Mixed Motions in the Senate

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Senator Ron Boswell has issued a statement announcing that Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown “in an attempt to defend, the indefensible the boycott and persecution of Max Brenner Chocolate stores, moved a motion in the Senate that:-the Senate- upholds the democratic principle that consumers should be free to buy or not buy goods based on personal ethics.”

The statement goes on to say:

Senator Ron Boswell

“Bob Brown’s proposed motion today follows the Greens refusal to support my motion on Thursday 18th August, 2011 condemning the boycott of Max Brenner chocolate stores and all other Israeli companies.

The motion by the Greens was an attempt to hide what many Australians have come to realize that the Greens are moving further and further to the left and that despite Senator Brown’s assurances the truth is that the Greens support this blatantly antisemitic boycott.

The boycott of Max Brenner Chocolate shop and all other Israeli companies that manufacture and sell products to and within Israel as part of the Global Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (GBDS) must be condemned in the strongest terms, Senator Boswell said.

Today, I successfully moved an amendment to Senator Brown’s motion by adding the following words to the Senator Brown’s motion:
‘the Senate- upholds the democratic principle that consumers should be free to buy or not buy goods on personal ethics and that consumers should not be prevented from exercising that democratic principle to be free to buy or not to buy, by means of unlawful secondary boycott, intimidation or picket’.

The amendment was carried on the voices on the floor with Senator Brown lacking the courage to divide.

Senator Brown should understand by now that when you are in a hole, you stop digging. The original motion proposed by Bob Brown was a poor attempt to justify the boycotting and picketing of Max Brenner’s chocolate and coffee stores.

With protesters planning to block potential customers from entering the Max Brenner store in Brisbane this Saturday, the 27th August as part of an BDS orchestrated campaign, Senator Brown attempted today to give the protestors some form of moral justification for the boycott planned this weekend.

Since the arrival of the new Senators in July the party has pursued a socialist alliance agenda with Senator Brown fixated on Senator Rhiannon’s support for the global BDS campaign.

Despite Bob’s Brown saying that he is opposed to the boycott his refusal to vote for my two previous motions condemning the boycotts and his motion today attempting to justify the boycotts speaks volumes. Senator Brown is saying one thing to the press and doing another thing in the Parliament.”