Green Party of Australia helps defeat equivalent to USA Patriot Act
[ASIO = “Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill 2002″… Australian equivalent of USA Patriot Act… notice how many of the powers seized by Bush, here in the U.S., had to be actively fought for by the Australian Prime Minister. This is what happens when you have IRV and Greens have a fair chance to win elections. -Thomas]
It was Bob Brown who did it. He might well be the most impractical political leader in the business. But he sticks. Likewise his party, the Greens. They do not roll over on a policy decision. Usually that decision is as principled as it can be impolitic and implausible. The Greens live in the forests, with all the other elves and goblins. But you have to admire their resolution and their values. And increasing numbers of voters, sick to death of debauched major party behaviour and slick, prostituted political values, look to the Greens as the conscience of political life.
So what was it Brown did?
He made a speech. Parliament had been up all night, locked in a contest of wills with John Howard. The Senate sat for 25 hours straight, from 9.30am Thursday to 10.30am Friday. The last time anything like that happened was during the second Senate debate on the Telstra sale a few years ago. This time it was the new ASIO powers bill.
Now there aren’t going to be any new powers. Twice the Senate sent the ASIO bill back to the House, insisting the Government accept its amendments, the great majority of them Labor’s. Twice Labor, the Democrats and the Greens combined to frustrate the Government’s insistent demands there be no amendments. The second time, at 10.30 yesterday morning, the Government folded.
