David Lange: Nuclear Weapons are Morally Indefensible
"Most New Zealanders watched David Lange contest and win the 1985 Oxford Union debate, arguing the proposition that 'nuclear weapons are morally indefensible' with a mixture of pride and astonishment. After decades of knowing our place, and several years of government by homunculus, suddenly we had a Prime Minister who could stride the international stage with insouciance. And briefly, we seemed to matter.
Although New Zealand's nuclear-free policy did not become law until 1987, it was integral to early years of the fourth Labour government. The 1984 snap election that made Lange Prime Minister was called by Robert Muldoon when National MP Marilyn Waring withdrew her support for her party over the issue of nuclear ship visits. Labour won the election with a nuclear ban as a flagship policy.
The policy was popular among New Zealanders, but not without cost. Our relationship with the US deteriorated in the early weeks of 1985. On the same journey that took him to Oxford, Lange, four days before the debate, met with a US State Department official who outlined the retaliatory measures that the US would be taking against New Zealand. The ANZUS alliance of which New Zealand had been part since 1951 was effectively cancelled at that meeting."
(Public Address, 14 October 2004)
This is the introduction to the transcript of the Rt. Hon. David Lange's 1985 Oxford Debate. The transcript is copyright to Public Address. It was prepared by Russell Brown and Fiona Rae, with the consent of David Lange. Thanks are due to Radio New Zealand’s Sound Archives/Nga Taonga Korero (File: Media Numbers T4705 to T4708), Infofind, the Parliamentary Library and Barry Hartley.
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Humorous ad parodying the 100% Percent Pure New Zealand campaign
"ABC's [Australia] advertising show The Gruen Transfer tonight challenges two advertising agencies to put together a pitch for the campaign that will convince Australia to invade New Zealand.
John McKie from 303, Sydney, presents a spoof of the recent 100 % Percent Pure New Zealand tourism series. The spot uses music inspired by two Australian bands, Youth Group and AC DC. The tourism pitch is online at invadenewzealand.com"
(Duncan, The Inspiration Room, 9th July 2008)
[It's encouraging to think that there is enough consensus in Aotearoa/New Zealand to realise the absurdity of wasting inordinate amounts of public money on military spending. And that such spending should be devoted to peacekeeping in the region e.g. the Solomon Islands, Bougainville and East Timor (including through UN peacekeeping operations).]
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
New Zealand is not naive to the great cost of waging war
"The New Zealand war memorials of the First World War have become part of the common fabric of NZ life, like stop signs or lamp-posts. Virtually every township in the country has one, usually in the main street. Excluding the many honours boards and plaques in schools and churches throughout the country, there are well over five hundred public memorials to the soldiers of the Great War."
(Ted Harris: DiggerHistory.Info)
[New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance and recent reluctance to engage in International conflicts has its reasons. Despite it's geographical remoteness it has not escaped the impact of war. The numerous memorials erected throughout it's countryside, in it's cities and it's towns are a testament to this. There are memorials commemorating the New Zealanders that died in: The Boer War; The Great War; The Second World War; The Korean War; The Vietnam War as well as more recent conflicts. New Zealand is not naive to the great cost of waging war.]
CONTRIBUTOR
The Constellations ProjectSHARE
