Watching Grey politicians pretending to care about the environmental crisis is like watching a young friend die of a treatable disease because the hospital finance office refuses to release the trivial amount of money needed to pay for her treatment until the end of the next financial year. All physicians in the hospital except one, Dr C. O'Toole, are agreed on the diagnosis and treatment, so the finance officer decides to give ear to Dr O'Toole, and wait until such time as all of Dr O'Toole's questions were fully answered to his own satisfaction.
That's what it is like to all people who understand the threats posed by free-market economics: the threat of air pollution, water pollution, soil loss, forest loss, fish loss, species loss, habitat loss, happiness loss, peace loss and climate disruption. Add in the social problems: inequality, poverty, greedy bankers with a monopoly on money creation, tax havens, insincere politicians, lawbreaking snooping tabloid journalists, homelessness, empty houses, unemployment, constructive work not done, the wrecking of the welfare system, cruelty, injustice, resentment, crime...and all the rest of it.
The patient is seriously ill. She has a fever. Dr O'Toole insists that she has had fevers in the past, and this is just the same, maybe a little warmer, but that may be a coincidence. He discounts the lab results brought up by his colleagues. He is a poor diagnostician - but he has the ear of the hospital finance officer.
That is the present situation.
The condition of our environments - natural, economic and social - is critical.
Critical but curable.
The first step to successful treatment is a re-think of how we do things.
Our leaders need to stop listening to the O'Tooles of this world and start facing up to reality.
Many changes are needed, but they fall under three headings:
Democracy, Equality and Sustainability.
Change takes a lot of effort, but at the same time, changing things for the better can be fun.
Every little helps.
We know you care, and that you do your bit already.
There's one more tiny thing you can do.
Please will you and your friends vote Green on May 22nd in the Euro-elections? Greens are not perfect, but they do try to address the real problems.
Your X in the Green slot on the ballot form is tiny, but it may make the difference between life and death for the Earth.
Thanks for reading this far.
It's hard to argue with any of your points but I'll try:)
ReplyDeleteOk, I won't 'cos apart from one thing I agree with every word you have said.
I'll never vote for a green party for two reasons.
First, I think that green has transmogrified into Green - Big G.
My impression, and that's all I have to go by, is that modern environmental movements have moved from pragmatic empiricism into power politics and bullying.
That, I firmly believe at the current time, says more about the corruptibility of people than a genuine regard for all of our planet.
My second reason is far less impassioned. I just don't vote. Yes that's just stubbornness but that is who I am. I will not, like Groucho, vote for anyone who'll have me as a member.
Anyway, Richard, ignore my pig-headedness for a moment and take this as an observation.
Great site with thoughtful insights.
Thank you.