New Zealand Singer Songwriter Nuclear Tests Song in America

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New Zealand Singer Songwriter Nuclear Tests Song in America

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Luigi Cappel celebrates the anniversary of New Zealand’s Nuclear Free policy by performing
his song ‘Mr Bush Why Can’t We Be Friends’ in Florida

Today, 8 June, is the 20th Anniversary of the day that New Zealand closed her ports to nuclear powered of nuclear armed ships. This policy announced by the 1984 Labour Government polarised people in New Zealand and other parts of the world, particularly the US who stopped sending their troop to the popular R&R ports in New Zealand. It also resulted in the virtual collapse of the ANZUS Treaty with New Zealand being locked out of training exercises with the US and Australia and many other defense intiatives. 

Luigi cappel has just returned from Florida where he played
his songs to an appreciative audience. Cappel said the song was written as a
protest about the official relationship that New
Zealand has with the United States, where two decades
later it still seems as though we are being chastised like naughty little
children for having a policy that is counter to their interests.

 “I explained the message of the song to the
audience at the Handlebar & Grill Bar in Longwood, Florida,
several of whom were veterans. I talked about how the US stopped sending ships
to NZ for R&R and that we couldn’t get a free trade agreement because of
their ‘neither confirm nor deny policy’ and how we were just interested in a
clean and green country,” said Cappel. “I was interested in how they would
respond to the song and was thrilled when a Desert Storm vet came up to the
stage, shook my hand and said “Don’t judge the people by the government”. Another
veteran came up to me and said that he fondly remembered two rest stops in New Zealand on
his ship and how the Kiwi’s had welcomed him and his fellow crew members.

 The chorus to the song is:

 
‘Oh Mr. Bush I’m asking why we
can’t be friends

It’s our environment we were
trying to defend

Our men fought along with yours
on a dozen foreign shores

Your logic I just fail to
comprehend.’