Garret's massive win

[Tannin]

Four years ago, then Environment Minister Peter Garret began legal proceedings against Japan over that country's flagrant abuse of the scientific research clause in the international treaties banning commercial whaling ban. Ruthlessly exploiting this loophole in international law, Japan slaughtered 10,000 whales, pretending al the while that this was "scientific research".

Other nations, notably the United States, tried to stop the case, not because they supported Japan's illegal whaling but because they were afraid that the court might not uphold the law and then there would be no chance at all of stopping the barbaric slaughter. But Garret held firm and set the case in motion.

In reply, Japan argued (a) that the International Court of Justice had no jurisdiction, and (b) that its sham "scientific" whaling program was really legal. This despite the fact that the program did little more than put vast amounts of illegally slaughtered whale meat into Japanese warehouses. The Japanese whaling industry ran at a huge loss, propped up by ever-larger sums of government money, and its only major product - whale meat - proved so unpopular with the Japanese public that most of it could not be sold.

Today, the court ruled unanimously that it did indeed have jurisdiction over the case, and by 12 votes to 4 that the Japanese "scientific" whaling sham was illegal. This is the highest court on the planet; there is no appeal.

Peter Garret, the whole world is in your debt. Even if you had done nothing else in your career, by this bold and decisive action you have done us all a huge service. Thankyou and well done Sir!

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whale-watch/international-court-of-justice-upholds-australias-bid-to-ban-japanese-whaling-in-antarctica-20140331-35ude.html


Oh, and if we are going to have these ridiculous knighthoods, you, Sir Peter, should be awarded the first one.

[David]

That is good news. Good to see he was useful for something.

[stui magpie]

[watt price tully]

[Morrigu]

Absolutely brilliant - that is a great result

Has been an absolute sham based on some out dated " saving face " Japanese style argument for many a year!

Peter Garrett is a man of conviction who on entering politics soon experienced " the machine" that is party politics that renders most impotent - I am so glad he didn't support Rudd and the Oils still rock!

Tannin a Knighthood from our creationist PM - unlikely to happen but if it did hope he tells him to shove it where the sun used to shine - he deserves more than some wanker " old dart" platitude!

[think positive]

[1061]

[Wokko]

I fully support whaling by indigenous populations who hunt as a primary food source, but Japanese whaling is mainly the doing of General MacArthur to provide cheap food after the war. There is no commercial, historical or traditional reason for the hunt to continue beyond a childish "Don't tell me what to do" attitude from the Japanese government.

Is this judgement enforceable in any way?

[think positive]

[Tannin]

The Japanese have already said that they will, however reluctantly, abide by the verdict.

They are expected to start looking for other loopholes to exploit; at this stage it seems that this continued defiance of international law will be more minor than major, though that remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, we can reflect of the disgraceful conduct of the current Australian Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, who (a) had nothing to do with this great victory and, with his party, opposed it in parliament, and (b) made an election promise to send a specially-equipped navy ship to the Antarctic to provide an armed, peaceful presence and 24-hour, 7-day scrutiny of the whalers, but lied. Hunt's specially-equipped ship was sent instead to Christmas Island and he dishonestly substituted a new promise of air surveillance by an ordinary civilian jetliner which could do nothing more than have someone look out the window into the clouds now and again, and then failed completely to deliver on even that weak promise beyond one single flight which did nothing, saw nothing, and achieved nothing, wich was precisely his intention. Dishonest, weak, lying scum.

[partypie]

My favourite crap pro whaling argument was that the whales should be culled because they were greedily eating all the krill in their subantarctic feeding grounds.

[stui magpie]

[watt price tully]