1 million signatures sought for GM moratorium

[Tracey]

Hiya

I've received this email from the Soil Association and thought some of you may be interested in adding your names to the petition:

A new petition has been launched to try to make an official legal request to the European Commission for a moratorium on GM crops under the "European Citizens' Initiative", which gives citizens the opportunity to submit policy proposals to the European Commission and offers us a unique chance to drown out lobbyists' influence.

We need 1 million signatures to reach the threshold for the Initiative, so please sign now (when I did it a minute ago there were already over 1,600 names):

GM FOOD: FACTS NOT CROPS

Please pass it on

GM FOOD: FACTS NOT CROPS

[shoreham_steve]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Signed it and posted on my FB page too.

[Flummery]

Nearly 3,000 now.

[HeyWayne]

I had to look up the word 'moratorium', but signed.

[maytreefrannie]

Signed, thanks for bringing it to attention

[organic]

In 2008 862,415 Irish voters voted against something the EU wanted in a legally held referendum.
In 2009 the exact same thing was put to referendum again... this time with a corrupt, taxpayer-funded and lie-filled YES campaign.

When 862,415 people vote in a legally binding referendum and in clear terms say "NO" and it's ignored so resultely I really... REALLY question how much difference an extra 137,585 people will make.

I love the idea of this petition, and I'd be surprised if it didn't make it to a million signatures... but if it makes a blind bit of difference I'll be so shocked I'll probably end up in hospital.

The EU is fundamentally corrupt and completely opposed to "the people". It won't listen to a word we have to say.

[beefy]

In 2008 862,415 Irish voters voted against something the EU wanted in a legally held referendum.
In 2009 the exact same thing was put to referendum again... this time with a corrupt, taxpayer-funded and lie-filled YES campaign.

When 862,415 people vote in a legally binding referendum and in clear terms say "NO" and it's ignored so resultely I really... REALLY question how much difference an extra 137,585 people will make.

I love the idea of this petition, and I'd be surprised if it didn't make it to a million signatures... but if it makes a blind bit of difference I'll be so shocked I'll probably end up in hospital.

The EU is fundamentally corrupt and completely opposed to "the people". It won't listen to a word we have to say.

So if it gets the result YOU want it's ok but if not its'a "corrupt, taxpayer-funded and lie-filled YES campaign"
When the Soil Association stops scaremongering and starts putting ideas forward about how we are going to feed all the population of the world not just those who have the money to fill the SA's pockets I might take them a bit more seriously. While they continue to to be a N.I.M.B.Y and an elitist "do as we say because we say so" organisation I won't have much time for them.

[Jeanied]

Hmmm - well I signed, because I believe in all my instincts about mother nature.

[organic]

beefy...
when the YES campain is taxpayer funded it's corrupt by default.
When a referendum is completely and utterly ignored it's undemocratic by default.

Referendums do NOT mean "keep the feckers voting until they give the right answer" it's "YES or NO?" and the answer stands.


As for the SA...
index

That's more up my alley.

[beefy]

The vote reversal in the Republic of Ireland was down to one simple fact . For years Southern Ireland has taken Billions of pounds in grants from the EU for improvements to roads , food processing plants and a hundred and one other things. So scared were the Southern Irish government that the EU would close the piggy bank on them and they would become a third world country overnight another referendum HAD to be held and only one outcome could be acepted. If you think the British goverment is corupt you should read up on what goes on in Dublin. Brown and co could learn how to do the job properly with a few evening classes from their Irish counterparts.
Then again the above has nothing to do with wether or not GM food is good or bad for us .
For what its worth I think that the government is starting to realise that the UK will soon not be able to feed its self from the ground that it has in food production and is starting to realise that security of a food suply for the population is required.While its a great idea to farm organically if you can't supply the needs of the nation then other alternatives need to be explored.
If you want to farm organically for the whole UK then you have to ask what happens in a bad year when you have no fungicides to treat potato blight.More meat is wasted due to animal disease which could have been treated with simple antibiotics and crops yields drop due to pests and lack of fertilisers.If we can't feed the UK without imports now how do you plan to do it with even less food at your disposal?Population control ?Last time that was tried we had a world war on our hands.

[HeyWayne]

157k so far.

[organic]

Wayne - that's picked up a lot since I last looked. I don't think it was even into 6 figures then. Apparently people do care about GM.


Beefy
The vote reversal was nothing to do with purse strings (though Ireland has sponged a FORTUNE from the EU piggy bank) and everything to do with "reassurances" which have no basis at all in reality. In short the Irish were promised a load of things that are in direct opposition to the treaty and then ratified the treaty without any amendments.

Here's a nice little analogue of the Lisbon "referenda" (not that they were really all referenda - a NO is a NO regardless of consequences - to insist on the "right" answer is undemocratic, illiberal and an almighty insult against the will of the people - you know, the ones who are really meant to be in charge)...

[ ] Yes I want to be poked in the eye.
[X] No I don't want to be poked in the eye.

Don't worry - we won't really poke you in the eye. Here's a campaign of lies funded by taxpayers to convince you that we're not in the eye-poking business... if you vote YES we won't poke you in the eye... we promise. Really we do. Now here, vote again.

[X] Yes I want to be poked in the eye.
[ ] No I don't want to be poked in the eye.


GM is not the answer to any problems we face. Putting complete ownership of the world's food into the hands of companies like Monsanto, preventing the saving of seed and - in short - food slavery achieve nothing worthwhile... and plenty that should be fought against every step of the way.

I'm absolutely in favour of this petition - I just don't for a minute think it'll achieve anything more than proving, even further, that the EU is not about the people but about money, power and control.

I'll be absolutely delighted to be proved wrong on this... but I'll be equally surprised if it comes to that.

[ginger ninger]

167,000 plus, I've just signed up, and popped it on Face Book.

[ladylottie]

Thanks for letting us know about this - I've just signed as well.

[organic]

Ginger - 10k in 3 hours? It's gathering some good momentum now.
I still think it'll be more of an awareness campaign than any success in the EU policy arena... but it's good to see the numbers climbing.