Just a note, seeing you’re new to NZ- politicians at #6 or higher on a party list are guaranteed a seat if their party exceeds the 5% threshhold, and in most cases politicians at #7 are likely to qualify even with votes under 6%, due to wastage from votes for parties that didn’t reach 5% or win an electorate seat.

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As a person new to NZ I wasn’t aware of what a right-on and downright funky man that Keith Locke is. This questioning of Winston (funnily enough I already know who HE is!) is awesome.

I hope Keith does OK in the upcoming election this year, where is he on the party list? Oh, number five currently I see. Go Keith!

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Winstons previous rantings on immigration have been written off as racist. There is nothing to say that immigrants are better or worse than residents however do we need to import over population when NZ’s longterm comparative advantage is in agriculture?
Constables England has long gone with Dick Whittington and Tom Thumb and “they” still want more and more people.

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I don’t think you can compare China and Zimbabwe as China is “smoking”.

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Chinas problems have to be looked at in light of its population (ie)demanding diddely squat for its workers could be argued as highly extravagant.

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Wow, that’s the first time I’ve had a “what the…?” moment when reading something from Keith Locke, who’s usually pretty sensible. I would’ve thought he was already pretty clear on the fact that question time only relates to ministerial responsibilities? Sadly, Winston has to take the party line on this issue and not pressure the FTA agreement too much while he’s wearing his ministerial hat.

(Although a question time that applied to the leaders of all parties would be really interesting, and potentially incredibly embarrassing for parties that never release any policy )

I agree that it’s sad that Winston does not view part of his job as FA minister to actively pressure countries on developing abuses of human rights, as well as cuddling up to our friends. (Although it’s pretty typical of Winston’s NZ-centric attitude) We know he’s been an extraordinarily good Foreign Affairs minister in that second sense, but come on- human rights have to be just as important as that.

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And for more, let’s compare today’s:

“At the last election, and at every election for quite a few years, I promised, like most members of Parliament, my responsibility and my efforts and energy to the progression of the social and economic welfare of New Zealanders. I have not spent all my time trying to find some problem in some far-flung country and sought to make it the main concern of this Parliament.”

with this from 2002

“The time for New Zealand to simply say that we have ‘concerns’ about Zimbabwe are over. We must take action by withdrawing all diplomatic, military, and aid ties with Zimbabwe, and encourage other nations to do the same.

It’s also worth reading this speech on the WTO and this one on trade with China:

And let’s be clear – New Zealand jobs are under threat and in a big way.

They are under threat from Labour and National’s obsession with signing Free Trade Agreements with low wage Asian economies.

This biggest of these threats is the proposed China Free Trade Agreement.

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Although frog did link to it, some frogblog readers may have missed this evidence of NZ First’s extraordinary display of duplicity. Makes it clear the NZ First really does stand for nothing other than the baubles of power:

31 May 2005
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Media Release

CHINA FTA WILL HELP “ASIANISE” NZ – PETERS
After changing the face of New Zealand through massive unfocused immigration, Helen Clark now intends destroying our manufacturing base and wrecking our economy by signing a Free Trade Agreement with China, says the Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“China is simply using New Zealand as a political pawn to gain entry into the World Trade Organisation, and this government is so naïve that it is playing along without any thought for the impact of such a deal on our economy.

“New Zealand workers will be forced to further compete with cheap Asian labour, and the trickle of New Zealand business relocating to Asia will become a torrent.

“The fact that China will not consider including our dairy products as part of the FTA highlights just how skewed any deal will be in favour of China.�

Mr Peters said the proposed FTA was a “lose/lose� scenario for New Zealanders.

“We already lose $2 billion a year to China through unbalanced trade and a FTA would see this get substantially worse. Ultimately our economic sovereignty would be subsumed by the Chinese juggernaut.

“This begs the question of where is the CTU now the workers really need it?� asked Mr Peters.

ENDS

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