States rights

One thing that gets consistently high support in opinion polls is the idea of abolishing State Governments. In fact, faced with the choice of the ALP and the coalition in NSW it looks like an "Abolish State Government" party might be our best hope. I'm seriously considering forming it, so contact me if you are interested. (There is an e-mail link here somewhere - or just post a comment).

However, we do have wildly inconsistent views on the issue of State rights - as best exemplified by the Greens. It has been reported today that the Greens plan to introduce legislation to repeal the Howard legislation that overturned the NT euthanasia laws. In doing so he said "This won't bring in euthanasia, but it will restore the rights of the territorians to be able to legislate for euthanasia the same as everyone in the states."

Conveniently for Brown he'll be able to use the same argument in the case of the Queensland Wild Rivers legislation which we are also told will see a private members bill from Tony Abbott seeking to overturn the protection of these rivers on aboriginal land so that the traditional owners can exploit their economic potential.

But where, I ask, does that leave Bob Brown on the cause in which he made his fame? He led the campaign against the Franklin Dam - a dam that was stopped by the Federal Government using its external affairs powers to over-rule state laws.

States rights is a convenient slogan for anytime a political party favours the action of a state - and are totally forgotten when the politics runs the other way.