1. SOME FACTS ABOUT GM
2. STRIKING ACADEMICS DELAY EXAM RESULTS
3. LOW VOTER TURNOUT DAMAGES CREDIBILITY
4. ACT APPOINTS NEW CAMPAIGN MANAGER
5. TOP TEN KIWI MUSIC HITS IN PARLIAMENT
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

1. SOME FACTS ABOUT GM

Number of people who -

Die from food poisoning every year (US alone): 9,000
Children who die from hunger every day: 32,000
Suffer chronic malnutrition: 800 million
Have died from eating GM food, in the history of the world: 0

Royal Commission of Inquiry on GM -

Money spent on Commission: $6.2 million
Number of written submissions: 10,000
Time it took to research and write report: 14 months
Size of final report: 445 pages, 3kg in weight

Greens BEFORE the Commission:

"I am very pleased to be able to announce that this is an acceptable Royal Commission of Inquiry into genetic engineering."

“The scope of the commission is broad enough to cover the ethical, safety and spiritual questions raised by genetic engineering, in line with the Green Party's suggested guidelines.”
-Jeannette Fitzsimons

“A moratorium on GE applications should be imposed until the commission's recommendations had been implemented.”
-Sue Kedgley

Greens AFTER the Commission:

“Feeling of outrage at the Commission's report.”
-Sue Kedgley

“New Zealand's clean, green image would be seriously undermined if the Royal Commission's recommendations to embrace genetic engineering are implemented."
-Rod Donald

2. STRIKING ACADEMICS WITHHOLD EXAM RESULTS

Victoria University student's final exam results are to be withheld indefinitely as part of staff industrial action.

Association of University Staff members have rejected a pay offer of a 1.8% increase, and instead are demanding an 8% rise for each of the next three years.

Victoria campaign coordinator Reece Walters said he was confident staff had the "wholehearted support" of students.

3. LOW VOTER TURNOUT DAMAGES CREDIBILITY

Voter turnouts of as low as 3% in student association elections at Waikato and Victoria Universities, and Otago Polytechnic have further undermined the credibility and legitimacy of compulsory student associations, says Student Choice spokesman Clint Heine.

"It's obvious that compulsory associations don't represent all students. Forced membership is simply a way to fund political groups that support parties of the left," Heine said.

"There are over 12,000 students at Waikato University, yet the 2002 president received only 207 votes from a total turnout of less than 4%. There is no way that the next year's WSU president can legitimately claim to speak on behalf of all 12,000 Waikato students," Mr Heine said.

"The situation was only slightly better at Victoria University where only 10% of the 14,000 students voted. At Otago Polytechnic just over 3% of the institution's 3000 students voted, a turnout even lower than last year," Mr Heine said.

"Not only do these student politicians illegitimately claim to speak on behalf of others, they also have control of exorbitant amounts of money. Next year WSU will take over $500,000 from Waikato students; VUWSA one million dollars and the Otago Polytechnic association over $200,000. Student politicians have been complaining about loans recently but they're more than happy to take millions of dollars off students every year," he said.

"The media should challenge any group that claims to speak on behalf of all students," Mr Heine said.

4. ACT APPOINTS NEW CAMPAIGN MANAGER

The ACT party has appointed controversial political campaigner Graham Watson as its campaign manager.

Watson is best known publicly for his record three terms as President of the Auckland University Students Association, and for his broadcasting as a talkback host on Radio Pacific over the past two years. He has also been involved in a wide range of political campaigns and controversies.

Last year Watson helped organise a "daccupation" at Auckland university, protesting for the legalisation of cannabis. In 1998 he released a beer crate of documents alleging corruption at Auckland university, and he has been involved in several run-ins with the police.

According to ACT president Catherine Judd, Watson was one of New Zealand's foremost and most controversial student activists from the mid eighties through into the nineties. He was instrumental in transforming the national student body (NZUSA) from a left-wing fringe organisation into an education-focused lobby group. Watson also co-ordinated the successful campaign for voluntary student unionism.

Judd says that Watson will help capture a new breed of supporter for ACT. "The market that we need to direct our energy into is young, urban liberals. We have not appealed to them in the past."

5. TOP TEN KIWI MUSIC HITS IN PARLIAMENT

St Molesworth apologises to subscribers for this edition not going out on time this week. Eager to avoid being fined for stressing our staff with too much work we fired them all. So, now that there's no more staff left to sue St Molesworth, here it is:

1. Helen Clark: Supergroove's "If I Had My Way".

2. Parekura Horomia: Chris Knox's "Not Given Lightly".

3. Laila Harre: Split Enz's "I See Red".

4. Matt McCarten: Dave Dobbyn's "Devil You Know".

5. David Benson Pope: Fur Patrol's "Brightest Star"

6. Judith Tizard: The Chills' "There's No Point in Trying" and The
Exponents' "Why Does Love Do This To Me?".

7. Ian Ewan-Street: Split Enz's "Nobody Takes Me Seriously".

8. Dover Samuels: Superette's "Touch Me" and Muttonbirds' "She's Been
Talking".

9. Annette King: Straitjacket Fits' "She Speeds".

10. Marian "Booboo" Hobbs: Shihad's "My Mind's Sedate" and "La La
Land".

www.geocities.com/stmolesworth

6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

www.modernhumourist.com

A very funny satirical website, especially the section on George W Bush (www.modernhumourist.com/bush ) where you can order Dubya's latest book, "My First Presidentiary". Written in crayon handwriting, this first-term report is marked by George's pals Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and 'Uncle' Dick Cheney.

Any views expressed here are not necessarily those of New Zealand Young Nationals, or the New Zealand National Party.

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Editor: Phil Rennie

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