Greens oblivious to atrocities

THE minor party has shamefully abandoned basic humanity.

UNDER Bob Brown, the Greens had a certain moral vanity that at least was founded in genuine concern for the environment and human rights. But that is no longer the case, as his oddball successors have moved so far away from the party’s usual concerns that we pity their empty, corrupted hearts. The world has been horrified by the actions of the Islamic State, with clear proof the monstrous extremists have conducted beheadings, mass executions and torture in pursuit of their death cult and a self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Western countries, including our own, are mobilising resources and arms as part of a humanitarian mission in northern Iraq to end the bloodshed.

Yet the response of the Greens to this international crisis has been, at best, indifferent, playing cheap politics, peddling discredited anti-American dogma and shaming their followers. Greens leader Christine Milne told parliament on Monday that Australia’s role in the humanitarian mission was “simply running behind President Obama”. After the participation of Australian aircrew in making aid drops to besieged people trapped on Mount Sinjar, Senator Scott Ludlam joined the miserable chorus: “We are once again ... acting at the behest of the United States government, not the people of Australia.” Yesterday, Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt tried to move a motion to have a debate about sending troops to Iraq in the house; the dopey Greens want to take the decision to go to war away from the executive, an untenable position in our system. Rebuffed, Mr Bandt also could see the future, saying it “looks like the prospect of ‘mission creep’ is alive and our humanitarian support may morph into military engagement”. Yet when the conflict involves Israel and Gaza or the kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria by Boko Haram, the Greens reflexively reach for their humanity goggles. The Yazidi women and children in northern Iraq, however, don’t rate in the Greens’ moral universe. We have a clear interest to resist the Islamic State and are right to support the humanitarian mission. Amid concerns that the West is set to repeat the mistakes of 2003 in Iraq, we should help where we can to avoid the slaughter of innocents, an ideal the Greens are oblivious to.