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Murray McCully has just used his recently acquired ministerial discretion to allow Fiji's under-20 soccer team to enter New Zealand in transit on its way to a tournament in Tahiti. This is broadly at odds with the Labour government's sanctions following the coup in 2006…
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This classic myth is used by National/ACT as an excuse to not do anything about climate change and, now, to attempt to undermine emissions reduction targets in the international climate change agreement to succeed Kyoto. And it is nothing more than a myth. Between 1990…
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National/ACT has only been in power a week, but the flip-flops keep coming. Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee will not confirm that that National/ACT will reversing the new light-bulb standards. This after they campaigned hard against these standards and Key repeatedly promised that under a National government people…
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Don't let Key go abroad representing us again until he has had some diplomacy training. I can't believe, I literally can't believe, the comments he has made in the UK. In addition to the comments yesterday, where he called the new carbon-offset airport departure tax…
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The UK has announced plans to increase departure tax from its airports for flights outside Europe to pay for offsetting their carbon emissions. This is part of the worldwide response to climate change - countries are making emitters pay and even aviation, which is excluded…
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According to a leading financier, carbon credit broker Nigel Brunel, of OMF Financial, New Zealand has become "a bit of a joke" in Europe as National/ACT looks set to delay, even abolish, our Emissions Trading Scheme. If you'll forgive me an anecdote, I'm reminded of the…
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The National Party's decision to resurrect the idea of a carbon tax is one of the most cynical plays I've seen in a while, coming from a party that opposed a carbon tax from day one. In fact, for all their hollow attacks on Labour's…
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With a masterful awareness of the import of his actions, President Roosevelt termed his economic program to lift the US out of the Great Depression 'the New Deal'. Laissez-faire capitalism, whereby the 'invisible hand of the market' ruled, had failed to fulfil the conditions of…
climate change economy Environment International workers' rights
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From Scoop: The hapless polar bear that emerged during the recent TVNZ You-Tube leaders debate has resurfaced to issue a plea to Prime Minister-elect John Key. "The planet is on the slide due to climate change," stresses the bear. "Me and my ilk are like…
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Some great political theatre from Greenpeace yesterday. A bunch of climate activists got up at the crack of dawn, plastered ready-made lawn around the outside of John Key's electorate office, then put up some wee pine trees and stumps alongside a billboard saying 'Would John…
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National's Nick Smith has announced that they would cancel the $1 billion fund to insulate New Zealand houses, which the Greens won as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme. This massive programme would improve energy efficiency, create warmer, healthier homes and would provide useful employment during the downturn. A…
climate change economy election 2008 Environment families greens health housing national tax
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The Greens have announced that they will choose their preferred coalition partner based on their commitment to 12 criteria. I'll just look at 5 (not that the others are less important, just space): reduce New Zealand's oil dependence and climate change emissions; - senior Nats…
climate change election 2008 Environment greens labour national Social issues transport workers' rights
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We all knew New Zealand was in recession in the first six months of this year. The official figures have confirmed this. The surprise though is on the upside. The consensus had been that the economy had shrunk 0.5% in the quarter. In fact, it was…
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Incredibly, leading rightwingers including John Key, Maurice Williamson, Lockwood Smith, Rodney Hide, and Roger Kerr still don't accept the overwhelming evidence for climate change. A cynic would say that's just because it's in their interests to engage in this wishful thinking. But maybe that's too harsh, maybe they've…
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Boosting their green credentials is not proving as straightforward as National would like, as this video that's doing the rounds shows.
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The Greens have won some very good improvements to the ETS in exchange for their support. The most important is $1 billion over 15 years to insulate low-income homes and subsidise upgrades to insulation of higher income homes. That's a really positive development; all New…
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One thing you can always say for the Greens, they're democratic to their core. Currently, they find themselves facing a tough choice - whether or not to support Labour's Emissions Trading Scheme - and, true to their democratic principles, they're asking for advice from the…
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Reading National's energy policy last week I was surprised to learn that of 1942MW of new generation that has come online since 2000 1073MW of that has been thermal*. Sure enough, John Key is going around using that as a ground for National's policy of…
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Deputy leader Bill English yesterday late afternoon released what could barely be described as National's policy on climate change. I was sorry to see such little detail on what they planned, despite his saying (again) that their structure would be in place within nine months. Surely they must…
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John Key called us to task in his interview with Wammo today: "every leftwing blogger out there has a field-day going on and on about the fact that Labour say I said climate change is a hoax...they should just get their facts right down at…
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Australia's ABC has a somewhat unusual online game to explain the impact of individuals on climate change to children. It's called 'Planet Slayer'. The main part of the game involves answering questions (which really only apply to adults) around use of cars, house size etc…
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The day that National Radio publicises a 'survey' produced by Matthew Hooton is a very strange day. That day is today. Hooton's 'independent' 'survey' finds flaws in the Emissions Trading Scheme. 'Amazing'. For those with long memories, it reminds one of a survey the Sunday…
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A classic 'cake and eat it' from Crosby/Textor National has been their approach to climate change - stating they support tackling this issue but opposing every policy that has been developed. The latest example is their position on the ETS, which No Right Turn explains…
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BBC and TVE screen an Earth Report special this week focussing on New Zealand's objective to become carbon neutral: New Zealand, host for World Environment Day 2008, plans to be the first to create a completely carbon neutral economy. Their target is 2020 and they…
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The Dompost reports that the Greens will not vote for the Emissions Trading Scheme if the introduction of transport fuels into the scheme and the end of free allocation of credits are delayed. Without the Greens, the Bill will probably not pass. I have a…
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We've all heard John Key bang on about his ambitions for New Zealand's infrastructure and now one of my sources within the National Party has tipped me off that as part of their infrastructure policy they are planning to announce a plan for a four…
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National has pulled its support for the emissions trading scheme which is intended to set limits on the emission of greenhouse gases and penalise polluters. This is the latest in a long line of Key's shifting positions on climate change. First climate change was a "complete…
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Last year John Key announced National's ‘Blue-Green' Strategy. It contained the first shadow of acknowledgment from National that climate change is a serious issue: a target to reduce greenhouse gas emission to 50% of 1990 levels by 2050. Of course, setting a target for a…
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Rio Tinto's threat of capital strike appears to have backfired on them, with a political consensus emerging that the multinational has overplayed its hand on this one and some even starting to question whether we might be better to just shut the smelter down and…