apec

Two Steps To the Right, One Step Back

So we’ve had a few weeks under a National-lead government so far. Parliament hasn’t sat yet, but if you watch closely you can see the changes already.

I will happily admit that the way John Key assembled his government struck me as decisive and honest, which we hadn’t seen a lot of from National recently. I especially applaud his movements to incorporate the Maori Party into his government, handing out some very important portfolios such as Maori Affairs and assorted associate roles.

This would have been absolutely unthinkable even three years ago, even seemingly to Labour after Helen’s “last cab off the rank” comment. I believe it goes to show that one of Labour’s highest achievements from their 9 years in power is how they have forced the National party to change into something that is palatable to the general population.

However, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops. In forming the government John Key has had to make some dangerous concessions to the small red devil on his shoulder that is ACT.

National want to take the ETS back to Select Comittee, and ACT wants the Select Committee’s terms of reference to include a complete review of the basic science behind anthropomorphic climate change. Science which, even the President-elect of the USA believes is “beyond dispute” as he takes steps to sign the USA to Kyoto and implement their own Emissions Trading Scheme.

In this light, it makes New Zealand’s rhetoric and slack efforts even more hypocritical considering our clean, green image. Something John Key, as Minister of Tourisim, might want to take a note of before he disassembles and delays our sole response to climate change (and paying our $2bn Kyoto liability which would otherwise be picked up by the taxpayer) even further.

It’s this position that he’s taken that makes his little tantrum about the UK’s environment-inspired long haul flight tax seem even more ironic. If we were fighting from a position of strong action on climate change, it could be validly argued to have the tax waived for NZ flights as we do our own bit to control our carbon footprint and combat climate change. The same premise we’re going to have to rely on when we try and sell our exports once food miles are taken into account.

But instead he directly attacks the UK’s government spouting “significant concern”, fear of a “contagion effect” and letting them know that their tax policy is “not necessarily rational”. I’m sure that’s just what they want to hear from a trumped up little pipsqueak that was only sworn in a few weeks ago. Especially after pulling such tricks as spending the last year blaming the Labour-lead government for our current economic woes then giving a speech at APEC proclaiming that it’s the fault of his money-trading mates that, well, might have gotten a bit greedy.

So Key needs to ramp himself down from campaign mode, stop attacking things that threaten him and, most importantly, he needs to not be a Rodney.