Thursday, 23 June 2005, 3:55 pm Article: Kevin List
Rural Protest leads To Opposition
Bickering
The odd
border collie was press-ganged into protesting against the
Government.
Farmers up and down the
country have been protesting against the Government's
proposal to have a five-metre walking accessway along
significant waterways. Today Federated Farmers launched its
Visitor Access Protocol and handed over a petition
protesting against the Government’s land access proposal.
The protest was colourful but rather small.
ACT and
National Party MPs spent more time engaging in verbal
altercations with each other than any Government MP’s.
ACT’s Rural Affairs spokesperson Gerry Eckhoff was
particularly vocal in abusing the absent National Party MP
Nick Smith, and Dr Smith's proposals for rural access.
National Party associate spokesman for Agriculture, Shane
Ardern attempted to ingratiate himself with the discontented
rural masses by assuring them National was on their side.
Most of the ACT Party MPs, some wearing orange fright wigs
assured the protestors the National Party was very
definitely not on their side.
A number of the
discontented rural protestors were themselves a tad grumpy
with the ACT Party. Some expressed to Scoop their
indignation that the ACT Party had hijacked their protest.
Maori Party Leader Tariana Turia who had last week attacked
the Government’s land access proposals was not spotted by
Scoop at the protest. Last week Federated Farmers confirmed
Ms Turia had contacted them and was encouraging Iwi to
attend the protest. No visible Maori Party presence was
observed by Scoop during the protest however.
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A small
minority of the protestors were from outdoor recreational
groups who seemed to think a third way was possible between
the Governments proposals and the farmers desire to shut
their gates and leave them tied up with orange ribbons.
********************
A small
well behaved protest outside Parliament.
Orange
was the colour of the day for the rural protest action.
National
party Leader Don Brash with National MP Shane Ardern. Mr
Ardern left his tractor behind following a spot of bother
last year.
Silly hats
and orange fright wigs were in abundance. Mr Rodney Hide
the leader of the ACT Party wears a slightly crooked fright
wig on the right.
ACT MP
Ken Shirley looked more comfortable than his party leader
wearing an orange fright wig.
ACT MP
Heather Roy bucked the trend of her fellow MP’s and chose
not to wear a silly orange
wig.
Tom Lambie
of Federated Farmers gives a speech opposing land access
proposals outside
Parliament.
Verbal and
visual protest. Neither form of protest ever threatened to
get out of hand.
Federated
Farmers (Wairarapa Region) President Jim Weston and Dr Hugh
Barr, the Secretary of the Council of Outdoor Recreation
Association Of New Zealand, had slightly different ideas
regarding the land access
proposals.
Minister
of Agriculture Jim Sutton found time to enjoy a smile whilst
getting a spot of heckling from the orange clad rural
protestors.
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