Behind the seams: Lock the Gate unites cockies, blockies, croppers and greenies

by FAQ Research writers Drew Hutton, a spokesperson for Friends of the Earth (Aust) and president of the Lock the Gate Alliance.

 

I have been copping some flak lately from my Green or left-wing friends for being seen talking about coal and coal seam gas on public platforms with such well-known political conservatives as Alan Jones and Bob Katter. These people tell me they won’t come to meetings or actions being organised by Lock the Gate while we mix with such people. My response to them is two-fold.

First, demanding that Greens such as me campaign only with people who share our politics or cultural attitudes is the same as saying we don’t want to win. Our opponents — the coal and coal seam gas companies – are among the biggest and most powerful multinational corporations on the planet and they have the ear of both government and opposition. We can only achieve our objectives by forming strategic alliances with those who agree that irresponsible resource extraction represents a very serious threat to our land, our water and our communities.

Therefore the Lock the Gate movement is an alliance between progressives and conservatives, left and right, city and country, farmers and environmentalists.

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Behind The Seams - Crikey

I have been copping some flak lately from my Green or left-wing friends for being seen talking about coal and coal seam gas on public platforms with such well-known political conservatives as Alan Jones and Bob Katter. These people tell me they won’t come to meetings or actions being organised by Lock the Gate while we mix with such people. My response to them is two-fold. First, demanding that Greens such as me campaign only with people who share our politics or cultural attitudes is the same as saying we don’t want to win. Our opponents — the coal and coal seam gas companies – are among the biggest and most powerful multinational corporations on the planet and they have the ear of both government and opposition. We can only achieve our objectives by forming strategic alliances with those who agree that irresponsible resource extraction represents a very serious threat to our land, our water and our communities.