Sweet Talk Sucks
Hi, all,
the swamp has sunk and I’ve recovered from the shock of being out of the water for the weekend.
So to kick off life in the new swamp, here’s a comment from that provincial provocateur - crab…
Sweet Talk Sucks
The mangrove around here is not bustling with Labour MPs seeking out Green companionship however it is not surprising they are being “nice”.
If you listen to the audio blog of Sue Bradford after the CTU Conference it is pretty obvious that Labour needs to sound friendly to try and regain some credibility with the unions. It is all a bit patronising when big sister who promised to invite you to her party chooses to invite the richer uglier boyfriend who can only be relied upon to behave badly.
I hate to sound crabby but all this niceness is hard to take. During the election there was a lot of co-operation and mutual encouragement between candidates from these two parties. There are policies in common but there are some big differences we need to name. If Labour was serious about the environment would they have once again chosen some one with no background in this critical portfolio? My guess is that the environment doesn’t really matter, so why not give it to another ex-school teacher? It works for the officials over at the Ministry to have Ministers who don’t know anything about GE, organochlorines standards or water quality. If you’re a rural crab you depend on a clean food chain and healthy waterways for survival but then who cares if crabs survive? At least the energy portfolio could work for the benefit of the country.
All the sweet statements about solar panels and the good old Greens will only ring true if Labour works to implement the policy agreements and the Air New Zealand debacle is not exactly a commitment to ‘Kiwi Made’ campaigning. If we are going to get any progressive legislation through the House, Labour will need the Greens and sometimes the Maori Party. Watch out for nice comments about the Maori Party from Labour, but don’t hold your breath. Those disloyal tangata whenua dared to want the foreshore and seabed repealed, how selfish can you get?
Down here on the foreshore the crabs are keeping our claws crossed. Will Winston continue to refuse to sit next to Helen? After all he is just being honest, he is a right-wing Minister and he wants to sit with his mates. The Debating Chamber sounds like one of those ghastly dinner parties where no one likes the person they are next to because they are having an affair with someone down the other end of the table. At least when you get your Greens you know what you’re getting, where it came from and what it will do to your digestion.
The crab
October 25th, 2005 at 11:46 am
As an ex policy adviser at the Ministry for the Environment, I know that the previous minister for the environment actually had very little influence over policy, at least as regards GM, which was my area. It was senior officials at the ministry and other ministries such as MAF and MRST who decided what the minister was allowed to read. On three occasions, I was part of a team giving scientific advice to the minister and had it either blocked from getting to her, or even worse, doctored in such a way that the minister heard the arguments for the current government policy, but not the counter arguments.
The independent BERL report published in 2003 was quite equivocal about the economic benefits of GM crops, and noted that so far as any effect could be predicted, the evidence suggested GM crops would actualy be harmful to the economy. By the time treasury and MfE officials had put their spin on it, the report was saying that GM could be beneficial, and that it vindicates the government’s view.
I have no objection to government officials coming to a different view from the independent report; but what I objected to was when they said that this was the findings of the report itself. The government published a press release stating that the BERL report vindicated their position, and wanted to get this put in all ministerial letters as well. At least I had sufficient influence to prevent the latter, but on the whole I am not impressed with the way the ministry rules the minister.
IMHO what is more important than the minister’s knowedge of GM is whether he has sufficient strength of character to curb the power of his officials.
October 25th, 2005 at 11:51 am
Just like “Yes, Minister!”
The Sir Humphries in Wellington need taking down a peg or two.
October 25th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
Don’t cross claws… sharpen ! - respectfully BJ
October 25th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
kiore1, sounds like you needed a whistle to blow back then.
On the upside, we haven’t as a party offered to keep quiet about GE in this term, so I expect the legislation to be back on the agenda, with regard to replacing the moratorium.
Please Frog, when can we have a party? Crab sounds like the sort of old cynic I might get along well with
katie