Back To The Future…
Last week, Americans around the world were being kissed by strangers; so happy was the global population that the fine people of the US of A had chosen vision and hope over fear and greed. I cannot say the same feeling prevailed over the Land of the Long White Cloud on Sunday morning. Most people were too perplexed that Roger Douglas had risen from the ashes. (I for one had been certain “80s revival” only extended to garish wardrobes, but seemingly not).
In the library quiet of the election booth, Kiwis chose change and tax cuts, which is fine; democracy is democracy after all. But I admit to despair when I woke this morning to hear ACT Rodney Hide on the wireless, proposing to hold National over a barrel over climate change. Rodney “can’t wait for a warmer Invercargill” Hide wants the emissions trading scheme scrapped before he goes into coalition. He envisages the scheme being “a sticking point”. Hide is a notorious climate sceptic. For him to make calls on climate policy is like a teetotaller judging a beer competition. If you don’t buy the premise, how can you support the conclusion?
John Key, while fervently against the idea of New Zealand being a leader when it comes to climate policy, is also a realist. He has gagged climate sceptics in his caucus, and reversed his stance on global warming, because he knows that for a New Zealand government to ignore this rapidly unfolding crisis is not politically feasible. But he is likely to do the absolutely minimum to keep New Zealand’s head above water on the issue. If he were to cave in to Hide, it would have massive ramifications, not only for his standing as a leader but also for New Zealand’s relationship with trading partners and with consumers overseas who buy our products.
The world’s response to climate change is ramping up. New Zealand was just keeping pace under Labour and the fear now is that we are rendered luddites. The UK has just passed the progressive Climate Change Bill, and the US has just elected a new president who listed “a planet in peril” as one of his key challenges. Obama went up in world’s estimation because of strong stance on climate change; if he’s not careful, Key will suffer the opposite.
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And here I was thinking hypercolour was the only 80’s thing making a comeback in 2008…
As the US and Australia become more liberal, it seems like a teenager, NZ is rebelling for the sake of it.
Conservatism… climate change denial… were you NZ’ers not paying attention to what went down in Aus over the last eleven years?
They say that in a democracy the people get the government they deserve. I had a higher opinion of new Zealanders before Saturday.
For once I was so proud of how much we have achieved for the last decade.
However, I felt like a walking zombie for the last two days feeling so lost about the results and trying to overcome the shock of how ignorant the public has become, even when the climate issue is looming large on the international scale.
It is a very disappointing moment for those of us who still lives here and did not vote for tax cut over the environment. I hope that we stay and fight and support each other cos we can truly do ‘better than this’ using that quote.
Hopefully the public do not need another crisis to truly wake up! But for now, I can see a lot of education work needed for the public.
Like Pete I too had a higher opinion of Kiwis before the election. Perhaps I’m a little biased being one… but it has been a very disappointing and embarrassing time as ignorant Kiwi’s voted for a major step backward into the dark ages of climate change denial.
Yes in a democracy people get the government they deserve… And if New Zealand was enclosed in some sort of magic bubble that not only kept all of the pollution, but also the political policy, separate from the rest of the Earth then it might not be so bad… Except for all the Kiwis who don’t have a hard-on for coal and like breathing without a mask!
In a world where our trading partners and allies are taking (some) positive steps forward we are now heading off alone into oblivion without a paddle! If we continue to follow the “Leadership” of John “Pied-Piper” Key we will soon find ourselves at the wrong end of the very high cliff we are perched at the edge of.