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The Forum > Article Comments > Peter Garrett - a beacon for a contradictory age > Comments

Peter Garrett - a beacon for a contradictory age : Comments

By James Rose, published 28/2/2007

Peter Garrett stands for a great deal that many Australians hold dear and his ethical dilemmas are ones we can relate to.

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While ever community leaders join the mainstream political parties and the condition of joining is that they cease to advocate the positions that saw them gain prominence no real change is ever achieved. if Garrett wont fight for those issues around which he established himself then wats the point of a political career. So no US bases policy thrown out, no uranium mining thrown out, support for the coal industry OK, support for unfair dismissal laws not needed, what's next Pete vote against indigenous rights to support the WA party? What a waste of a life of activism. better to stand on the outside and raise issues than to get on the inside and sell out your values on the promise of achieving something in the never-never. Enjoy the perks cause you aint going to enjoy changing anything.
Posted by KrissD, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 9:10:23 AM
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I think he already is a "tragic figure" - neutered by the Labor party.

"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees"

Give me a break.
Posted by Megan, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 12:59:47 PM
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Please prove us wrong Peter and be as forthright as you were in the Oils. We need politics to inspire more than ever - we have a generation who have no interest in politics or see all politicians as self-serving aspirational weasels - this needs to change. I feel Garrett was wheeled in to work the youth vote - time will tell if it works.

The Maxine Factor however was a much more astute appointment - and I'd dearly love to see her debate with our beloved PM...
Posted by stormont, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 1:17:05 PM
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I think Peter Garrett is a classic political sellout. He was recruited and preselected by the ALP on the basis of his popularity - derived largely from his prominent advocacy of issues such as anti-nuclear energy and opposition to US bases in Australia.

He was elected on the basis of that reputation, but since entering parliament he has abandoned the very principles that made him attractive. Hopefully he'll be punished at the next election.

US forces get Garrett's nod...
Posted by CJ Morgan, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 1:47:14 PM
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Has Peter Garratt gone into hiding? He didn't even front up to a bunch of irrigation farmers on SBS insight the other night. No views on the Murray, Peter?
Senator Bill Heffernan thinks he "dogged" it.
Posted by rojo, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 3:52:06 PM
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Everything people predicted would happen when Garrett first announced his joining the ALP has happened... now we're down to details. When you play by their rules you aren't building an alternative to the greed-first system, just helping to prop it up. While I will do my best to see Howard defeated later this year we need only look at the state Labor governments to see what PM Rudd will be like.

I was at the Cheney demonstration in Sydney last Thursday and thought getting caught up in a police riot preventing us exercising the right to protest in a properly notified street march was bad enough, only to have Kevin Rudd call us "violent ferals", whatever that means. There seem to be so many of us who are clear about what we don't want, yet confidence to find each other and get about building an alternative seems so difficult. What is to be done?
Posted by brucek, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 4:06:41 PM
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I have no sympathy for the guy.

Idealists keep making the mistake that simply because they feel passionately about something, they by definition have something to offer to the political system.

The realization that the exact opposite is the case arrives quickly and, occasionally, painfully.

Politics is a suitable occupation only for professional politicians, who understand that the only place for principles is in the pre-election leaflets.

That is one of the reasons why we are now seeing second- and third- generation politicians. Politics is seen as a well-remunerated and gold-card-expenses career opportunity rather than as a service to the nation.

Garrett has those genes, it would appear. So there has to be a good chance that the principles and reputation that got him where he is will be gradually abandoned in favour of a comfortable, and lucrative, career.

But exactly who is using whom - he using the party, or the party using him - is not immediately evident.
Posted by Pericles, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 4:16:05 PM
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"There seem to be so many of us who are clear about what we don't want, yet confidence to find each other and get about building an alternative seems so difficult. What is to be done?"

Work against, not for, the ALP. Stop propping up a party that is dead against any radical change, but is much better than the Coalition at co-opting it. Work to defeat it instead and start work on a movement that can replace it.

David Jackmanson
http://www.letstakeover.blogspot.com
http://www.lastsuperpower.net
Posted by David Jackmanson, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 5:07:01 PM
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Doesn't convince me as all. From a conservationist's point of view, we have the "Angle with a Dirty Face" and "this yellow bellied rat never spat in my eye" but he is no James Cagney either.

He lamented about cutting down trees in "Blue Sky" and "River Runs Red", and then the stress signal was always the song "Power and the Passion".

The tragedy of Garrett is he always believed in the Power and the passion and the "temper of the time", he has demonstrated so effectively, only sold Albums for his business. For greed, for the very sins that he stood against.

He rose politically in the anti nuclear movement. What does he say now? He wouldn't vote against nuclear power station in a future ALP Government. Dirty rat.

He said he was against woodchipping. He is now financed by a pulp mill in Tumut. The chippers actually finance the guy.

He said that the US forces are "a setback to your country". He now says that he has changed his mind. Power and the Passion.

He actually went down to the last Victorian election and told lied to the Victorians in a political stunt against the Greens Party. He said that a vote for the Greens is a vote for the Liberals. The Victorians were smarter than he was, and voted 3 Greens in power, in spite of a liar, traitorous filthy opportunistic rat in Peter Garret.

May the mediators expell him from the Quakers. They will if I have anything to do with it. He is a blight to Quakerism. Through the rodent to the Catholics, let them deal with him.

And David, why should we be so fast in voting for a party just for the sake of getting rid of the Liberals if we simply get more lies, sleaze, and opportunists. There are other choices too, and I think you guess what other parties I can point to.
Posted by saintfletcher, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 6:23:23 PM
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as a dedicated lefty, who turns to Labour only as the better of two evils-
I must actually go against the flow here.

I would have been happy to see Peter Garret join the greens-
however, I respect and appreciate his decision to join Labour.
After all, it is government (and maybe occasionally the balance of power) who get the chance to affect change- and the Greens (bless their little souls) appear decades away from developing an alternative government/coalition.
Yes indeed he has had to compromise a lot of his ideals that in his various incarnations had been previously easily maintained- but really, isn't that the only way politics is done?

For me, I feel that I have a pretty good idea on where he stands on a lot of issues, environmental inparticular- and regardless of the public toeing the line position he must present as a labour MP- I feel confident and thankfull that his views and beliefs (environmental again) are at least present within the internal workings of Labour (even if at present they are largely ignored).

Frankly, I would rather have him in there, than some other guy/girl carreer politician.

High uncompromised ideals are great for some people, particularly ones who are happy to stand on the sidelines and protest as the world moves on by. For others maybe they realise that affecting a DIRECTION of change TOWARDS their ideals is more important than sticking to ideals as they are again and again ignored.
Posted by hansp77, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 6:35:51 PM
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He could have stood as an Independent.
Good thing though that he had a career change, because he was a lousy singer.
Posted by Is Mise, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 8:44:54 PM
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Can't sing, can't dance, can't be taken seriously.
Posted by Rainier, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 9:11:38 PM
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"Can't sing, can't dance, can't be taken seriously."

well I guess he is perfect for politics then eh?
Posted by hansp77, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 9:16:57 PM
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saintfletcher, I'm saying vote AGAINST the ALP, or at least vote informal. Keep them out of office.

As far as forming a government goes, there are only two choices, ALP and Liberal/National.

If you keep on voting ALP, you'll never see any change at all. They'll just keep on co-opting people like Garrett and keep the same system running.

It's a scary thing for many people, and it won't be very popular this year, but if we don't stop being dependent on the ALP for a few crumbs, there'll never be any change.

David Jackmanson
http://www.letstakeover.blogspot.com
http://www.lastsuperpower.net
Posted by David Jackmanson, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 11:35:38 PM
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Peter Garrett a beacon ? I don't think so ! Most Australians do not get parachuted into a safe seat over the heads of local ALP stalwarts, and than get paid a large salary to sell out on crucial envrionmental issues like logging, coal and the wrecking of our rivers by mining companies. Folks I know call him a Clayton's Green.
Posted by kang, Thursday, 1 March 2007 3:33:01 PM
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You may say there are only 2 political parties because the others have already made deals,

But dont forget The Australian Peoples Party wont put up with there tactics.

www.tapp.org.au
Posted by tapp, Thursday, 1 March 2007 4:38:05 PM
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Would it have made more sense if he joined the Liberal Party instead of the ALP?

Whitlam had to choose between Labour and Liberal when he decided to enter politics. Nelson was a member of the ALP and defected to the Libs when it personally suited him.

Pragmatism is essential if you are a member of any organisation.

I'm certain that no member of any political party entirely agrees with every decision that their party makes. They are actually supposed to carry out the wishes of their respective electorates but it's the party system that takes control of them once the election is over.

Does Turnbull privately support everything Howard does or is he biding his time until he can change things from within?

Let's wait and see who toes the party line and campaigns for a nuclear reactor to be built in their electorate. Then we'll see who the hypocrites really are.
Posted by rache, Friday, 2 March 2007 12:14:28 AM
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The single most dangerous threat to Australia's environment is the growth of the population. We are adding more than a million people every four years. Our growth rate is, along with the US, the highest in the developed world. It is driven not by the wishes of the populace, who are sick to death of increasingly congested cities, but by the property developers and infrastructure moguls (e.g. Mr Turnbull of Macquarie Bank, who are not satisfied with normal profits but are gorging themselves on constant HUGE profits.

I would take Mr Garrett more seriously if he mentioned this, as Professor Ian Lowe, a much better President of the the Australian Conservation Foundation, does. However I don't believe I've heard him even raise the subject.
Posted by Thermoman, Saturday, 3 March 2007 2:36:00 AM
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Give Peter Garrett a go, fellow commentators. He's an idealist in the real world. We need more of 'em. He's done the hard yards on the environmental fringe, let see what he can do in the centre. Like Jimmy Carter asking Al Gore to run for US President (by September), because although Mr Gore would possibly enjoy his activism more than the responsibility of being US President, he can do a lot more from the White House than he can picking up an Academy award for his great movie. Sure there's the danger that in time PG will become another hard-nosed cynic who just wants ministerial leather (that Amnesty badge looks out of place on your chest, Mr Ruddock!), but for the moment, give Garrett a go! As he sang (beautifully) on the Breathe album: "The wrecking fields are a terrible place, Where the hook is early and the critic is king. It's hard to stay human and stand in the ring".
Posted by Tomess, Monday, 5 March 2007 11:32:43 AM
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Personally I would very much like to know how the Federal budget is approaching a Trillion dollars, to be spent on a mere 20 million people, and yet we are not living in houses made of gold, yet alone protecting the environment, which should be our No1 priority any answers out there.
Posted by SHONGA, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 7:02:13 PM
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