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New Zealand's Nuclear Free Policy
November 1, 2004 Greetings Helen, In the Oct 31 issue of Sunday Star Times, Chris Trotter has a brilliant
article called "The importance of an empire, far, far away".
Very well worth reading. "A second-term Bush administration is, therefore, unlikely to tolerate any further delay in the modification of this country's anti-nuclear policies, and will almost certainly retaliate on the trade front if the New Zealand governments insists up its right to follow a different course diplomatic course to that of its "very, very, very good friends" I've continually studied the Iraq war and the Bush administration and agree with Trotter's general analysis. If Bush gets a second term, he may launch more and wider wars (Iran, Syria etc), provoke retaliation and 'terrorism' and probable use of nuclear weapons and a potential general disaster from which the world as we know it, may never recover. If he is an evangelical fundamentalist as he claims, then he will continue to say that God is guiding him in his 'war on evil'. If that leads to a nuclear Armageddon, then that is God's will, as some believe it is promised by God in the Bible. Nuclear Armageddon seems to them a time for jubilation and fulfilment, not an event to be feared and actively prevented. That is why the Bush Administration does not appear to be worried by the nuclear threat and environmental issues generally. I've described the various dangers of Christian fundamentalism in a paper and lecture on this subject. I've also given several public lectures on the increasing nuclear dangers and the illegality of the Iraq war, the phoney justifications, the occupation and continued US-UK bombing of civilians. I may plan a lecture tour of New Zealand in late February 2005 on "Keeping NZ Nuclear Free And the Dangers of the Bush Administration" presuming that Bush gets a second term. One point I plan to emphasise is that Labour has pledged to maintain NZ's nuclear weapons and nuclear warship bans. On the other hand if National gets to be government it has given many indications that it will scrap the nuclear free laws, rejoin ANZUS, support Bush's Iraq war, and future US wars. I will be outlining the various benefits to NZ of staying nuclear free, and give suggestions on how people can express their support for NZ's nuclear free laws. Some people in the peace movement are unhappy with Labour for various
reasons, such as NZ participation in Iraq, the Zaoui case, foreshore,
etc. I stress the difficulties and pressures you must be under such as
trying to maintain a foreign policy that goes against the direction of
NZ's 3 major traditional allies - Australia, the US and UK. It must be
a difficult balancing act. That's quite an achievement for a recent colonial
state, where colonial attitudes (as in Simon Power's speech) and old notions
of defence are still deeply entrenched. That you have accomplished this
without major hassles, so far, deserves a wider understanding and appreciation.
I will suggest ways people can show support for New Zealand's nuclear
free policies which so many people worked for.. Perhaps critics may take
the wider picture into account, and realise if they lose Labour and the
Greens, they'll get National. That will mean ANZUS, participation in more
wars, and nuclear warships and weapons back into NZ harbours. That would
make NZ both a terrorist and nuclear target. I don't think critics take
these factors into account. I agree with your foreshore policies - public ownership and unimpeded access to most of it. However the Zaoui case puzzles me. There seems no evidence for keeping Zaoui in prison, and no reason to cover up the seeming mistakes of NZ's intelligence service. They should have to admit their mistakes, rather than appearing to be a holy protected priesthood immune from criticism. The TV program exposing this case was one of the best. Labour is now hurting itself internationally, as well as nationally with this case. I suggest Labour might gain more support by admitting to faulty intelligence and releasing Zaoui, than by keeping him in prison. I'd like to express my concerns to you and discuss nuclear free NZ issues
and any related matters with you when I speak in Wellington toward the
end of February. Best regards, Larry Ross |
