Seeds of Distrust [Import] [Paperback]

Nicky Hager (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Craig Potton Pub (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0908802927
• ISBN-13: 978-0908802920
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Allegory for Corporate Controlled Government, July 5, 2010

By 

Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall "Dr Stuart Jeanne B... (New Plymouth, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seeds of Distrust (Paperback)

Although written about a 2000 New Zealand cover-up, Nicky Hager's 2002 expose contains important lessons about acceptable levels of government secrecy. New Zealand, like much of Europe, has very strict laws regarding the importation of genetically engineered plants, animals and seeds - mainly owing to strong public concerns about inadvertent contamination of New Zealand's organic farms, fish stocks and Maori heirloom crops. In 2000 the Labour-led government discovered that approximately 5.6 tonnes of imported Norvartis sweet corn seed had been accidentally contaminated by a genetically engineered species. Unlike Austria and Greece, who discovered similar contamination in imported seed (corn in Austria, cotton in Greece) and demanded that farmers pull out and destroy the contaminated crops, the New Zealand government colluded with Norvartis and the pro-GE lobby to cover up the contamination. With the end result that the plants were allowed to bloom and spread the GE contamination - and worst still the corn produced was processed and sold to thousands of consumers (as GE free corn) before the scandal leaked out.

The book provides a day by description of the "crisis management" scenario that led to the Corngate cover-up, with the result that Prime Minister Helen Clark, who initially wanted the plants destroyed, eventually caved in to business interests.

The book is instructive, as government operations in the US are much less transparent - which means the American public rarely gets a blow by blow view of their own government's "damage control."

However the take home message Hager provides in his forward is definitely relevant for Americans, especially in view of growing anger - both on the right and left - with an unacceptable level of secrecy under both Bush and Obama. Hager observes that the public has become very used to secrecy, both from government and business, as well as the public relations tactics of selectively releasing information in ways that suit those in power. Which means they are constantly left with the feeling that the government is either lying to them or at least hiding important details about government activity and policies. Hager's view is that just because people are used to it, they should never accept it as right.

By Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall, author of THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY ACT: MEMOIR OF AN AMERICAN REFUGEE