Nick Smith National Environment Spokesperson

27 August 2001

GM moratorium - when will it end?

The Government has again kicked for touch by extending the GM moratorium for a further two months, leaving open the question 'when will it end?' says National's Environment spokesperson, Nick Smith.

"The Government is making a joke of the work done by the Royal Commission and the Knowledge Wave conference by continuing to surrender to the bogus science of GM opponents.

"This decision undermines the Royal Commission report which concluded that current safeguards were adequate for managing the risks of GM technology.

"31 October must be it if New Zealand is to play a part in the knowledge economy. Sadly, the Government has left the door open to further extending the ban. With the Greens craving for more, it is time for the Government to come down on the side of science," Dr Smith said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>