Before last weekend's discussion between Australia and Japan, Aussie Prime Minister Rudd stated very clearly that court action could be pursued if a diplomatic agreement to end whaling before November could not be agreed.
Surprise-surprise...after that meeting, NZ's Foreign Affairs monkey Murray McCully agreed. I say 'surprise'...because this country's embarrassing non-response to Southern Oceans whaling has been nothing short of limp dick! Then suddenly someone else stands up to be counted, and our government jumps on their coat-tails.
But hold on: Australia threatened this very same action a few years ago - nothing happened then. And probably nothing will happen now because, when examining the political prose, one sees heavy use of cop-out words such as "may", "possibly" and "consider" - never "will", "definitely" and "determined".
McCully: "The NZ Government has made it clear that if the diplomatic process does not produce the results we want, the International Court of Justice is a serious course of action for us to consider. We may go down that path but, before we choose it, we should exhaust the diplomatic process. However legal action would only be a last resort, and developments are expected very soon." See what I mean?
But now I'm hit with The Big Confusion Stick. Y'see, after 18mths of closed-door talks, a working group at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) proposes a limited return to commercial whaling, in exchange for reducing the number killed annually! The proposal would allow Japan to continue butchering whales, while suspending its “research” hunts. WHAT!!! They could legally kill whales, but just not call it research!!?? And furthermore, Oz officials helped draft the proposal!!! Was Cousin Kevin nobbled by Nippon? Did he know what his back-room boys were brewing? Is this what Muzza McCully meant by “developments very soon”?
If this is the very best our trans-Tasman governments can do for the whales... then please carry on, Sea Shepherd!
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