Archive for September, 2005

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  Green weekend reading - by frog

  
  
  
  A couple of frogblog readers have pointed me to two articles well worth reading for anyone with even a passing concern with the big environmental issues facing us. First: the end of cheap oil. Writes William Keegan, the Observer‘s senior economics correspondent: Even the short-term optimists about the US economy are very concerned about the [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 12:16 pm - 3 Comments
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  Is Don Brash from the radical right? - by frog

  
  
  
  Well, Barry Gustafson – a political historian from Auckland University who’s an expert in the National Party and wrote the authoritative biography of Robert Muldoon – certainly thinks so. Speaking on bFM this morning (hattip, Russel Brown), he said: The National Party has always been a combination of pragmatists, conservatives and radicals, and largely dominated [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 11:57 am - 6 Comments
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  One day to go… - by frog

  
  
  
  Chief electoral officer David Henry has been seemingly playing a game of cat-and-mouse with journalists about the specials announcement. Could it be Thursday? Could it be Friday? Could it be Sunday? Well, no, it’s going to be Saturday – the original target day for the final announcement of the election results. But, just to prove [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 10:08 am - 4 Comments
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  Dunne over - by frog

  
  
  
  Peter Dunne has taken a beating at the hands of the media over the past two weeks. A man who staked his reputation on reasonableness and moderation has been slammed as petulant, ridiculous, arrogant, presumptuous, too-big-for-his-boots, and many more besides. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. In any case, I’m very glad to see [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 9:33 am - 7 Comments
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  Turning out - by frog

  
  
  
  Electoral Commission chief executive Helena Catt has called for citizenship education in schools, in an effort to halt the decline in turnout in our general elections. This year’s election had an 80% turnout, which was up slightly from the 77% in 2002 – our lowest turnout in a century. Globally, we do quite well when [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 9:09 am - 16 Comments
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  A very different Parliament - by frog

  
  
  
  Vernon Small made the point in the Dominion Post yesterday that many of Parliament’s eight political parties could have leadership changes in the next wee while. Mixing Small’s suggestions (where he makes them) with my own guesses (where he doesn’t), the parties going into the 2011 election could look something like this: Labour: Steve Maharey/Phil [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 8:44 am - 17 Comments
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  Of schools and high horses - by frog

  
  
  
  Labour’s decision that there will be no more school closures is a very good one. The Greens were staunchly opposed to Labour’s school closures (go here to see the fourteen press releases we put out in early 2004 about the issue). However, I find Bill English‘s triumphalism on the issue rather disingenuous. He was on [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 10:42 am - 8 Comments
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  A spectrum (mark two) - by frog

  
  
  
  The Dominion Post has excelled itself today by providing the “other side” of the Green business meeting story that was missing from its edition yesterday. Having said on Wednesday that the Greens’ charm offensive with business failed, it is saying on Thursday that the Greens have found allies in business. Today’s story reads: The Greens [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 10:20 am - 22 Comments
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  Election tidbits - by frog

  
  
  
  Here are a couple of amusing articles to read about election day. First: Isaac Freeman was an election day worker in the Auckland electorate of Maungakiekie and has blogged a fascinating account of his experience. For example, about the counting process, he writes: At seven o’clock we closed the doors, put some cardboard tables together, [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 9:13 am - 2 Comments
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  A spectrum - by frog

  
  
  
  “They went in frightened, and they came out terrified.” That’s how Breakfast‘s Paul Henry described his impression of business leaders meeting Jeanette and Rod last night. It is also the tenor of much of the media coverage of the meeting: the Greens tried to charm business; they failed. However, if you look at the media [...] read more
  September 28, 2005 10:01 am - 61 Comments
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  Freedom reigns - by frog

  
  
  
  While in Parliament, MPs aren’t meant to bitch publicly about their parties and their colleagues. Though John Tamihere didn’t always respect the convention, he is the exception. When sniping within parties does happen, it almost always takes place in off-the-record briefings to journalists as politicians try to get their clique’s version of events into the [...] read more
  September 28, 2005 9:16 am - 2 Comments
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  Special feijoas - by frog

  
  
  
  The Herald reports today that: Labour and the Greens are growing more confident the centre-left will win another seat from the special votes – a change which would significantly strengthen Helen Clark’s hand in forming the government. (For those slow to this issue: the Greens need 4.5% of the specials to remain in Parliament and [...] read more
  September 28, 2005 8:50 am - 2 Comments
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  Quote of the day - by frog

  
  
  
  This just in: We can all pitch in by being better conservers of energy. I mean people just need to recognise … that if they are able to maybe not drive, on a trip that’s not essential, that would be helpful… We can curtail non-essential travel. If it makes sense for the citizen out there, [...] read more
  September 27, 2005 2:20 pm - 18 Comments
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  Three (or four!) days to go - by frog

  
  
  
  So, it seems everyone’s hanging out for the specials: whether the political parties waiting to form a government or concede defeat; or the journalists desperate for a new angle now that post-election talks have gone into media hibernation. The latest hope is that the Electoral Office will get the final vote count done a day [...] read more
  September 27, 2005 10:39 am - 13 Comments
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  Unicorns, not devils - by frog

  
  
  
  Jeanette and Rod‘s meeting with business leaders is in Wellington tonight. The Herald reports: The Greens are expecting about 40 people to attend a special briefing for business in Wellington tonight aimed at allaying fears about the party’s influence in Government. Co-leader Rod Donald said yesterday that he did not expect business to be persuaded [...] read more
  September 27, 2005 10:30 am - 9 Comments
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  Sustainable development - by frog

  
  
  
  I’d heartily recommend everyone reading A Sustainable Energy Future for New Zealand by 2050, a report published yesterday by the Business Council for Sustainable Development. The BCSD is a fifty-member business group, which includes The Warehouse, Meridian, Solid Energy, BP and Shell. The report is well-written and, just as important for busy bees, a manageable [...] read more
  September 27, 2005 10:13 am - 4 Comments
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  Coal, coal, go away - by frog

  
  
  
  The decision to grant resource consent for a coal-fired power station at Marsden B near Whangarei shouldn’t make you think it’s a fait accompli. There are 160 conditions on which the resource consent rest, which could well sink the project. Straight off the bat, I can’t see how Mighty River could limit the mercury that [...] read more
  September 27, 2005 9:28 am - 12 Comments
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  Climate loonies - by frog

  
  
  
  Short of in-depth knowledge of the relationship between climate change and hurricanes, I didn’t want to try and make the link, lest I be accused of trying to make political capital out of an awful situation in the United States. However, I am more than happy to quote an eminent British scientist on this very [...] read more
  September 26, 2005 11:53 am - 55 Comments
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  What is a microgrid? - by frog

  
  
  
  frogblog reader Andrew E pointed me to this interesting article about “microgrids” – which could save a great deal of energy without changing lifestyles. The BBC reports: Small networks of power generators in “microgrids” could transform the electricity network in the way that the net changed distributed communication. That is one of the conclusions of [...] read more
  September 26, 2005 11:03 am - 17 Comments
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  The opening skirmish - by frog

  
  
  
  This just in: Making abolition of the Maori seats a hard and fast policy tied to National’s election was fatal and galvanised the opposition. The public also sees the reduced place of women in the National Party, either in leadership or policy formation, as an indication of a certain culture within National not in sympathy [...] read more
  September 26, 2005 10:00 am - 23 Comments