-Times poll of 500 people conducted on the eve of Howard's
visit showed 54 percent of New Zealanders believe Howard is wrong to
back a US-led war on Iraq, and 71 percent say New Zealand should not
follow suit.
Teacher Paul Hopkinson, 37, was among the protesters outside parliament
on Monday and he burnt New Zealand and Australian flags to loud cheers
from the crowd.
"Both flags stand for imperalism," he told reporters. "New Zealand has
been supporting the sanctions on Iraq, just like Australia has. They've
killed about one and a half million people."
Earlier Monday just a dozen anti-war protesters -- four of them children
-- greeted Howard at the National War Memorial in Wellington for a
wreath-laying ceremony.
Greenpeace members also hung a giant puppet of Howard from a Wellington
cinema in protest against his support for war on Iraq.
Howard also held talks Monday with Opposition National leader Bill
English.
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16) Agence France Presse; March 10, 2003
GERMANY: LATE GERMAN REICH PRESIDENT VON HINDENBURG TO RETAIN BERLIN
HONOR
Berlin -- Paul von Hindenburg, the last president of the German Reich
and the man who formally paved Adolf Hitler's path to power, will remain
an honorary citizen of Berlin, the state assembly decided Monday.
The local chapter of the Greens party filed a motion to strip the late
von Hindenberg of the honor, but it was defeated by the assembly's
culture committee. Deputies from Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social
Democrats, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the liberal
Free Democrats -- torn within their own ranks on the measure -- opted
for a compromise asking the Berlin government to clarify the criteria
for the honor.
The Greens had argued that von Hindenburg was the "Reich president who
cleared the way for the Nazi dictatorship" and thus shared
responsibility for Hitler's catastrophic rise to power....
One of German history's most controversial figures, von Hindenburg
(1847-1934) was a World War I hero who was elected Reich president in
1925 during the period of the Weimar Republic. He defeated Hitler in a
poll for the presidency in 1932.
In January of the following year, von Hindenburg swore Hitler in as
chancellor in a strategic move aimed at co-opting the Nazis' political
power.
Von Hindenburg and Hitler were named honorary citizens of Berlin on the
same day, April 20, 1933 -- Hitler's birthday.
Hitler's name was removed from the list in 1948.
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17) The Associated Press; March 10, 2003
MEXICO: VIOLENCE MARS MEXICAN STATE ELECTION THAT COULD SET TONE FOR
UPCOMING CONGRESSIONAL, PRESIDENTIAL RACES
by Sandra Notario, Associated Press Writer
San Salvador Atenco -- Protesters wearing ski masks and waving machetes
demolished voting booths and fought with authorities Sunday during
municipal elections in Mexico's largest state.
More than 8 million voters were choosing 124 mayors and 45 lawmakers in
the state that borders Mexico City. Partial results showed the former
ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party - forging an unprecedented
alliance with the small Green Party - outpacing President Vicente Fox's
National Action Party.....
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18) The Australian; March 10, 2003
AUSTRALIA: THE TRAGEDY OF 'GREEN' PREMIER'S EMPTY PROMISES
by Lee Rhiannon
Bob Carr's environmentally unfriendly policies deserve the wrath of NSW
voters, suggests Greens MP Lee Rhiannon
NSW Premier Bob Carr clearly has two great desires: to win a third term
in office, and to be remembered for his environmental achievements. What
is less obvious is that these two goals are intricately intertwined --
and that this fact could either deliver Labor victory or bring his
government down.
With the fortunes of the Greens Party still on the rise, and with less
than two weeks until the state's election day, Carr and his sizeable
publicity machine are working hard to promote "the green Premier". But
this time round, it's difficult to imagine Green-leaning voters being
won over by those shots of bushwalking Bob striding off into the
wilderness.
Carr's Labor Government has overseen rampant urban and coastal
development from Tweed to Bega that has diminished local environments
and pushed out many older and more disadvantaged residents. For eight
years, Labor has had the power to act, but all that has happened is that
the once worthwhile Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, passed
amid high hopes in 1979, has been watered down. Developers have seized
on weaker planning laws to degrade the urban environment of Sydney and
much of the NSW coast.
Talk about ugly apartment blocks and shabby design might be a short-term
headline grabber. But this will not appease the growing anger in urban
and coastal communities.
Another monumental failure of successive NSW governments is the ongoing
wood chipping of native forests. Back in 1995 Carr confidently
proclaimed "we will end export wood chipping by the year 2000". In 2003,
more than a million tonnes of woodchips will be exported from the state.
The magnificent forests of south-east and north-east NSW are still being
plundered, and old growth forest is still being lost.
Perhaps Carr thinks he can lead Labor to a third term in government on
his performance in proclaiming new national parks. But this will count
for very little if he does not act to save the Pilliga and Goonoo
forests in western NSW, one of the most endangered bioregions in
Australia. More than 40 per cent of all native animals in this area are
threatened with extinction; 17 mammal species are already extinct.
Time is also of the essence in the land-clearing debate. Natural forest
cover is being lost at a rate of 800 to 1000sq km per year in NSW. Yet
Carr has been unable or unwilling to seize the initiative by
implementing a land clearing prevention program. The Native Vegetation
Conservation Act, that promised so much on paper, has been undermined by
a government policy of non-enforcement. Carr has the chance to lead the
world on this issue, but seems to prefer hiding in the shadows --
perhaps until it's too late.
Environmentalists were mystified recently when Carr's much vaunted
land-clearing announcement was revealed to be maintenance of the status
quo. Deferring any decision until after the election has been
interpreted by many as a sign that Carr is not willing to act. On this
issue, he must drop his style of keeping all interest groups on side.
Sydney's soaring air pollution is another area of great concern for
voters. Last year an international survey placed Sydney a lowly 55th in
a list of environmental rankings, putting us 40 places behind the US
former steel city of Pittsburgh and 22 places behind Abu Dhabi. Our low
ranking was a result of poor air quality, mainly due to heavy motor
vehicle use.
Although the Government has put in place badly needed measures to curb
greenhouse gas emissions, in particular the setting of mandatory
emission reduction benchmarks for energy retailers, the move to sell
greenhouse credits from new plantations to international energy
polluters is a huge backward step.
Many of the big decisions on the environment in NSW have been put aside
for political expediency. If the main parties had the political will to
protect our rivers and ecosystems and stop land degradation the result
would be environmental resilience against extreme weather events, and a
resurgence in the economic and social wellbeing of many rural
communities.
After eight years of power, any constituency expects those in government
will have kept at least some of their promises. But Labor's track record
on the environment looks pretty shaky. Carr's environmental commitments
for a third term will need to be very convincing indeed if he is to
reverse growing elector scepticism.
Lee Rhiannon is a Greens MP in the NSW Upper House.
**********************************************************************
19) Czech News Agency (CTK) National News Wire; March 10, 2003
AUSTRIA: LOWER AUSTRIAN GREENS AFRAID OF LARGE TRANSIT ROUTE FROM
CZECHREP
St. Poelten, Austria -- The Lower Austrian Green Party organisation
today declared "a transit alarm" expressing its fears of a new "European
road corridor" which could bring to Lower Austria an environmentally
harmful motor traffic.
In its statement, the Green Party branch reminds that the Czech Republic
has submitted to Austria documentation for the proceedings on
environmental suitability concerning the construction of the road from
Jihlava to Znojmo, south Moravia, linked to the Hate/Kleinhaugsdorf
border crossing. The Lower Austrian Greens call the documentation
transfer as "a line pistol's shot" launching the transport project which
"is not only a limited regional plan but a part of the European transit
route."
In connection with the B 303 roads from Hollabrunn via Ziersdorf (B 4)
and further to Traismauer along the S 5 and S 33 roads, "a dangerous
corridor" is being built which enables to bypass St. Poelten from the
east and reach the Traisental B 334 speedway, the Lower Austrian Greens
say.
They also remind that in relation to the plans on the B 20 road
construction and other traffic projects in Styria, a new route may
emerge to be used by motorists going from the Czech Republic to Slovenia
without paying toll.
This could mean a high risk of an enormous burden on this route and a
serious threat to the environment, the Lower Austrian Green Party branch
warns in its statement.
**********************************************************************
20) The Daily Telegraph (Sydney); March 10, 2003
AUSTRALIA: BEATEN AND LEFT FOR DEAD BY A MACHINE
by Malcolm Farr
It seems ages since members of the NSW Labor Party were a danger to
anyone apart from themselves.
It has been that long, maybe a decade, since it was a feared political
unit which set the standards for hard electoral competition.
But now, in this State election, the NSW Labor Party is back to its old
leg-chomping, foe-stomping, vote-flaying form.
Admittedly, the targets have been an unschooled Liberal Party and a
naive Greens Party.
But nothing can take from Labor its revived credentials as the NSW party
which knows best how to adopt a hard game in a campaign.
It hasn't been a case of dirty tricks; more like legitimate tactical
brutality.
The success of the campaign has heartened some NSW Labor identities who
still wince over the divisions and stumbling which lost the federal seat
of Cunningham to the Greens last year.
There was no way the Greens were going to get away with that again.
Which is why, when the election campaign started, a cross-factional
guard was put on Tourism Minister Sandra Nori in her seat of Port
Jackson.
And that is why Jamie Parker has become a particular target of Labor
attention.
Mr Parker perhaps is one of the least overtly ideological of the Greens
candidates. He has a perfectly legitimate job in private enterprise and
an acceptance of commercial priorities.
These are not common traits among Greens.
However, he is running in Port Jackson and had to be dealt with.
Ms Nori mishandled the debate over the future of Callan Park and seemed
to award herself first prize for blocking development, even though
community groups did most of the work.
Those community groups resented her and Labor's role in the Callan Park
debate and Port Jackson became the seat most at risk to the Greens. Thus
the Labor niggling of Mr Parker began as soon as the election campaign
did.
His public meetings were ambushed, his job as an executive with a
company selling natural health products was ridiculed.
It was as if Labor had direct access to his private appointments diary.
The big hit came in the response to the highlighting of Greens policy on
drug use, specifically proposals for the medical provision of some hard
drugs.
Suddenly it seemed Mr Parker was responsible for all drug addiction in
the state. Clearly, if he were elected to Parliament he would use his
one vote to force the government to give free heroin to kiddies.
The person most convinced of this was Liberal Leader John Brogden (with
John Howard close behind), who was so offended by the Greens' public
policy he withdrew Liberal preferences from them.
This sort of self-harming purity is not an overwhelming feature of the
newly-toughened ALP or its rugged predecessors, and Premier Bob Carr
scoffed at Mr Brogden's innocence.
"Never before have we said we won't accept preferences from a political
party because we disagree with one aspect of their policy," said Mr
Carr.
Political myth has it that in 1972 Gough Whitlam put the Liberals last
on his how-to-vote card, just below the Nazi Party.
It is not quite true. There was no Nazi candidate in Werriwa in 1972.
However, the exotic Ross "The Skull" May, an unstable pretend Nazi,
stood in 1974 and apparently was placed higher on the Whitlam card than
the Liberal, arch right-winger Michael Darby.
But the principle was the same. Never give a sucker an even preference
break.
The Greens were never going to win a seat from Labor without a big swag
of preferences, including those of Liberal voters.
It was never going to be easy getting them.
Under the NSW electoral system, the allocation of preferences is
optional. Voters can mark just one candidate if they so wish.
The task was made almost impossible after the Liberals withdrew their
preferences, which would of course affect the Port Jackson contest.
The election result on March 22 might be complicated by solid
performances from non-metropolitan independents, and some Labor lapses
-- but Carr will get back. The Greens will have their Lower House dreams
deferred for another four years and Labor will be more confident when it
looks to the coming Federal poll.
*********************************************************************
21) The Dominion Post (Wellington); March 10, 2003
NEW ZEALAND: MAN PUSHES FOR INCOME FOR ALL
by Chloe Groser
Palmerston North -- A Nelson man is touring the country on a radical
mission to get all New Zealanders a universal basic income -- regardless
of what they earn.
"According to the International Bill of Human Rights, every person has
the right to a have a minimum wage level. Right now, New Zealand is way
below the level," said Patrick Danahey, an advocate for economic human
rights. ...
...Green MP Sue Bradford said the Green Party found the concept of a
universal income interesting and supported the idea in principle.
"Many of our people are very keen on it and we would like to see the
Government fund substantial research into whether it would work in New
Zealand."
She said she was cautious of the approach that everybody deserved the
income. The Green Party's approach was that it would be tied to a
commitment to work and the welfare system would be integrated with the
tax system.
There would need to be radical reform to implement the system, including
a very different tax system, she said.
**********************************************************************
22) The Irish Times; March 10, 2003
IRELAND: GOVERNMENT TO DEFY RESISTANCE TO FOI CHANGE
By Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent
The Government plans to defy opposition to the curtailment of the
Freedom of Information Act this week by pushing its legislation through
all its stages in the Seanad while voting down a Labour motion in the
Dail to postpone the changes.
In a move described as "beyond arrogance" by the Green Party last night,
it was confirmed that both the senior and junior ministers responsible
for the legislation - Mr Charlie McCreevy and Mr Tom Parlon - will go
the Cheltenham horse-racing festival this week. They will therefore
absent themselves from debates in the Dail, the Seanad and an Oireachtas
committee on the controversial Bill....
...The Green Party finance spokesman, Mr Dan Boyle, yesterday accused
the Government of treating parliamentary democracy with contempt.
"The fact that neither of the Ministers at the Department of Finance
will deign to appear at this week's meetings of the Oireachtas Committee
on Finance and the Public Service, preferring instead to watch
horse-racing at Cheltenham, is an act that goes beyond arrogance," he
said.
**********************************************************************
23) The San Francisco Chronicle; March 10, 2003
CALIFORNIA: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR- GREENS AND GOP
Editor -- Regarding the article, "Greens consider joining forces with
GOP on Davis recall" (March 2): Since the Greens were the balance of
terror in helping elect George W. Bush, it makes sense that they help
Republicans unseat a Democratic governor.
The Greens are behaving like spoiled children who, defying all logic,
need to call attention to themselves.
ALAN GOLDFARB
Berkeley
-- -- --
Editor -- The Greens, in considering joining forces with Republicans to
recal Gov. Gray Davis, prove that politics makes for strange bedfellows.
The Republicans continue to use the Greens to their own benefit -- first
in Florida in 2000, and now in California.
The Greens fail to understand that we have a two-party system in this
country and that politics is all about the possible, not the perfect.
They don't like to hear it, but they are responsible at least in part
for the current debacle in the White House.
There is virtually no chance a Green Party candidate will be elected
governor of California if there is a recall election. The GOP will use
the Greens and then cast them aside like a piece of trash once the
Republicans have gotten what they want.
RICHARD SUTHERLAND
Los Altos
**********************************************************************
24) The Washington Times; March 10, 2003
WASHINGTON D.C.: DANNY THE RED SPEAKS
by James Morrison
An aging radical from the 1960s who was kicked out of France for leading
student riots and embraced by the left-wing German environmentalists
came to Washington last week to lecture the Bush administration about
Middle East diplomacy.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who leads the European Green Party, proposed an
international conference on disarmament and security that would focus on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, our correspondent Olga Kryzhanovska
reports.
He told the German Marshall Fund that the peace process should include
the declaration of a Palestinian state by the United Nations and the
formation of an international force to provide security for both Israel
and the Palestinians.
"If we could do that, we would have a different situation at the Arab
street and with the Arab emotion," said Mr. Cohn-Bendit, adding that
Arabs often feel that the international community is ignoring their
problems.
Mr. Cohn-Bendit, once nicknamed "Danny the Red," was the leader of
student uprisings in Paris in 1968. After the French government expelled
him at the end of 1960s, he moved to Frankfurt and became a German
citizen. In the 1980s, Mr. Cohn-Bendit worked with Joschka Fischer, now
the German foreign minister, and was elected caucus leader of the Greens
in the European Parliament.
Mr. Cohn-Bendit was known for his leftist radicalism, expressed in his
book "Leftism, the Remedy for the Senile Sickness of Communism," but he
accuses the Bush administration of what he calls "democratic
Bolshevism."
"The big difference is that I have overcome and I think what Bush hasn't
overcome is the idea that we are avant-garde and we'll create the
situation that will be very fine for everybody in the world," he said.
Germany, which is trying to block U.S. efforts to remove Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein, is no longer going to follow U.S. policies
unquestioningly, as it did during the Cold War, he said.
The German Green Party supported the use of force in both Kosovo and
Afghanistan, but Mr. Cohn-Bendit insisted the Iraqi situation is
dramatically different because Iraq does not show aggression and German
public opinion doesn't support the war.
"The public opinion is afraid of the capability and strength of the
United States," he said.
Mr. Cohn-Bendit predicted that the crisis in French-German relations
with the United States is likely to ease after the tension about Iraq
ends.
**********************************************************************
25) Sun Herald (Sydney); March 9, 2003
AUSTRALIA:ANTI-WAR KIWI MPS SNUB HOWARD
Nine New Zealand MPs will boycott an official state function tomorrow
honouring Prime Minister John Howard in a diplomatic slap sanctioned by
Kiwi leader Helen Clark.
Mr Howard flew into a storm of protest over Iraq when he arrived in New
Zealand yesterday, for a visit marked by the tightest security in a
decade afforded a leader visiting that country. Declaring Mr Howard a
"warmonger" last week, the Greens which the Clark-led Government relies
on to pass some legislation demanded that Mr Howard's invitation be
rescinded. Ms Clark refused, so the MPs will boycott the official
luncheon at Wellington's Parliament House instead.
Ms Clark said of the Green Party MPs: "If they do not wish to attend the
luncheon as a sign of protest, then that is the way they should go about
it."
Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said: "Howard's actions have
stripped him of any right to the courtesy normally owed to a visiting
dignitary." A spokeswoman for Ms Clark told The Sun-Herald that the Kiwi
PM "wouldn't be apologising [to the Australian PM] for the protesters".
Before heading for New Zealand for a three-day visit to mark the 20th
anniversary of the trans-Tasman free-trade agreement, Mr Howard was
asked if Australian troops would join an attack on Iraq without UN
approval. He replied: "I am not ruling anything out. When the issue has
been dealt with by the Security Council, we will then decide what action
might be taken by Australia."
**********************************************************************
26) The Sunday Herald; March 9, 2003
SCOTLAND: SAY NO TO GM
With reference to your article on GM crops (News, March 2), it seems to
me that although Ross Finnie may well be waiting for the public debate
on GM crops/food to finish, he has already decided that GM crops are
going to be planted in Scotland.
I cannot help but feel that this reflects the attitude of the LibDems in
general: the closer they get to real power, the less green they become.
But I must disagree with the person who, late last year in your letters
page, stated that the arrival of GM crops in Scotland is imminent. It is
not. It is Scottish Green Party policy that Frankenstein crops will not
be planted in Scotland, under any circumstances, ever. Who is to decide
whether we plant GM crops in Scotland - the people of Scotland or men in
smart suits in faraway places?
The only way to guarantee a GM-free Scotland is to vote for the Green
Party in the upcoming Scottish parliamentary elections.
Douglas Low
Edinburgh
**********************************************************************
27) The Associated Press State & Local Wire; March 8, 2003
NEW MEXICO: BILL MAKING IT TOUGHER ON GREENS PASSES HOUSE
By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press Writer
Santa Fe -- A Democrat-sponsored proposal that would make it harder for
the Green Party to keep its status as a major political party narrowly
passed the House on Saturday after contentious debate.
Greens criticized it as a political power play by Democrats who view
Green candidates as spoilers, splitting the traditional Democratic vote.
"There has been quite a bit of just pure anti-Green sentiment in the
upper levels of the Democrat Party, and this is clearly a pretty naked
attempt to kill the Green Party," David Bacon, the Greens' nominee for
governor last year, said in an interview.
The legislation, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, went
to the Senate on a vote of 36-31.
It would require a major party to have a membership equal to at least 10
percent of registered voters statewide.
If it were to pass, it would require the Greens to have at least 95,000
registered voters, according to Bacon. There are now about 11,500
registered Green voters, or about 1.2 percent of the total registration
in New Mexico.
Lujan denied that the measure was an attack on the Green Party, saying
it was meant to reduce election costs. He asserted that without the
Greens as a major party, the state would save about $372,000.
House Republican Leader Ted Hobbs of Albuquerque said the bill was "a
broadside against the Green Party," aimed at increasing Democrats'
chances for election.
"To save money by discouraging political involvement I think is false
economy," he said.
Major parties can hold primary elections - rather than a convention of
party members - to select their nominees for the general election.
Major-party status also ensures that a party's candidates are listed
higher on the general election ballot.
Greens contend it's harder for minor party candidates to get invited to
debates and forums, and they say nominating petition requirements to get
on the ballot are tougher for minor parties.
Greens also doubt there would be significant savings from eliminating a
primary election for a third party, since primaries would continue to be
held for Democrats and Republicans.
"The Green Party has helped frame the debate for voters and made New
Mexico a better place to live. ... I don't see how this could possibly
be a good idea," said another Albuquerque Republican, Joseph Thompson.
The secretary of state's office has estimated its expenses were about
$300,000 higher with the Green Party primary election.
The legislation marks the latest skirmish between Greens and Democrats
over the question of major party status.
To earn major party status, according to Secretary of State Rebecca
Vigil-Giron, a party's candidate for governor or president must receive
at least 5 percent of the vote. The party also must have a membership
equal to one-third of 1 percent of statewide registration.
In 2001, Vigil-Giron, a Democrat, revoked the Greens' designation as a
major party because their presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, won only
3.5 percent of the vote in 2000.
Greens contended she wrongly interpreted the law and that the showing of
other Green Party candidates met the minimum threshold.
Greens regained major party status last year when Bacon got 5 percent of
the vote.
**********************************************************************
28) Irish News; March 08, 2003
IRELAND: DEMAND FOR MORE WOMAN TDS;
by Valerie Robinson
Political parties in the south have come under pressure to introduce
legislation to make Leinster House more gender balanced.
The Republic has Europe's lowest level of female representation in
parliament with just 13 per cent in the Dail and 17 per cent in the
Seanad. The state ranks 59th out of 120 nations in the world in relation
to women's parliamentary representation - on a par with the average for
sub-Saharan Africa.
In a statement to mark International Women's Day, Bronwen Maher, the
Green Party's spokeswoman on women's affairs, said the Republic must
start to actively promote the position of women in politics.
She has called on the government to bring forward legislation to ensure
a more equal representation of women in public life.
"France, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium have introduced laws and gender
quotas to ensure political parties are obliged to run a certain quota of
female candidates and have successfully boosted the numbers of women in
parliament, " she said.
"Our government should recognise the success of these approaches and
commit itself to similar methods."
The Greens have called for funding to help political parties maintain a
40/60 gender balance during general and local elections Meanwhile,
Labour TD Liz McManus also said her party was committed to increasing
the participation of women in politics.
"The best way for the government to mark International Women's Day would
be to take real and constructive steps to make good their stated
objectives of increasing the number of women participating in Irish
politics and state boards and agencies, " she said.
"Sadly, I believe that Fianna Fail and the PDs have neither the will nor
the ability to do so, " she said.
**********************************************************************
29) The Santa Fe New Mexican; March 8, 2003 Saturday
NEW MEXICO: ANTI-GREEN BILL: FEAR AND LOATHING
Maybe it's time for a truth-in-legislation law; something requiring
labels like the Surgeon General warnings on cigarette packs, or listing
the contents of junk and other food.
A prime candidate for such disclosure would be House Bill 628, which
Speaker Ben Lujan, butter not melting in his mouth, introduced as a
money-saving measure: Limiting the number of major political parties in
the state, he says, will make elections less expensive -- by a whopping
$300 a year.
So, goes this proposal, raise major-party membership requirements from 5
percent of the vote in general elections to 10 percent.
This is a double change in the rules: The way they read now, all that's
necessary is a 5-percent showing at the polls, plus a membership
representing a third of a percent of New Mexico's registered voters.
For our state's dominant Democrats, and for Republicans holding three
seats in Congress, neither the present requirements nor the proposed
ones are a problem. But for the Green Party, it's a big problem. They've
held, lost and regained major-party status during the past decade.
What they've also done is attract votes from dissident Democrats -- and
that's what rankles with Lujan and many of his fellow Dems: Greens help
Republicans get elected.
This bill, up for a floor vote any time now, would put the Greens back
on the fringe; no primary elections, and no prominent spot on the
general-election ballot.
That's no way to treat the earnest and active Greens. If the Democrats
don't want voters going Green, they should consider the merits of some
Green proposals, especially for conservation and consumer protection --
and, in the fine tradition of two-party politics, adopt and co-opt them.
Similarly, the Dems should look beyond their good-ol'-boy cliques and
offer candidates so attractive that all their members will turn out for
them instead of choosing a Green as a protest candidate.
Meanwhile, call this bill what it really is: a simultaneously get-even
and defensive reaction to a minor party Democrats would have no reason
to fear if they were as true to their party's ideals as the Greens are.
**********************************************************************
30) The Gloucester Citizen; March 7, 2003
ENGLAND: GREEN BATTLE AGAINST ESTUARY ISLE AIRPORT
The Green Party - backed overwhelmingly by members in Gloucestershire -
is to mount a direct Parliamentary challenge to Tony Blair's plans aimed
at doubling or trebling UK aviation in the coming decade. The Bill will
be aimed at stopping all major airport expansions in the country,
including Severnside's planned construction.
Activists have been backed by the Council for the Protection of Rural
England (CPRE). The Green Party objects to the plans because it claims
aircraft are a massive source of greenhouse gas emissions - responsible
for wrecking the environment.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley, Green Party peer in the House of Lords, will
introduce the Bill.
If it succeeds, it would mean the business consortium behind the
futuristic GBP 2 billion Severnside International Airport - complete
with custom-built runways projecting into the estuary - would almost
certainly have its plans scuppered.
Philip Booth, Gloucestershire Green Party spokesman said: "Generally
speaking, airport expansions are a bad idea for a variety of social,
environmental and economic reasons.
"We should stop building and expanding airports whether at Gloucester or
the newly proposed airport on an artificial island in the Severn estuary
near Newport, South Wales.
"Instead we should concentrate on sustainable economic development that
improves quality of life and creates good jobs without adverse
side-effects." The Severn Estuary's terminal would have been an
intercontinental airport rather than a regional one, offering a
convenient West Country alternative to Heathrow and Gatwick for
transatlantic passengers.
It would have been built in the Bristol Channel, south of Llanwern Steel
Works.
The Government has already indicated that work on the airport would only
begin if both Cardiff and Bristol airports closed.
And Bristol and Cardiff airport chiefs have warned the planned terminal,
which would handle 30 million passengers a year, would never take off.
But now Green campaigners plan to kill off the plans once and for all.
Dr Caroline Lucas, Green Party Euro-MP for South East England, said: "We
have seen horrendous increases in the local impacts of ever-expanding
airports, and a continuing big contribution to the greenhouse effect
from the most highly-polluting mode of travel on the planet." Giving his
support to the move, Peter Hamblin, the CPRE's head of transport policy,
said: "The Government is concerned to promote pride among people in
their communities and local environment.
"Its options for airport expansion have certainly done that.
"With a record level of responses so far, it's clear that people are
furious about the potential growth in aviation." A decision on which
airport schemes will get the go-ahead will be made by the Government in
a White Paper later this year.
**********************************************************************
31) The Kiplinger Letter; March 7, 2003
WASHINGTON D.C.: RALPH NADER FOR PRESIDENT
Ralph Nader will run for president again on a Green Party ticket, fired
up by Bush's tax cutting and hawkish military policies. Nader says
Democrats are not being bold enough in efforts to block them. He got
only 2.7% of the vote in 2000, but it was enough to doom Gore.
**********************************************************************
32) Lincolnshire Echo; March 7, 2003
WALES: GREEN PARTY DEBATES IRAQ
Green Party members from Lincolnshire will be travelling to Wales next
week for its annual conference. And the possible war with Iraq will take
top billing. The first debate will discuss the environmental and
humanitarian effects a war with Iraq would have on the country.
Green MEP Caroline Lucas, who has just got back from a fact-finding
mission to Iraq, said: "The initial vote at the conference is likely to
be the first of a number of motions on the possible Iraq war.
"We are trying to create a policy of peace to unite the world." Other
topics include abortion and the euro.
The Green Party's 2003 conference will be held at the Pavilion,
Llandrindod Wells, mid-Wales, between Thursday March 13 and Sunday,
March 16.
**********************************************************************
33) National Business Review (New Zealand); March 7, 2003
NEW ZEALAND: ROADS BILL SPLITS CABINET; ROB HOSKING
Parliament
The government's road transport plans came under concerted fire
yesterday as business groups declared war on proposed legislation and as
cracks emerged in the government's own front on the issue.
Labour's Land Transport Management Bill was attacked by business groups
for its move to abolish economic efficiency as a criteria for funding
roads and replace it with social, environmental and cultural factors.
At press time yesterday, there was growing concern among business groups
that this switch would slow much-needed investment in New Zealand's
roads to a trickle.
The government bill also includes some features of the Green Party's
Road Traffic Reduction Bill, which is being debated at the same time.
Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has said that the first part
of the government's bill makes her proposed law change partly redundant.
Labour's bill is widely seen as a sop to the Greens for continuing to
support the government.
The bill was put together by Prime Minister Helen Clark's ubiquitous
chief-of-staff, Heather Simpson, in close consultation with the Green
Party.
However the cabinet itself is understood to be divided into three groups
on the issue.
A sizeable group is close to the Greens and wants to see more people in
trains and on bicycles. This groups is understood to view the current
bill as a step in the right direction, rather than a full solution.
A second group - the largest - sees last year's funding package,
including the hike in the petrol tax, and the current bill as a
combination of measures that will solve the present problems as well as
pacify two of Labour's most problematic constituencies - the
environmental movement (and those sympathetic to it) and the Maori vote.
The third group - the smallest - is concerned with the economic
implications of the current bill.
That group - which is understood to include Finance Minister Michael
Cullen and Transport Minister Paul Swain - has been for months quietly
urging business groups to make the strongest submissions possible
against the government bill, as well as the Green Party bill.
The role of United Future New Zealand might prove to be crucial in all
this: that party views the bill as "too Green," a spokesman said
yesterday.
**********************************************************************
34) The National Business Review (New Zealand); March 7, 2003
NEW ZEALAND: A PERNICIOUS DOCTRINE
Parliament is about to make some minor changes to the Resource
Management Act. The Green Party wants to incorporate the precautionary
principle into section 32.
The precautionary principle threatens any democratic society because it
inverts the customary relationship between the citizen and the state.
Our British tradition assumes that a citizen is free to act unless the
state can prove harm. The precautionary principle turns this on its
head: citizens have no freedom to act unless they can prove perfect
safety - which is, of course, impossible.
Any technology has the potential to deliver benefits or harm. The wheel
can work on a tractor or on a tank; the knife can be wielded by the
surgeon or the murderer. Had our forebears adopted this doctrine we
would still be hunter-gatherers huddled in caves without even fire to
keep us warm.
Any new technology is effectively neutral; it's peoples' ideas -
including their political or religious beliefs - that determine whether
a technology is used for good or evil.
The 747 had been a benign technology until religious fanatics flew two
of them into the Twin Towers. Hitler's Nazi visions harnessed technology
to his military ventures and his final solutions. DDT was a benign
chemical saving hundreds of millions from the scourge of malaria until
early environmentalist ideas imposed a ban that has led to about 50
million unnecessary deaths and currently causes the death of a child
every 30 seconds (see www.acsh.org/publications/reports/ddt2002.html).
If we want to make new technologies "perfectly safe" we have to censor
human ideas, because it is ideas that determine whether any given
technology is a saviour or a destroyer.
Should we really be willing to abandon our hard-won traditions of
freedom of action, thought and speech? The Greens seem to think so.
We should watch and see which political parties are willing to sanctify
this dangerous doctrine within New Zealand law.
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