Australian PM Howard’s Party Bans Members From Gore’s Global Warming Speeches

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/19/howard-bans-gore/

Australian PM Howard’s Party Bans Members From Gore’s Global Warming Speeches

Al Gore is currently in Australia speaking on climate change, where he has launched a “passionate attack on the climate policies of Prime Minister John Howard and US President George Bush.” Yesterday, he spoke to a sold-out crowd of more than 700 people, and tomorrow’s event is anticipated to have similar attendance. From his speech yesterday:

I said it in Australia before and I will say it again, if Australia ratifies Kyoto, it is like Australia and the United States are Bonnie and Clyde in the world of environment.

And if Clyde is isolated and Bonnie has gone straight, Clyde won’t really be able to resist any more.

But according to the event organizer, Max Markson, Prime Minister John Howard’s Liberal Party have prohibited its members from attending the events:

Event organiser Markson says while he sent invitations to Liberals from the Prime Minister down, only one accepted and then promptly cancelled.

“There is absolutely an official boycott in place. We had one NSW Liberal MP (agree to come} and he had to ring back and apologise and say he wasn’t allowed to come,” says Markson.

Howard has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the truth of global warming. When Gore visited Australia in 2006 to promote his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Howard refused to meet with him. Though he did eventually view the film, he dismissed it as “alright” and said, “I don’t take policy advice from films.”

Not surprisingly, Howard is a steadfast Bush ally. Earlier this month, he stated, “We have no closer alliance with any country in the world than we have with the United States.” Howard, whom Bush has called his “mate of steel,” joined Bush in refusing to sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change. They remain the only major industrialized nations to stay out of the international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Howard is facing strong disapproval from the Australian public, the majority of whom view climate change as the number one external threat to the country. They are also increasingly frustrated with Howard’s unwavering support for Bush’s war in Iraq, with 57 percent wanting the war to end.

One poll previewing the upcoming parliamentary elections showed Howard losing his own seat by seven points, and overall, his Liberal Party is losing 43-57 to the opposition Labor party.

[Cha]

1. howard's a Loser and we knew this..

he's a loser in the vein of buSHIT.

When are the Aussies gonna vote his anal fascistass outta there?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Some folks are just plain out blind

and I do hope Howard looses, and looses badly, together with his party

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Listening to dissenting views? Streng verboten!! nt

[angstlessk]

4. Howard MUST have Diebold machines...how can he continue his

anti global warming theory while the country is drying up, literally?

[babylonsister]

5. He's due to be voted out real soon; getting his last licks in? nt

[Red Zelda]

6. Australia? Is it still there?

It's like Canada with its brain missing.

[Cha]

7. Poor Australia..it must have had to

go through it's fascist regime like their best buddies the USA.

We used to have some cool Aussies posting on DU but I haven't seen them in awhile.

Aussies are ya there?!

[anakie]

8. what's up your bum Moran?

look in your own back yard. Bush as president - (s)elected twice. Economy tanking. Housing in crisis. War going swimmingly. Debt up to your eyeballs. Free, fair and fearless press. Great health system. etc etc

Go USA


peace

[Red Zelda]

10. Nice queen, Reggie

[anakie]

12. ????

in reply to a small list of some of the ills currently affecting your nation you say something like that.

What do you mean comrade?


Peace

[babylonsister]

14. You are, of course, right, anakie. We are in no position to throw stones

at anyone; our glass house is shattering.

[Red Zelda]

20. And EVERYONE can't wait

to live HERE, ya kangaroo.

[Michigander4Dean]

9. Don't see anything "Liberal" about Australia's "Liberal" Party | nt

[anakie]

13. They are not.

The Liberal Party of Australia is our conservative party. The Australian Labor Party is the party of the centre left; or in reality the not so right wing party.

Peace

[NobleCynic]

15. In every country except ours liberal means right wing economic view

Ours is the only one where liberal means progressive

[judaspriestess]

11. "mate of steel"??

what is bushes nickname to him? my little drunkeepoo?

[Dem_in_Oz]

16. I saw the Gore speach in Sydney yesterday...it was great

Very good speach...lots of passion and emotion. Got to meet him beforehand which was quite a treat.

Then he opened it up for Q & A and the first question was asked by Former AU Prime Minister Bob Hawke. He read the Greenspan quote saying Iraq was was largely about Oil and asked Gore to respond.

Gore clearly was put on the spot a bit, and quipped "What Bob is really saying is 'here you go Al, here's a hand grenade, hold this for a minute'" or something like that.

Then after a long and thoughtful answer (about similarity between Iraq and climate crisis, Cheney's PNAC efforts pre 2000, etc.) he said "So the answer would be a qualified 'yes'". The crowd gave him a hearty round of applause at that point.

Bob Hawke also recounted how in the 80's he was pushing to protect Antarctica from drilling interests and got no help from the US Gov't, but found a strong and effective ally in Senator Gore.

I was torn if I should have used the opportunity to emplore him to run, but didn't get a chance. Shit I hope he does...

[Just-plain-Kathy]

17. Welcome to the DU Dem_in_Oz. Thanks for sharing your Gore experience.

I hope he runs too.

[Pirate Smile]

18. Thanks and Welcome.

Great first person account.

:hi:

[canetoad]

19. Even Howard does not have the clout

to ban ordinary party members from attending anything. He has probably banned parliamentary members and at the moment they are not held in very high regard by most of the country, so who really cares.

The federal election will be held within the next 3 months. We do not have voting machines but hand counted ballots. Howard will be voted out.