NSW North Coast harbours Nazis!

If you tour the NSW North Coast it doesn't take long before you realise that a large number of locals are passionate about protecting their little bit of the Australian environment.

Why the Northern Rivers almost rose as one in 2007 and sent governments and vested interests packing when the Howard Government wanted to dam and divert water from coastal rivers.

Thirty years ago the people of the North Coast went toe to toe with government, police and bulldozers for over a month in order to protect the Terania Creek rainforest.

North Coast residents (including a contingent from Nimbin) also took part in the Timbarra River blockade to stop a new gold mine being established which would destroy forest and pollute the Clarence River catchment.

The Big Scrub still exists because locals were determined that the last plots of that once mighty swath of trees would not be lost to future generations and some toil away to this day.

On the Northern Rivers people even turn out to protect a single lonely native fig tree in their neighbourhood and there is much more than a passing concern about the effects of climate change.

So when Senator Barnaby Joyce came out with the following I knew he had very little hope of a switching to a Federal House of Representatives seat via a northern New South Wales electorate:

The outspoken senator warned of the rise of "eco-totalitarianism'' and said he would not be "goosestepping'' along with environmentalists.

"One has to fall into lockstep, goosestep and parade around the office ranting and raving that we are all as one?"

Senator Joyce rejected a suggestion he was a climate change denier and drew a parallel with the Holocaust, the murder of millions of Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II.

"Climate change denier, like Holocaust denier, this is the sort of emotive language that has become stitched up in this (emissions trading) issue," he said.

It is surprising that Senator Joyce may actually be considering giving up his place in the Senate and going after the New England seat.

Now he has trodden on the toes of a legion of 'goosesteppers' he has ensured that, if in 2010 he contests the seat held by Tony Windsor, there will be quite a few voters out stuffing letter boxes with leaflets pointing out his considerable political and environmental deficiencies.

If for no other reason than many on the North Coast realise that the water raiders over the ranges are desperate for another front man to run with their plan to rob us of our fresh water and environmental river flows.