Nexus - 0103 - New Times Magazine-pages

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‘Information is the currency of Democracy’ - Ralph Nader The mayor political pa rties are guaranteed free and equal media time by Australian news and broadcasting regulations. Others struggle on shoestring budgets to get their messages across. Nexus is an independant publication which can provide room for a full spectrum of views. In this issue we have two interviews wi th ‘Green’ activists: the first with controversial Green Party Senate candidate and anti-nuclear activist lan Cohen, who has surfed on the bow of one US nuclear-armed warship and climbed onto the deck of another in Sydney harbour - two recent actions in the long career of this environmental campaigner. How was your first Federal election? In the past you've had to get arrested to make the news. Well, on a personal level it was quite a strain. I’ve usually Did you find it was easier to get attention as a Senate y [ candidate? worked as part of a group; whether out ‘surfing warships’ or doing a little flash individually, I’m generally springing from . Well, I was arrested at Hawke’s campaign launch when he was on his a very strong support group like the Peace Squadron or other barge. I was charged with obstruction and causing a nuisance to a groups concerned with rainforest issues. vessel in restricted waters in the Harbour, I think it was. Ihave $200 With the last Federal election campaign the head left the worth of fines plus a 12 month good behaviour bond for that and I’m tail in terms of our political organisation. We had people who appealing against the severity of it. were keen to work in the office and get things organised - there Arrests comeas an often unexpected endgame to the chess that’s was a massive amountof work to be done in that area - but that going on. Bul 've found in the past and find still, that except in a few was more or less separated from what I had to do as the front specific situations - like diving off the rocks into the pollution at runner: to just get out and make a media splash. Bondi and paddling through it, where that's enough of ahighlight for Unlike the NDP with Peter Garrett at the previous election Hie Dac as 7 BBA GCONEY Se thence I eee Ee a carrot in front of their noses - in most cases, the situations [ve developed have hed to go to a point near arrest to create sufficient highlight for the media to be titillated and run it. - who had his media machine ready to go, and who also had a very high profile before he even started - I felt I had to impress m yself on the national arena almost on my own. I had Everything that] did - for example, spending the night inside the a friend, Richard Gosden, who was invaluable, a very creative end of the monorail tube - was an act that could, if the police had guy. We kept concocting confrontations with politicians like decided, have had me taken away and arrested. While they didn’t Hawke and Cohen - at the Bondi Pavilion to launch an Arts bother (and I was glad that they didn't) it was still a position in which Heritage book where we started talking long and loud about I was relatively vulnerable. I had to keep doing those things and take the pollution at Bondi - through to Hawke’s campaign launch the risk of being arrested. That's why a good behaviour bond is really and, of course, Howard’s launch. an infringement of my right to act politically, because can’t imagine myself running a successful campaign without being a little bit badly ‘It’s pathetic that people in the alter- behaved. * «ge Do you think we’ ve reached a point where no real issues ’ native scene don’t pull their finger out are raised in elections unless they’re raised by people like and do a big, brave act and REGISTER yourself? it? Hy J TO VOTE, because it’s so important Definitely. It’s a scam by the politicians, it’s a glossy media event, it’s the ultimate in hypocrisy by people who are running the country. The Labor Party’s taken over the reins of power from the Liberals (who thought that they were destined to rule forever) - it’s co-opted like some sort of bloodless coup. We saw a little machination with Fraser taking over from Whitlam a few years ago and now we have a situation where Labour have firmly grabbed the reins again. They're achieving their political ends through a process of subtle propaganda and they’re avoiding the real issues. One of our main themes in this run with the Greens was that we stick to the vital issues, whether it be a nuclear-armed warship or any other environmental issue that needs to be spoken about, andinfact { it’s easy pickings. I stood at many a public meeting with Democrat, Labor and Liberal party members speaking and I found that it was so damned easy because they were so hypocritical and were constantly lying. Everybody knows that politicians lie, and here we have a situation where you just stand up and say the truth. It’s so easy. It was a formula that we stumbled upon by being there and heckling and seeing how the media would react. We realised that we could inject a type of radical direct action into the political process. It certainly worked. I've just been checking the election break- down and we certainly had our strong points in northern NSW and particularly the inner city electorates, But there was a trickle from right around the State and it would seem to me that that trickle came from the broadcasting that was achieved in the media by my antics. On a personal level it was extremely intense, | walked around for about three weeks feeling thatmy head was twice the size itnormally is and had headaches. I was trying to push myself, most notably at the Howard launch where I found myself in a roomful of thousands of staunch Liberal supporters. When I put a banner up and started heckling and was dragged off by security men, there was a very intense hatred directed at me in that room, by people who believe they were born to rule - you could feel it - you couid cut the air with aknife. Every one of those events took a lot out of me. 6 Nexus New Times Three New ‘Information is the currency of Democracy’ - Ralph Nader The mayor political pa rties are guaranteed free and equal media time by Australian news and broadcasting regulations. Others struggle on shoestring budgets to get their messages across. Nexus is an independant publication which can provide room for a full spectrum of views. In this issue we have two interviews wi th ‘Green’ activists: the first with controversial Green Party Senate candidate and anti-nuclear activist lan Cohen, who has surfed on the bow of one US nuclear-armed warship and climbed onto the deck of another in Sydney harbour - two recent actions in the long career of this environmental campaigner. In the past you've had to get arrested to make the news. Did you find it was easier to get attention as a Senate candidate? Well, I was arrested at Hawke’s campaign launch when he was on his barge. I was charged with obstruction and causing a nuisance to a vessel in restricted waters in the Harbour, I think it was. Ihave $200 worth of fines plus a 12 month good behaviour bond for that and I’m appealing against the severity of it. Arrests come as an often unexpected endgame to the chess that’s going on. But I've found in the past and find still, that except in a few specific situations - like diving off the rocks into the pollution at Bondi and paddling through it, where that’s enough of ahighlight for the media to come and cover the issue without an arrest dangling like a carrot in front of their noses - in most cases, the situations I've developed have hed to go to a point near arrest to create sufficient highlight for the media to be titillated and run it. Everything that! did - for example, spending the night inside the end of the monorail tube - was an act that could, if the police had decided, have had me taken away and arrested. While they didn’t bother (and I was glad that they didn't) it was still a position in which I was relatively vulnerable. I had to keep doing those things and take the risk of being arrested. That's why a good behaviour bond is really an infringement of my right to act politically, because I can’t imagine myself running a successful campaign without being a little bit badly behaved. Do you think we’ ve reached a point where no real issues are raised in elections unless they’re raised by people like yourself? ‘It’s pathetic that people in the alter- native scene don’t pull their finger out and do a big, brave act and REGISTER TO VOTE, because it’s so important’ Definitely. It’s a scam by the politicians, it’s a glossy media event, it’s the ultimate in hypocrisy by people who are running the country. The Labor Party’s taken over the reins of power from the Liberals (who thought that they were destined to rule forever) - it’s co-opted like some sort of bloodless coup. We saw a little machination with Fraser taking over from Whitlam a few years ago and now we have a situation where Labour have firmly grabbed the reins again. They're achieving their political ends through a process of subtle propaganda and they’re avoiding the real issues. One of our main themes in this run with the Greens was that we stick to the vital issues, whether it be a nuclear-armed warship or any other environmental issue that needs to be spoken about, and in fact it’s easy pickings. I stood at many a public meeting with Democrat, Labor and Liberal party members speaking and I found that it was so damned easy because they were so hypocritical and were constantly lying. Everybody knows that politicians lie, and here we have a situation where you just stand up and say the truth. wae. It was a formula that we stumbled upon by being there and heckling and seeing how the media would react. We realised that we could inject a type of radical direct action into the political process. It certainly worked. I've just been checking the election break- down and we certainly had our strong points in northern NSW and particularly the inner city electorates. But there was a trickle from right around the State and it would seem to me that that trickle came from the broadcasting that was achieved in the media by my antics. On a personal level it was extremely intense, | walked around for about three weeks feeling thatmy head was twice the size itnormally is and had headaches. I was trying to push myself, most notably at the Howard launch where I found myself in a roomful of thousands of staunch Liberal supporters. When I put a banner up and started heckling and was dragged off by security men, there was a very intense hatred directed at me in that room, by people who believe they were born to rule - you could feel it - you couid cut the air with aknife. Every one of those events took a lot out of me. It’s so easy. How was your first Federal election?