Hi All,

Just to let you know about an online project developing a Democratic World Parliament (as proposed by George Monbiot in his recent awe-inspiring book 'The Age of Consent').

For anyone who may be looking to get involved in this venture, there is now a site you may be interested in; www.world-parliament.org

We are starting from scratch really, but there are currently 530 members from around the globe and growing faster every day. We need creative minds to help form the project, so come have a look.

There is a saying that for evil to triumph it requires good men to do nothing.

It made my night last night to hear that, and tonight to read the transcript as well. It made me a little stronger again in my own little fight against the powers of Bush, Howard and Evangelical evil! Wolf.

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Transcript of Interview with Dr. Andrew Thomson by Andrew Denton - 4th of April 2005

There is a saying that for evil to triumph it requires good men to do nothing. What if you are a good man and you do all you can and evil still triumphs? Would you question everything you hold to be true or would you keep fighting? As a UN peacekeeper, Dr Andrew Thomson has been to every hell-hole on earth - Bosnia, Haiti, Rwanda, Cambodia. With two colleagues he has written a book that has rocked the UN to its core. Called 'Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures', it's the story of what happens when you try to save the world and lose yourself along the way. From New York City, please welcome Dr Andrew Thomson.

John Richardson has been sending me some great stuff about Guantanamo Bay and related issues.

With regard to the future I am very concerned with the direction of International Law, and concerned that the US are promoting international lawlessness on the basis that they can win any Darwinian struggle that might occur.

John has given us some great material with which to consider this quandary. And I am left considering the question, Do we as citizens have a responsibility to insist that our governments obey the law?

First here's a letter John didn't get to the Herald on time.

Radical Reforms Proposed for the United Nations

While the US and alas other parts of the world are utterly distracted by the Sciavo case, major changes are afoot at the United Nations.

Kofi Annan has proposed the largest reforms to the organisation for over 60 years, and they are changes that, if accepted, will have significant ramifications for international relations, the global power balance, and how nations work (or don’t) together on issues such as international crises, human rights, military intervention, and global security. UN members will have a chance to vote on these changes in September this year, but in the meantime, expect negotiations and politicking to escalate dramatically, with so much at stake.