[Pil-pc-oceania] permaculture political party

Sun Jul 1 11:46:17 EST 2007

I agree with many of the points made in this thread.

I've had much political involvment since the heady election of 1983, when, 
with the help of the Democrats (mainland OZ), and the world's first green 
party, the United Tasmania Group (Tasmania, and the party which was the 
precursor of the Tasmanian-and-later-every-other-Greens-Party-on the 
planet), the Franklin-Gordon Rivers were saved for posterity (not by Labor, 
but by a very narrow 4:3 vote of the Full Becnch of the High Court....with 
due thanks to the Hawke Labor Govt who took on the Tasmanian Govt in the 
high court  ...seeking a states-federal constitutional ruling.)

Hmmm. After that victory....we have been endlessly plugging away at various 
green political manoevers, with varying degrees of success.

In fact, even Bob Brown acknowledges that it is up to each person to make 
their own decisions about what is the best way for themselves to partake in 
the whirlygig that is our democracy. A very fair call. One should NEVER 
predispose to tell anyone else what to do.  Though some commit to the party 
process, it isn't for everyone, and independence is a very valued commodity. 
Even in a consensus model outfit like the Greens, it isnt always possible to 
achieve consensus, which is why they have a rule for how to make decisions 
in cases where consensus isnt achievable.  But compared to Labor, a 
belligerent 51:49 model, where you simply cannot go against the faction in 
the party room or cross the floor without being booted out of the party, the 
Liberal Party seems fair (at least to those within its own ranks) and allows 
members to cross the floor. You may not get preselected but you wont get 
thrown out of the party!

Minor candidates AND independents are extremely worthwhile. They can 
highlight particular issues in ways that larger outfits find impossible.

But where many greenhorns (if you'll pardon the term) fail is in the heady 
weeks leading up to the election, where the ultimate jousting contest 
occurs....and PREFERENCES get decided.   The Greens got very savvy at 
this....there is no automatic allocation of preferences these days.  [Back 
in 2001, 80% of Green voters second prefs went Labor and 20% went Liberal]. 
Our esteemed Senator Kerry Nettle was ultimately elected on the back of  One 
Nation prefernces.
Indeed, one can no longer assume anything about the ultimate allocation of 
the Green vote... except in case of above the line voting in the upper 
house...(lower house in Tasmania?).

The treacherous labyrinth that is Tasmanian politics has taught the Greens 
well.  In the leadup to the 2004 election, and in the desperate struggle to 
save Tasmania's Old Growth forests, the Greens announced that the major 
parties would have to EARN the Greens' preferences. This confused the 
punters momentarily, but the Greens were on the money. Suddenly in the week 
before the election, the Howard Govt came out with a deal to save the 
Tarkine, and a $50 (80?) million restucturing package.  It wasn't everything 
we wanted, and it didnt even come close to what the Latham Govt offered 
(more like $800 million, and more precious Tassie forests would have been 
spared the bulldozer).. But alas, Latham Labor lost, and the Liberal deal 
was the only real offer.

Preferences hold the key. I heard that legally binding deals are signed 
about promises made on the back of preference deals. You can never trust a 
politician!

And as Green parties are all State controlled and NOT a federal machine, 
generally speaking, not all State Greens parties are created equal.  The 
Australian Greens are actually a loose federation of State parties.  WA runs 
its own show, it is only a part of the national green political circus by 
its own grace.

I try to avoid politics as much as I can these days, but when an election is 
impending, like the hand of doom itself, I am compelled to turn my gaze 
toward it.
In a democracy like ours, one's only real democratic freedom is...you 
guessed it....voting!   And it only comes around every three or four years. 
Ignore it at your peril, as I remember to forget the plethora of politically 
inspired aphorisms.....zzzzzzzzzzz.

I think it was Bill Mollisol who once said:  "When the revolution comes, 
don't get caught doing something stupid".  I don't know if it was original, 
but it stuck in my head. Politics IS a neccessary evil.  But sometimes I 
think I should have ignored it and done full-time teaching instead.  Could I 
have done both?  As I now live with post traumatic stress burnout, I turn my 
attention back to writing...and therefore teaching.

One way or another, the generic green message yelled from ever more rooftops 
in increasing volume eventually sunk into these retrograde politicians 
brains.  Visionaries jumped willingly, while neo-cons et al were dragged 
kicking and screaming.

I, along with many other, have saved some beautiful forests along the way.

Gathered around on a NW Tasmanian forest floor in the late winter of 2003, 
it was another quote of Bill's that I trotted out, to keep some wonderful 
young mainland uni students inspired along their journey to save Tassies 
forests:

Bill once said: "If we lose all the universities in the world, we have lost 
nothing; but if we lose all the forests, we've lost everything".

The young students all broke into spontaneous applause.  And then they went 
back to the mainland and saved the Tarkine.
Sometimes political activism is necessary. It is certainly gratifying to see 
the results of your efforts.
When your only reward is the satisfaction of a job well done, it does count 
for something. Most of us don't get paid!

Poitics however can be like a drug.  So it is I paraphrase another of life's 
aphorisms:  "Always let your politics be a slave to you, never be a slave to 
your politics"
Just drop it in the recycle bin on the way out, when you're done: someone 
else might be able to use it.

Cheers
Deb

.........................................................................................

I find the precautionary emails about this are most valid.

Permaculturists would achieve a lot more by focussing on a good marketing
and promotion strategy to get permaculture solutions out to the world than
by setting up yet another political party.

As John said, we simply don't have the infrastructure to organise such an
enterprise and I think the efforts spend in such a futile endeavour could be
better invested for greater impact. I'm concerned it would only fragment our
energies and could potentially lose more support than we gain.

A new documentary like a permaculture equivalent to End of Suburbia, Future
of Food and other DVD's coming out in recent years  would serve the movement
and the planet well (it's over 15 years since Global Gardener). Streaming
lots of short permaculture videos on the internet would also get a lot of
people thinking and instigating solutions in their own lives and
communities.

Ciao
Robyn

-- 
Pathways to sustainability through
Accredited Permaculture Training
Certificates III & IV and Diploma of Permaculture
Erda Institute Inc

Djanbung Gardens
Permaculture Education Centre & Demonstration Farm
PO Box 379 Nimbin NSW 2480
02-6689 1755  /  0429 147 138
www.permaculture.com.au

_______________________________________________
Pil-pc-oceania mailing list
Pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
http://jasper.cmsarchitects.com/mailman/listinfo/pil-pc-oceania

I find the precautionary emails about this are most valid.

Permaculturists would achieve a lot more by focussing on a good marketing
and promotion strategy to get permaculture solutions out to the world than
by setting up yet another political party.

As John said, we simply don't have the infrastructure to organise such an
enterprise and I think the efforts spend in such a futile endeavour could be
better invested for greater impact. I'm concerned it would only fragment our
energies and could potentially lose more support than we gain.

A new documentary like a permaculture equivalent to End of Suburbia, Future
of Food and other DVD's coming out in recent years  would serve the movement
and the planet well (it's over 15 years since Global Gardener). Streaming
lots of short permaculture videos on the internet would also get a lot of
people thinking and instigating solutions in their own lives and
communities.

Ciao
Robyn

-- 
Pathways to sustainability through
Accredited Permaculture Training
Certificates III & IV and Diploma of Permaculture
Erda Institute Inc

Djanbung Gardens
Permaculture Education Centre & Demonstration Farm
PO Box 379 Nimbin NSW 2480
02-6689 1755  /  0429 147 138
www.permaculture.com.au

_______________________________________________
Pil-pc-oceania mailing list
Pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
http://jasper.cmsarchitects.com/mailman/listinfo/pil-pc-oceania 