Gilly Flower

Now if you've been curious enough to check out the stopthemillintasmania website, you'll understand a little better where I'm coming from.

This is another link to an article that TAP spokesman Bob McMahon was invited to write for The Age newspaper, and which was published on Wednesday, the day after our second Action outside Jodie's office.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/its-time-to-stop-and-get-off-the-gunns-pulp-mill-merrygoround-20090107-7byn.html

Action number two was great fun. Well attended, (we lined the pavements on both sides of the road) we carried our banners, wore our Stop the Pulp Mill teeshirts, and sang ourselves hoarse. Or those of us in the choir did. The Voices of the Tamar of which I'm an occasional member. One that offers more enthusiasm than musicality I suspect, but at this kind of gathering lack of genuine talent doesn't really matter. Plenty of supportive honks from drivers passing by, and many more signatures were added to the Voters Block sheets. (ie People who pledge not to vote for any politician who supports the pulp mill. If they all follow through, several more Greens should be a shoe-in to the parliamentary ranks.)

Media were there in force, and so, thankfully, was Bob McM. Initially he was to be away that day, and I'd been designated TAP's stand-in spokesperson. The idea of having cameras and mics thrust in my face as I stuttered to 'stay on message' was frankly terrifying. And given Garrett's decision wasn't as cut and dried as we'd anticipated, I've never been more relieved Bob's trip fell through, so he could do the honours after all. There's no way I could have fielded all the Qs without stuffing up bigtime.

Of the 12 remaining outstanding modules, PG approved nine of them. The other three are subject to further conditions. Good news! was the initial reaction. Gunns can't start building. (Arguably Gunns can't start building anyway, they still have no finance.) But once the euphoria had worn off, and we looked at the facts more closely, all Garrett has really done is caused further confusion. He's condemned us to two more years of uncertainty. March 2011 is now the date we have to consider, which takes us beyond next year's state, and federal, elections, guaranteeing the pulp mill will be an election issue for both events.

A political chess game if ever there was one. Hence all the meetings. With more to come as we design new strategies to continue the fight. Finance is the big one. We know Gunns don't have a backer, and we also know John G has been lying through his teeth about jetting around the world trying to drum up the dollars. We now discover he's been holed up at home, receiving medical treatment! Is it serious, this illness ofhis? You bet. And am I sorry for the man? No, I'm not. If ever there was a man who has brought about his own ill fortune and health, John Gay is that man. Closely followed by Robin Gray - who, rumour has it, is also in poor health.

So it looks like the champagne will remain on ice for another year. Meanwhile I have a little more than three weeks to get a few Vet articles in the writing bank, organise my office and the piles of paperwork a bit more, read several books, (I'm ever the optimist!), before it's back to school, and the daily grindstone.

But if you have been in any way moved by any of this, or are outraged by some of the things being done to the environment in general, do - please - feel free to forward the links to as many people as possible.

We - and the planet - need all the help we can get down here against the corporate greed of companies like Gunns Ltd, as well as against examples of political corruption, such as those currently practised in Tassie.

Cheers all.