by frog
Peter Dunne’s media release yesterday deserves a serious deconstruction.
First he starts with his triennial election strategy modus operandi – paint the Green Party as extremists that so that he can position himself as the reasonable compromise candidate that will keep the Greens out of power:
New Zealand’s entire climate change strategy is at risk, according to UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne, and he is laying the blame directly at the feet of the Greens.
If the Greens are intransigent that must make Dunne transigent; without any firm position and willing to drift with the wind to where ever the next cabinet post might be waiting.
Then he perpetuates the myth that the Greens are undermining the Emissions Trading Scheme. Remember it was Labour and National that have changed their positions on the legislation half way through, not the Greens who have negotiated a consistent position throughout the whole debate.
“Moreover, their uncompromising stand makes it more difficult for the government to strike a workable deal on its emissions trading scheme,? he said.
Then a bit of insults and abuse from a politician that likes to portray himself as well mannered and polite.
“The Greens have so far taken a hair-shirt approach which would not only see New Zealand following policies far ahead of the rest of the world, but would also see a significant drop in the living standards of New Zealand households.
As far as I know I haven’t seen any Greens in hair shirts, (seems more like something Gordon Copeland might wear) but even if there are at least our position is based on science.
Then this bizarre claim:
“First, we think it unreasonable that New Zealanders’ living costs should have to rise so steeply – now likely to be at least $30 a week if the international price of carbon continues to escalate.
Remember the Green Party is the party trying to ensure that it is carbon polluters who pay under the Emissions Trading Scheme, not ordinary New Zealanders. Currently the way Labour has watered down the scheme households and small business will pay 90% of the cost even though they produce only 30% of the emissions.
Then Dunne outlines his ‘principled’ stance:
“There is an inevitable trade-off involved between what is desirable policy, and what is publicly acceptable.
In other words Dunne is happy to water down what he thinks is right in order to win votes.
“UnitedFuture, by contrast, is willing to compromise to find the most robust solutions – no matter how long it takes,? said Mr Dunne.
Note that thoughout the entire exposition Dunne does not name one piece of policy or suggested change to get things back on track.
Published in Campaign | Environment & Resource Management | Parliament by frog on Sat, June 7th, 2008
Tags: climate change, Emissions Trading Scheme, Gordon Copeland, Hair shirt, peter dunne
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
He only picks on you to pretend he has teeth but wouldn’t dare to bite the ankles of Lord Clark or Lord Key.
Take it as a compliment and send him some possum fur nipple warmers!
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Dunne shows himself once again to be one of the most cynical politicians in Parliament. He has no meaningful policy suggestions, he just sees a political gain to exploit for his short-term survival, regardless of the long-term consequences. We saw it in the past with his stance on cannabis, where in his 2002 agreement with Labour he blocked consideration even of medical use, despite the overwhelming evidence, because it was easy to whip up fear and therefore support. Now he wants to further gut a bill that has already been so weakened that it will achieve almost no reduction in emissions.
All parties agree that vulnerable households require protection as the transformation to a low carbon economy proceeds. There are many ways to do this and surely an agreement can be reached that doesn’t jeopardise the goal of emissions reduction. Oh for some leadership from the Beehive, if we can’t have it from other political leaders, to give this defining issue of our generation the urgency it deserves.
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If by “robust solutions” you mean “whatever Peter Dunne feels is most popular”, then yes, he will compromise to achieve that.
Interestingly I heard today that National are getting worried that Dunne might lose in Ohariu this election. If only!
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Is that in the media anywhere Ari? I love MMP, but do look forward to the day when the four personality parties are gone.
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Four? I count United Future, New Zealand First, and if you REALLY push it, the Progressives (although I believe they actually offer a unique centrist approach where they mix economic intervention with social conservatism, but whether that approach would be successful without Anderton is certainly up for debate)
No, I haven’t found it in the media, just on the grapevine. Could be wishful thinking even. If the populists are gone, inevitably someone will take their place- John Key, for instance. The problem isn’t so much with the getting rid of them, rather with the getting enough support that you can have a government where they’re largely insignificant.
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I was counting the Progressives and Act. Act’s survival will likely continue to depend on Rodney. The Progressive Party will surely not survive Anderton, though that doesn’t mean there is no space for such a party (or another Act for that matter).
Another way of looking at it is that it is the parties that were created by the schism of the 80′s/90′s. Each of these four succeeded mainly because they were established by an already well known politician from one of the old parties. More recently, the Maori Party is the same, but will surely survive Tariana.
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I think Gareth Hughes can give Peter Dunne a run for his money in Orahiu. Under no illusions that Hughes will actually win the electorate, but I think he is a worthy opponant, and he can go head to head with Dunney. Interesingly, I heard that the Green Party gets more of the party vote in that elecorate than United Future do.
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… what can you expect from a man who wears a mereingue on his head ?
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god thats a hard word to spell !! …..meringue
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In other words Dunne is happy to water down what he thinks is right in order to win votes.
Yet the same day this was posted, the Grens were advocating that the Maori Electorate voted Green so that more Maori seats will stay in overhang. The Greens are the people who are happy to do what is right not only to win votes, but to distort the MMP system they advocate for.
Is the Greens still a principled party, apparently not. They have advocated distortion of MMP twice in a week.
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What a silly comparison. The Greens do not see either thing as terrible and don’t even when other parties do it, like NZF did recently with Dale Jones coming in. You can disagree with that if you want, but its not the same as what Dunne is doing.
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Dunne is a politician of a rather small centre, he was only boosted by anti-Labour media and a worm sound-bite into credibility c2002-2005.
He accurately once defined himself as someone of National party policy who was not comfortable as a member of that party (Catholic Labour right origins via Douglas etc into United) – this in 1999. I would describe him as someone for economic rationalism (free market liberalism) and (faith based family) communitarianism.
He has long been hostile towards conservation and environment issues and civil liberties and human rights (he pays lip service to them when seeking recreational group or ethnic group support). I once challenged an article he wrote on his liberalism, because of his absence of focus on these areas – his response was to state I was some extreme left fellow traveller one of that ilk. Talk about a public self confession of his McCarthyist tendency, the reactionatry knee jerk response to anything to his left and of any genuine progressive liberalism.
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@J.A. Prufrock
I heard that the Green Party gets more of the party vote in that electorate than United Future do.
Indeed, Results for 2005 confirm this is the case.
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