Sir, - P. Burke (September 5th) invites us all to boycott French champagne at the turn of the millennium, and further invites us to imbibe the Australian "version" of it. In his haste to be environmentally correct, P. Burke seems to have overlooked some very important facts.
Firstly, Australia, while all good and green as regards nuclear tests, is the main supporter of the brutal Suharto regime in Indonesia. Australia has entered treaties with this dictator to exploit the oil reserves of the Timor Gap, and previous governments have neutered all attempts to assist the East Timorese. I would suggest that herein lies a far superior reason for such a boycott of wines and champagne.
Secondly, the very idea of these boycotts is both ill judged and ineffective. Does anyone seriously think that the boycott of French wines changed the French Government's position on the tests? Does ruining some French wine grower's family business accomplish anything on the scale of global politics? People like Mr. Burke would no doubt complain loudly at the destruction of the environment by large businesses, yet it is these very businesses who profit most from these tawdry little boycotts.
Perhaps we should now boycott produce from any state which we deem not to live up to our own (very high) standards of liberty and democracy! No more Israeli fruits, for they seek to control lands where a majority of the people do not want such unification! No more Asian cars, as women are unequal there! No more products of any kind from any Islamic state, as there church and state are terribly intertwined! I hope people will see through the cloistered, short sighted nonsense as espoused by P. Burke, and enjoy the millennium as they see fit! - Yours, etc.,
Blarney,
Co. Cork.