Lee Rhiannon will become an Australian Greens senator on July 1 2011 so its only fair that people get to have a closer look at what she stands for. She will be part of Bob Brown's team so lets have a look at her past actions and political views that have appeared in the media:
1) She was a former member of the Socialist Party of Australia, a pro-Moscow breakaway from the disintegrating Communist Party of Australia. Apparently the CPA was not left-wing enough and she chose to stay true to her Stalinist roots. - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/im-no-watermelon-rhiannon/story-e6frg6nf-1226032286731
2) According to Mark Aarons "during a visit to her home, "she aggressively praised [a communist union official's] endorsement of Moscow's invasion of Czechoslovakia". - http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/the-watermelon-party-20100730-10zsb.html
3) More recently, after Rhiannon was revealed to have used resources of the NSW upper house in her campaign for the Senate, she ignored Brown's public calls for her to resign to better prosecute her federal campaign. - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/greens-mp-wont-quit-over-typos/story-e6frgczf-1225889563466
4) "Tensions between Bob Brown and Lee Rhiannon have been widely reported" (July 31 2010) http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/the-watermelon-party-20100730-10zsb.html
5) She shared a stage and campained along side Sheik al-Hilali, the man who compared women who do not wear Islamic dress to uncovered meat left out for the cats to eat. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...ressed-in-sheikhs-clothing-20100606-xn25.html
6) Her son is in currently in jail for drug dealing large amounts of marijuana. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...n-jailed-for-pot/story-e6freuzi-1225917692843
7) She was under ASIO surveillance since she was 7 years old due to her parents involvement with the Communist Party. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/asio-spooks-spied-on-little-girls/story-e6freuy9-1225843222541
8) She has passionately supported a full boycott of the state of Israel. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...s-israel-boycott/story-fn59niix-1226031927385
9) She believes no new motorways should ever be built in Australia and that B double trucks be taxed out of existence putting thousands of truckies out of work. http://leerhiannon.org.au/speeches/rally-against-m4-east-motorway/?searchterm=None
10) She continues to accuse the ALP and L/NP of undemocratic practices although she was a member of the Communist Party and later Socialist Party of Australia. http://nsw.greens.org.au/content/open-government
11) She supports a reduction in the size of the NSW police force (NSW Greens policy website).
12) Ms Rhiannon has been labelled a "watermelon": green on the outside, red on the inside. She comes from the NSW Greens, who are seen by some as the urbanised hard Left of a bigger and more factionalised Greens party, long dominated by Tasmanian-based wilderness campaigners. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
13) Ms Rhiannon, who last year signed a petition against Julia Gillard's visit to Israel, said foreign policy was one area in which the Greens could do more work with more hands on deck. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
14) Ms Rhiannon strongly defended the Greens' 2010 federal election result in NSW. While the party's vote rose 5 per cent in Queensland and 4.7 per cent in South Australia, in NSW it increased by just 1.93 per cent. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
15) Mark Aarons fell out with Rhiannon in the 1970s when, he claims, she refused to condemn the invasion of Czechoslovakia or the shooting of workers by the Polish communist dictatorship. He writes: ''I could not conceive of someone of my age and experience supporting Moscow's policies.'' http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...gh-at-the-heart-of-greens-20100726-10sj0.html
16) Lee Rhiannon attempted to abolish the rank-and-file preselection system. They want the Greens executive to appoint the candidates instead.
17) Hansard from the NSW Parliament - The conduct of Lee Rhiannon - http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC20001207052
18) Rhiannon says Australia should not help the US build its "war machine" - @leerhiannon Twitter.
19) Lee Rhiannon said: “The simple fact is that the majority of large corporations will do what ever it takes to generate increased profits”, Rhiannon said in a jointly-written article with Antony Loewenstein published on OnlineOpinion.com.au on August 12. She added the “idea that industry should be left to make its own ethical decisions is both dangerous and misguided”.
20) DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PERSPECTIVE - a Marxist tendency in the Socialist Alliance: Latin America Solidarity Conference - http://www.dsp.org.au/node/145
21) NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said: “The recent shift to progressive politics in a number of Latin American countries is significant for the people of Australia. The struggle for a fairer, healthier and more peaceful world is complex and challenging. The current political experiences across Latin America can only assist ... people of all lands in this struggle.
22) On April 4, NSW Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon expressed in parliament her support for the Chavez government, singling out its independent foreign policy for special praise. "The Chavez government, as with many Latin American governments ... is showing countries around the world that it is possible to be independent of the United States of America and to stand up to that country". http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/34096
Is this what people thought they were voting for when they voted for the Greens??
1) She was a former member of the Socialist Party of Australia, a pro-Moscow breakaway from the disintegrating Communist Party of Australia. Apparently the CPA was not left-wing enough and she chose to stay true to her Stalinist roots. - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/im-no-watermelon-rhiannon/story-e6frg6nf-1226032286731
2) According to Mark Aarons "during a visit to her home, "she aggressively praised [a communist union official's] endorsement of Moscow's invasion of Czechoslovakia". - http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/the-watermelon-party-20100730-10zsb.html
3) More recently, after Rhiannon was revealed to have used resources of the NSW upper house in her campaign for the Senate, she ignored Brown's public calls for her to resign to better prosecute her federal campaign. - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/greens-mp-wont-quit-over-typos/story-e6frgczf-1225889563466
4) "Tensions between Bob Brown and Lee Rhiannon have been widely reported" (July 31 2010) http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/the-watermelon-party-20100730-10zsb.html
5) She shared a stage and campained along side Sheik al-Hilali, the man who compared women who do not wear Islamic dress to uncovered meat left out for the cats to eat. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...ressed-in-sheikhs-clothing-20100606-xn25.html
6) Her son is in currently in jail for drug dealing large amounts of marijuana. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...n-jailed-for-pot/story-e6freuzi-1225917692843
7) She was under ASIO surveillance since she was 7 years old due to her parents involvement with the Communist Party. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/asio-spooks-spied-on-little-girls/story-e6freuy9-1225843222541
8) She has passionately supported a full boycott of the state of Israel. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...s-israel-boycott/story-fn59niix-1226031927385
9) She believes no new motorways should ever be built in Australia and that B double trucks be taxed out of existence putting thousands of truckies out of work. http://leerhiannon.org.au/speeches/rally-against-m4-east-motorway/?searchterm=None
10) She continues to accuse the ALP and L/NP of undemocratic practices although she was a member of the Communist Party and later Socialist Party of Australia. http://nsw.greens.org.au/content/open-government
11) She supports a reduction in the size of the NSW police force (NSW Greens policy website).
12) Ms Rhiannon has been labelled a "watermelon": green on the outside, red on the inside. She comes from the NSW Greens, who are seen by some as the urbanised hard Left of a bigger and more factionalised Greens party, long dominated by Tasmanian-based wilderness campaigners. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
13) Ms Rhiannon, who last year signed a petition against Julia Gillard's visit to Israel, said foreign policy was one area in which the Greens could do more work with more hands on deck. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
14) Ms Rhiannon strongly defended the Greens' 2010 federal election result in NSW. While the party's vote rose 5 per cent in Queensland and 4.7 per cent in South Australia, in NSW it increased by just 1.93 per cent. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...en-says-rhiannon/story-fn59niix-1225911608882
15) Mark Aarons fell out with Rhiannon in the 1970s when, he claims, she refused to condemn the invasion of Czechoslovakia or the shooting of workers by the Polish communist dictatorship. He writes: ''I could not conceive of someone of my age and experience supporting Moscow's policies.'' http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/polit...gh-at-the-heart-of-greens-20100726-10sj0.html
16) Lee Rhiannon attempted to abolish the rank-and-file preselection system. They want the Greens executive to appoint the candidates instead.
17) Hansard from the NSW Parliament - The conduct of Lee Rhiannon - http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC20001207052
18) Rhiannon says Australia should not help the US build its "war machine" - @leerhiannon Twitter.
19) Lee Rhiannon said: “The simple fact is that the majority of large corporations will do what ever it takes to generate increased profits”, Rhiannon said in a jointly-written article with Antony Loewenstein published on OnlineOpinion.com.au on August 12. She added the “idea that industry should be left to make its own ethical decisions is both dangerous and misguided”.
20) DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PERSPECTIVE - a Marxist tendency in the Socialist Alliance: Latin America Solidarity Conference - http://www.dsp.org.au/node/145
21) NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said: “The recent shift to progressive politics in a number of Latin American countries is significant for the people of Australia. The struggle for a fairer, healthier and more peaceful world is complex and challenging. The current political experiences across Latin America can only assist ... people of all lands in this struggle.
22) On April 4, NSW Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon expressed in parliament her support for the Chavez government, singling out its independent foreign policy for special praise. "The Chavez government, as with many Latin American governments ... is showing countries around the world that it is possible to be independent of the United States of America and to stand up to that country". http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/34096
Is this what people thought they were voting for when they voted for the Greens??
Last edited:
