Utopia, you are standing in it!

One out of four for accepting the consensus position in the sciences of climate change, GMOs, vaccines and fluoridation. A rather disappointing scoreboard for the New Zealand Greens.

Let us start with the good: the position on climate science from the Greens policy platform:

We must act according to credible science on climate change, which demands urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, and sustained action to safely remove excess greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

Let us move on to the bad which is GMOs, quoting from their platform

The Green Party believes that Genetic engineering should occur within a contained laboratory setting only. Our food and our environment must be kept GE Free. To this end, the Green Party will:

1. Ban the commercial release and field trials of GE organisms.

2. Prohibit field-testing or production of GE foods within New Zealand.

3. Work towards a ban on GE food imports.

4. Require safety testing for any imported GE food or commodity that is allowed to enter the New Zealand food supply.

5. Allow gene technology in secure containment to continue to be used subject to assessment by the Environmental Risk Management Agency.

Now let us move on to the ugly which is vaccinations, again quoting from their platform, which is not to mention it at all. Greens health spokesman Kevin Hague said

Our official position is influenced by the fact that we do not have a firm policy on it as we don’t have consensus from our members. However there are some key points on which we all do agree;

1. Immunisation is an individual medical choice, and should never be mandatory. Nor should it be promoted in a way that makes people feel pressured into being immunised, or immunising their children.
2. Parents should have access to impartial information which provides them with information about the risks and benefits of immunisation, so that all individuals (and parents in the case of children) can make an informed decision about immunisation.
3. Parents should not be penalised for not immunising their children, nor should there be incentive payments or rewards or access to other goods and services, or any linking of immunisation to benefit entitlement.
4. Some parents will choose to have their child immunised against some diseases, but not others. No parents should be forced to make a decision between their child having all immunisations or having none.

That strike two so now let us move on to the decidedly ugly which is fluoridation

The presumption that parents know the best interests of their children requires very strong evidence before it is overturned. Of course, you do not have too tolerate their unvaccinated children coming to school to infect your children. It is another thing for the Green Party of New Zealand to see both sides of the fluoridation argument:

C. Fluoridation of Community Water Supplies

The issue of fluoridating community water supplies requires a difficult balance between the public health effects and the rights of individuals to opt out altogether or avoid excessive intake. The Party membership has indicated that when considering fluoridation proposals, the Green Party caucus shall:

• Have particular regard to the public health benefits of fluoridated community water supplies.
• Have particular regard to the potential public health risks of excessive fluoride consumption via community water supplies.
• Have regard for the ability of individuals to opt out.

The Green Party will:

1. Support the use of ‘opt-out’ options by local authorities for residents living in areas with fluoridated public water supplies, where shown to be feasible.
2. Commission an independent study on the impacts of fluoridation to public health.
3. Support education initiatives to advise caregivers of the potential for babies to develop dental fluorosis when mixing formula with fluoridated water

Green Party of the New Zealand – health policy.

One out of four is not good enough considering how prissy this Greens are about scientific consensus on climate change.