Of the handful of political parties with representatives in the Australian national Parliament, I much prefer the policies of the Australian Greens.
I usually find complimentary things to say about the Greens’ Senators work in the Federal Senate. Senator Ludlum, for instance, has played a smart and constructive role in the Internet censorship debate. Christine Milne is superb on the Climate Change issue. Those are just two examples. Overall, the Greens’ team is grossly overstretched, with only five Senators to cover all issues; it’s also hardworking.
Australian Greens' Leader Bob Brown: vocal about Tibet, silent on Gaza
Yet overstretched or not, the Greens are timid to the point of embarrassed silence on other subjects that cry out for investigation and follow-up.
The leadership of the Australian Greens have been either too ignorant, too stupid, too cowardly or too ‘bought-off’ to raise hard questions about 9-11 in the Australian Senate, questions begging to be asked. I hope it’s just the former, but ignorance, as the saying goes, is really no excuse.
Among people from many lands, Australians died on that tragic day in New York City in quite horrible circumstances. Who in our Parliament pursues justice for them? The answer, as far as I can see, is no-one.
I’d make a similar comment in relation to the London bombings on 7th July 2005, the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania (1996) and the Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing (1978). All are highly suspicious events, in which there are are major problems with the official narrative of events and plenty of contrary evidence. In three of the four case there has been no public investigation at all (London 7/7, Port Arthur and the Sydney Hilton); in the case of 9-11, official inquiries that did take place have been travesties.
Australians need defending against unparalleled threats from elements within our own States and elites, if and when they go ‘feral’ and undertake violent and illegal schemes outside the law. The best of our politicians should lead this defense. Yet in Australia, The Greens have ducked this challenge.
On Israel/Palestine, the Australian Greens continue to be a disgrace. Party policy, last updated in 2006, has feel-good commitments to justice for Palestinians and embraces the so-called ‘two State solution’. But it fudges the real issues because of that.
What’s needed is strong, clear opposition to Israeli military expansionism, to Israel’s enormous WMD and spy programs, to mass detention of Palestinian political prisoners, to the strangulation of Palestine’s economy over many decades – and to the separatist, segregationalist and supremacist foundations of the Zionist project.
Gaza after Israel's month-long bombing spree: when will the Australian Greens stop treatng Israel with kid gloves?
Above all, as we’re living in 2009, what’s needed is impassioned advocacy on behalf of the people of Gaza, who’ve now suffered three years of an agnonizing, cruel economic blockade – as well as a month of full-scale military attack earlier this year – for the ‘crime’ of voting in a political leadership not approved by the Israeli occupiers.
What’s needed, as the Australian Greens are in Australia – is strong public criticism of the pathetic subservience of the Australian Government (and Federal Opposition) to the nuclear-armed, apartheid Zionist State.
Last week, Julia Gillard and fellow Zionist cronies from ‘both sides of Parliament’ attended a business-oriented love-fest in Israel. The occasion presented a perfect opportunity to the Greens to differentiate their more ethical political brand from both Australia’s mainstream parties.
What happened? Nothing, as far as I can see. No reported comments from Greens Leader Bob Brown – or any of his colleagues – show up in my web searches. Just more sounds of silence.
Deputy Prime Minister Gillard left behind a multi-million dollar cheque to help rebuild a tiny part of the damage done by Israel in its most murderous rampage in Gaza last January. Call it conscience money at best. Not once, as far as I’ve noticed, did Gillard complain to Israel about the vicious attack on a defenseless city with well over a million inhabitants, causing thousands of deaths and injuries to Palestinians – and untold billions of dollars of damage.
Nor did Ms Gillard mention the continuing Israeli blockade of Gaza – a blockade that’s been dragging on for two whole years and counting. Have the Australian Greens protested to Israel about this either? Not a murmur, as far as I can see.
US Greens leader Cynthia McKinney, on her first attempt to deliver relief supplies to Gaza by boat: McKinney has the courage to speak truth to power
Yesterday the valiant Cynthia McKinney, American Greens Presidential contender in 2008 and a former Congresswoman, was forcibly removed from a relief boat trying to bring desperately needed supplies to Gaza, along with a score of other human rights activists. At the time of writing, all these kidnapped heroes appear to be prisoners of the Israeli State.
It’s the second time in six months McKinney has put her own life in jeopardy to bring world attention to the cruel Israeli blockade of Gaza, using principles of peaceful direct action long espoused by greens everywhere.
Surely now, with a fellow Greens leader directly involved, the issue is sufficiently big to make it’s way to the Australian Greens website front page?
I’d have thought so, but apparently it isn’t. Not for the first time, I feel I’m reaching the limit of my patience with the Australian Greens.
If they won’t represent the growing anti-Zionist constituency in Australia – the current generation of anti-Apartheid, anti-war, human rights activism – someone else should have a go.
They’ll get my vote.
