Success to the power of one

By Warren Gamble

It was the smallest possible protest - just one man, his placard, and a stuffed monkey. Yet anti-Apec demonstrator Jim Butterworth got his message through to the very highest levels of world trade yesterday.

The 67-year-old's lone vigil in a police-patrolled Aotea Square paid off when he received a visit from former Prime Minister Mike Moore, who is vying for the top job in the World Trade Organisation, and the leading US trade official at Apec, Richard Fisher.

Within half-an-hour he had taken his viewpoint further than processions of chanting demonstrators in the previous two days of Apec Trade Ministers' talks which ended yesterday.

Mr Butterworth, former secretary of the Engineers Union, said he had known Mr Moore for 30 years. Holding his sign "Economic Thugs, Thug Off" and the monkey (for monkey business) Mr Butterworth said they chatted about their differences on free trade, before he wished Mr Moore well in his campaign for the WTO job.

He told Mr Fisher that New Zealand had gone too far, too fast down the free-trade track and suffered the social consequences.

"It's an old trade union tactic to picket - I was a one-man picket but nevertheless effective."