The CEC on the Swine flu: <LaRouche, who in his international webcast the day before called for a global economic mobilization to confront this disease and the British Empire's genocide policy which has fostered it, ...">

What is his obsession with that dysfunctional British family? They're hardly able to keep private their mobile phone conversations, global conspiracy would be a real big ask.

Sancho, it can be scary how many of our fellow humans desparately want to completely believe EVERYTHING a person says they put into a position of authority. The capacity to verify for themselves whether a statement is rational on the available facts is too hard.

Once someone handed me some pamphlets on CEC and i glanced through them and then binned them.

Some years back i googled up 'The Greens' policies and found some bizzare policies that i do not think many really know about. Here are some I found.

Legalize all drugs

Government assistance to Gay and Lesbian festivals

Equal numbers of males and females on all boards and committees

Lower voting age to 16

Employment. Guaranteed Adequate Income for everyone
Work only if one wants to

Reintroduce death duties

Conscientious objectors should not have to pay tax

Disallow advertising, legal fees and vehicle expenses as business tax deductions

Phrase out use of animals for medical research

Cancel plans for any new water storage dams

Further extend gun control

Defense Peace and disarmament
Demilitarisation of Asia Pacific area.
Do away with armed forces but establish coast watch
Australia not to produce weaponry
People to be educated in ways of non-violent resistanceif we are invaded
Universities to conduct research into peace

Release all asylum seekers into community

Make rodeos illegal

Education to focus on sense of community and to enrich personal relationships

Government to garrantee adequate income for everyone

Work only if one wants to

Remember this is 'The Greens' You don't have to look for other fringe groups for weird policies.

I think that would be many years back, Banjo. Besides which, many of those policies are eminently sensible, even if an equal number are silly.

The policies have changed because the Greens are no longer on the fringe, and hence not under the purview of this thread.

This doesn't have to be all about the CEC. I'd like to hear what people have to say about The Exclusive Brethren, Hillsong, Sukyo Mahikari, the Australian Natural Law Party, or any of the other myriad small political/cultish/ideological groups that call this continent home.

Sancho

Hillsong & Ex-Brethren both scare me for different reasons.

Hillsong: Basically a clever ruse to raise money and avoid taxes, feel-good message for the gullible. Does anyone know if they have a connection to the Family First Party, if so they are potentially a threat to a secular democracy.

E.B.'s - any fringe group that does not participate fully in the responsibilities of a nation, as in not voting but still lobbying is highly suspect.

The Natural Law Party, appear harmless enough, in fact quite funny really. One of their stated goals is to create a psychic defence wall around nations using 7000 meditating yogis. Instead of talking about it why don't they just go ahead and create world peace? The 7000 yogis don't have to be elected to do that.

"Defence: Natural Law Party government will create an invincible armour of positivity for the nation by establishing a Prevention Wing of the military - a group of Yogic Flyers - whose daily drills will neutralise all negative tendencies coming from both inside and outside the country and radiate peace and harmony to the world ...."
http://lachlan.bluehaze.com.au/natlaw/index.html

Banjo

Sancho is correct, the Greens have come a long way in from the fringe, check out their current policies - very reasonable, organised and realistic and their success reflects their credibility.

http://greens.org.au/policies

Sancho and Fractelle,
I disagree, The Greens are a fringe group. Those policies I quoted are only 7-8 years old. Point is not many people know about them as the Greens do not talk about them much.

Any group that has, or had, such stupid and radical policies is a fringe group and this is reflected in their low primary vote. They only get the odd seat in the Senate because of Labor preferences. This does not say much for our compulsory preferential voting system.

It has to be only due to ignorance that they get as many votes as they do.

I will not bother to update my record of the Greens policies as such are not worthy of any more of my time. Even today I read in the press that the Greens are advocating a 40% reduction in emissions by 2020.

Just what sort of stuff are they smoking? Or do they eat the mushrooms at the bottom of the garden?

Banjo
"Any group that has, or had, such stupid and radical policies is a fringe group"
Banjo woke up! when a party like greens takes 7-8% of the national votes can not be a fringe group.
If you think green's policies are stupid this is your opinion, I think liberarl's policies are stupid and my friend B thinks ALP's policies are stupid! This is an other story!
You are very hard in your coments, think the 8% of Australians (about)who voted greens!
"It has to be only due to ignorance that they get as many votes as they do."
The truth is that green voters are well educated, they belong to middle class, they have high environment and social sensitivity, they are good human rights supporters, their role for our future, for the future of our planet is many times bigger than their voting base.
I always voted ALP for parliament and GREENS for senate.

Sancho
If you find a new party with new ideas, new solutions to new and old problems and if it promotes the interests from non privilaged people as migrants, aged people, low income people, women, minorities etc, and if IT IS A TRUE DEMOCRATIC, OPEN PARTY, PLEASE sent me a form to become member of this party.
I prefer its leadership to be credible with a history in non government Organizations as human rights, workers rights, women rights, etc
I do not care at all if any one of you call it a fringe party!
I am sure, it will grow up, very soon !
PEOPLE ARE SICK FROM THE POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT AND THERE ARE SOME STRONG GROUPS WITHOUHT ANY VOICE!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide